4 minute read
Growing pathways
Words by Helena O’Neill
Hamlin Road Organic Farm team coach Sarah Hewitt
Tucked away in South Auckland is a special type of organic farm that helps people grow while they tend the land.
Hamlin Road Organic Farm is run by Pathways, a community-based mental health, addiction, and well-being service which offers people employment and education.
In 2002 Pathways acquired the land and funding to start Hamlin Road Organic Farm. They brought together Pathways staff, people who used their services, whānau, business people and community members to share their ideas on how Pathways should use the land.
The farm started as an organic, free-range operation selling eggs alongside a small amount of watercress. In 2013 and 2014 the operation moved to solely horticulture.
Farm team coach Sarah Hewitt says the shift to a sole horticulture operation was not without its challenges.
“We’ve got clay soil here at Ardmore along with a high water table.”
With good drainage and raised garden beds, between three and four acres of the five-acre site is now planted out. The orchard has 60 citrus trees along with avocado, apple, peach, pear, fig, plum, and feijoa trees. One 50-metre and six 25-metre shade houses also offer more variation in what the farm can produce alongside its orchard and outside gardens, she says.
Two propagation houses offer plenty of opportunities for trialling different plants and growing methods.
“I love doing different trials. We’re always exploring if we have the best seeds or if our practices are the best way. We will do trial beds next to each other. For example with coriander we would soak the seed in hot water, we would soak the seed in cold water, we wouldn’t soak the seeds.”
“We’ve got some covered crops and we’ve just started doing some mustard seeds. We’ve also closed down some beds and are trying to get some approved plastic that we can use.”
The farm sells its produce to Auckland wholesalers Ceres Organics and Fresh Direct, as well as at the farm gate during work hours and through its website. They are also long-standing stallholders at the weekly Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market.
“The online webstore is an ever-growing business for us. It’s been awesome.
“When Covid-19 hit we had an absolute influx of demand. We rebranded and created a webstore – it had been a dream of mine for years to have a webstore.”
The farm has seven permanent staff who work alongside the current 18 trainees.
“We provide a transition to employment skills. It’s about getting people back to thinking about work, getting work ready, all the things that come with that. An employeremployee relationship with heaps of support.”
Trainees start off on a six-month contract and can stay up to 12 months. To be eligible to become a trainee, you need to live in Counties Manukau, be between the ages of 18 and 65, and have “lived experience” of mental health or addiction challenges.
“Some people just need us for a little while, a stepping stone, and then they’re away.”
While trainees are working on the farm, they can also study towards NZQA horticulture standards, through a partnership with Primary ITO.
Some trainees have stayed in the horticulture industry, securing local horticulture jobs, while others have moved on to very different industries, Sarah says.
“A lot of our staff members have moved up from being trainees.” For the past seven years, the farm has also run a lawn mowing business within Papakura, Papatoetoe, and Manukau, using two staff and one trainee on the mowing run.
Sally Pitts-Brown, chief executive of Pathways, says the farm is a living example of the organisation’s dream to transform mental health and addictions through fostering strong, compassionate, self-supporting communities.
“Every purchase of our organic produce goes towards helping people in the local community with mental health challenges to gain valuable paid work experience, learn skills, gain qualifications and build confidence while they prepare for permanent employment elsewhere.
“We are also keen to talk to like-minded people who might want to invest in the important work that we do and help us grow new opportunities and support even more people.”
You can order Hamlin Road Organic Farm’s fresh produce from their website www.hamlinroadfarm.co.nz, stop by their roadside stall, or visit them at the Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market.
PLANT FOR SUCCESS
Marquez
New addition to our broccoli range. Medium dome and bead, medium dark green head of good size. Compact plant with minimal stem trimming required. From transplant, maturity 75-85 days for autumn and 110-120 days for spring harvest. Dependent on location.
Nikko Green
Harvest December through to early winter with a maturity of 75-115 days. Harvesting the 2.5-3kg deep drum-head is easier with the head held well clear of the ground. Short core and dense heart makes the medium sized cabbage perfect for retail.
Aspirata
Excellent spring harvest crisphead variety, suited to mid Sept – mid Dec harvest dependent on region. Dark green well wrapped head. Clean butt and nice internal colour. Flat round shape. Resistance to Bl1-36 and Nasanovia.
