He Puāwai Trust
A whānau-led approach to community kai development
Paetūmokai Kai Tahi
Paetūmokai Kai Tahi is a community kaupapa in Paetūmokai (Featherston) that starts with seed sovereignty and grows into kai, skills, and relationships, building resilience and wellbeing together. From planting to providing, trading to thriving. Together.
Growing Kai, Connection and Community Resilience
Paetūmokai Kai Tahi is a community-led initiative supported by He Puāwai Trust that is working alongside whānau in Paetūmokai (Featherston, South Wairarapa) to strengthen local kai resilience. Through collective growing, skill-sharing and circular resource recovery, the kaupapa reconnects people with whenua, knowledge and one another while building the foundations for a locally owned food system. The work has been shaped through community surveys, hui and ongoing consultation with whānau, growers and local organisations to ensure the initiatives reflect local needs and aspirations.
What we do
Whānau Kai Collective, Fareham House
In partnership with Fareham House, whānau work together to grow kai on shared whenua and receive a share of the harvest. This collective model builds connection, skills and pathways toward local food production.
Community Greenhouse & Free Seedlings
Weekly seedling pot-ups and a community greenhouse provide free and low-cost seedlings so local whānau can grow kai at home, lowering cost barriers and strengthening local seed sovereignty.
Helping Hands , Home Māra Support
Through home visits and neighbour-to-neighbour mentoring, households are supported to establish productive home gardens and build confidence growing their own kai.
Workshops & Skill Sharing
Hands-on workshops share practical skills such as seasonal growing, seed saving, composting, preserving and cooking with local kai.
Kai Share, Community Food Sharing
Weekly Kai Share sessions create a welcoming space where surplus produce can be shared freely, reducing food waste and strengthening a culture of collective care.
Circular Resource Recovery
Local waste streams such as cardboard, coffee grounds and garden clippings are diverted into soil-building and compost systems that support new māra
Pomare, Lower Hutt
In Pomare, we support whānau to grow their own food through our Māra Ora (living gardens) initiative. We work alongside the community to restore and develop sustainable food systems, promoting food security and resilience. Our mahi focuses on creating accessible spaces where people can connect, learn, and grow kai together, strengthening local food sovereignty and well-being.
Currently there are allotment spaces available, thanks to those that helped us expand the site through the Summer. The Pomare facilitator is Teina.
Growing Change
He Puawai Trust has a mission to build resilience in whenua, whānau, and hāpori through restoring and developing sustainable, local food systems.
One of our strategic focuses is to shift the dial from kai crisis to resilience. We do this by providing opportunities for education and development in kai skills across Te Awa Kairangi, and by shaping community kai hubs and plans.
