For anyone wanting to green up their thumbs, a new course in Motueka might lead you up just the right garden path. Aimed at beginner gardeners, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology’s Sustainable Horticulture course is now being offered in Motueka.
The free course, which will run from February to June, requires a commitment of 5.30pm-8.30pm on Tuesdays, as well as every second Saturday for practical work.
Tutor Robin Atherton has worked at NMIT for eight years, and she says that she loves having her hands in the soil, looking at all the critters within, and then having the opportunity to harvest something delicious.
The Tuesday component of the course will be run at Pah Street’s MoTEC, while the Saturdays will be out in Riwaka’s Chifull Sanctuary – formerly Ron Sharp’s Pulsing Patch, now overseen by his daughter Nicole.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Robin says. “It’s really what we want to do – grow food for the community.”
A former Motueka resident, Robin explains that she pushed to have a course run over here as the distance adds a “huge barrier” for people outside of Richmond and Nelson.
The course is now more accessible to not only Motueka’s residents, but to those students who have signed up from the Moutere, Kaiteriteri and Marahau.
The level two course falls under the New Zealand Certificate in Primary Industry Skills, and includes skills such as soil science, biodiversity, orchard planning and sustainable gardening philosophy.
Robin says that she believes in co-creating the course with the class, as people have different values and interests.
“Within the group, there’s already a ton of knowledge,” she explains. There are about a dozen people signed up to this first intake of the course, which starts this week, with the ability for more students to still join.
Robin also hopes to be able to run a second intake, starting July.
Motueka will also be hosting Mātauranga Māori Studies at levels one to three, with intakes in February and July.
For further information, contact horticulture@nmit.ac.nz or māoristudies@nmit.ac.nz.
