Volunteers and students are cultivating far more than vegetables in Tapawera. A growing partnership between the community gardens and Tapawera Area School is helping young people learn new skills, encouraging healthy eating and providing fresh produce for local families.
Volunteers from the Tapawera Community Gardens were selling seedlings at Tapawera Area School as part of the 2026 Tapawera Spring Show on Saturday.
The community gardens and school have been working together in recent years to strengthen their relationship, helping more people in the Tapawera community reap the fruits of their labour.
Sabine Reinert, team leader Year 0-8 and community connector at Tapawera Area School, started working at the school three years ago and wanted to bring the garden back to its former glory.
“I felt strongly that in our area school we should have a garden for kids to learn and eventually have teachers teaching in it,” Sabine says.
“When I started at the school the garden was always there, but it was neglected and no one was in charge of it.”
“The teacher who did it, years and years ago, made it very pretty, I have been told.”
Sabine started a garden club at the school with help from parents who were happy to help, along with other community volunteers including Tapawera Connect and Mitre 10 Helping Hands.
Being involved with both the garden and school gives Sabine a unique viewpoint.
“From the school’s perspective it is having a space you can take your class when they need a break from the classroom, that was my biggest aim,” Sabine says.
“It’s beautiful just to take your class there when they need a break from inside.”
While a horticulture class from Tapawera Area School uses the community gardens to earn course credits for tasks like propagating plants and horticulture.
Some primary school students also experience the gardens.
