Roimata Community Food Hub
Do you like fresh fruit? Do you want to see more free food in your community?
Planning is underway for a community garden and orchard for Radley Park in Woolston. The proposed Roimata Food Hub will include community fruit trees, vege beds, herb gardens, tunnel houses and more, benefiting both the Woolston community and wider Christchurch.
Before this project can get off the ground, we need to know if this is something the community wants!
Representatives from CCC and Sally Buck, chairperson of our local Community Board have shown great enthusiasm for this project. Both organisations are willing to invest resources to make this happen, but they need to see that the community supports the project. We've created this petition to be a "show of hands" to say that this is something we want in Woolston and Christchurch.
Why community gardens?
It's not just about getting the community eating more fresh fruit and vegetables. Successful community garden projects, both here in NZ and overseas, have shown that projects like this have wider benefits for the whole community, including…
Getting to know your neighbours
Helping reduce crime within the community through more people knowing each other, and encouraging people to be out and about in the neighbourhood,
Providing an opportunity to teach youth where food comes from, practical math skills, basic business principles, stewardship, responsibility, caring for the environment, job and life skills,
Creating cultural opportunities - welcoming new residents from various backgrounds into the neighbourhood, provide opportunities for community elders to pass on knowledge,
And,
Providing an inexpensive and hugely satisfying activity for both the young and less-young amongst us, allowing us to interact with each other in a socially meaningful and physically productive way.
Plus you get to eat things!
www.ipetitions.com...
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Poll: Should employees be able to work from home?
At the post-Cabinet press conference, the National Party asserted they want public sector staff to return to the office. This has opened a conversation about other sectors in New Zealand who have adopted working from home (WFH).
Where possible, do you think employees should be able to work from home? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comments.
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70.1% Yes
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26.7% No
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3.2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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