Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
with your basket and my basket the people will thrive
About The Sustainable Living Centre
Our vision is a world where communities of people are deeply connected to nature and each other, life is sustainable and food is healthy. We promote regenerative organic practices and sustainable living, through sharing knowledge and resources and providing facilities for community connection.
The SLC is a local food hub, with an organic market garden, heritage orchard, allotment gardens surrounded by mixed species shelter trees. It provides organic produce and garden supplies, venue hire, pop up cafes, educational programmes and events for the community. The Centre offers volunteer opportunities for locals and visitors.
Kai Resilience Project
We are continuing in our growth phase of the Kai Resilience Project.
We define kai resilience to mean a food system that is:
Disaster proof - to have resilience in the face of natural, medical and political disasters.
Beneficial to the local economy - to support our growers and producers financially.
Beneficial for health and wellbeing - both for humans, and for the environment (keeping healthy waterways, biodiversity and soils) now and in the future.
A part of community - so that all can access food through sharing/trading, utilizing our abundance and fantastic resources.
Accessible for all - to support vulnerable people and those in need.
A hui was held in September 2024 with lots of initiatives suggested. We are slowly working away at making sure these are appropriate and sustainable for our community.
We are currently working with HealthPost to create a food storage shed at The Sustainable Living Centre. Colin Minney has been upcycling donated materials and using low-impact materials such as wool insulation to create our food storage area. This will allow us better to preserve our abundance of regeneratively grown produce.
People's Pantry events are planned for February onwards. These events collect abundance at the time, bring people together to learn preserving skills and share it to the community. When all the preserves are made a third is given to the helping hands that made them, a third is given to the Mohua Social Services Foodbank, and a third is given to the Sustainable Living Centre for use in their fundraisers.
Collaboratively we are working to map Mohua's abundance, to allow us to better connect food to the people that need it. We will keep you informed as we go.
Courses and Workshops
A variety of courses, workshops and learning opportunities are available throughout the year at the SLC. Covering sustainable practices and design, making the most of the beautiful Golden Bay area where many practice what they preach. We organise field trips to sustainable businesses, natural and ecologically sound buildings, permaculturally designed properties and organic gardens.
A spectacular course that has enriched my life in numerous ways. I look at the world with hope and motivation and I intend to live with nature. The topics covered in this hearty course are truly varied and fascinating. We formed a close group and friends for life, which is a real bonus! The location is perfect and always buzzing with activity. I recommend this course to anyone who desires to cultivate ideas and inspiration for their own lives or others that involve sustainability and ultimately treading lightly on the Earth.
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Jasmin Hales, Student 2019
Events and Gatherings
The SLC holds events and gatherings that celebrate our inter connectedness with nature and the seasons. These events connect communities and give opportunity to share knowledge.
We also provide spaces for others to hold events ranging from art classes, performances, story telling, movies and gatherings.
Local
Food Shop
We grow and sell an array of seasonal produce at the SLC, and act as a central hub for locally grown organic produce, including fruit, vegetables, eggs, condiments and much more.
Our food stall is open 24/7 throughout the year. And our local food shop is open during the summer season. Sign up to our newsletter to get a weekly update on what is available each week.
I shop at the Sustainability Centre’s food stall weekly for my whānau and I’m always excited to see what delicious, in season goodies are available. I love being able to support such an amazing cause, and also know I’m looking after the health of my whānau and the planet at the same time. Thanks heaps to the Team and volunteers who make this all happen!
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A lovely local’s feedback
