Our Kai Ora application

In 2026 DCCG applied to the Kai Ora Fund (application Kai-083, submitted 17 May 2026) for $4,530 — materials only. Everything else, from labour and machinery to mulch and know-how, is given in-kind by the community.

The funding covers the physical makings of the garden: steel raised beds, five cubic metres of Grandpa’s Garden Mix from Kaipara Landscape Supplies in Dargaville, seeds and seedlings sized for six beds plus the kids’ plot, six fruit trees (lemon, mandarin, two feijoa, plum and peach), three cold-tolerant banana plants, tree stakes and ties, materials for the community food stand and signage, delivery and fuel, and a small contingency.

One decision is worth telling. The original application budgeted for timber raised beds. Two days after submitting, DCCG members visited Waikarā Marae’s papakāinga gardens — three years ahead of ours — and came home with a clear message: timber beds in Northland’s humid climate rot far sooner than people expect, and the repairs come out of the same volunteer pool trying to grow food. We switched to New Zealand–made aluminium-coated zinc beds: food-safe, no rot repairs, and a lifespan of 25-plus years instead of 7–10. The change was absorbed by underspends elsewhere, so the total ask to Kai Ora stayed exactly where it started, at $4,530.

Four beds are funded by Kai Ora, and we’ve applied for two more through the bed manufacturer’s community giving programme. If that isn’t granted, the garden simply launches with four beds — the project doesn’t depend on it.