Recently, The Trusts was honoured to join Triangle Park Community Teaching Garden for a significant milestone, the first community planting day for its new Food Forest. Alongside volunteers, supporters, and local residents, we had the privilege of helping plant the very first seedlings in the new whenua, marking the beginning of a project that will benefit the community for generations to come.
For many months, the Triangle Park team has been carefully planning, learning, and preparing the site for this next chapter. Their vision is a syntropic food forest that not only provides future food harvests but also creates opportunities for education, connection, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship.
The first planting focused on establishing support species, the essential plants that help build healthy soil, attract pollinators, provide shelter, and create the conditions needed for fruit and food-producing trees to thrive. While these plants may be modest in appearance today, they form the foundation of a resilient ecosystem that will grow and evolve over the coming years.
Projects like this showcase the power of community-led action. By bringing people together around a shared kaupapa, the Triangle Park Community Teaching Garden is creating a living classroom where people can learn practical skills, connect with nature, and contribute to a more sustainable future for The West.
The Trusts is proud to support Triangle Park through our Your West Support Fund, helping local organisations deliver projects that strengthen community wellbeing, encourage environmental stewardship, and create lasting benefits for local people. Seeing this vision come to life and being invited to help plant the first seeds in the new whenua was a privilege for our team.
Food forests are built with future generations in mind. The seedlings planted today will continue to grow and enrich the landscape for many years to come, providing food, habitat, and opportunities for learning long after the planting day has passed.
We look forward to watching the Triangle Park Food Forest flourish and seeing the lasting impact it will have on the people, wildlife, and communities of The West.
Learn more about Triangle Park Community Teaching Garden on their Facebook page.
If you or your organisation could use support from The Trusts, find out how to apply at thetrusts.co.nz/our-funds.
