Under the umbrella of Rural Women Bainham
Building community food security through connection, knowledge sharing and practical skills
The Aorere Practical Living Series brings our community together monthly at Bainham Hall to strengthen local food systems, share knowledge, and build resilience through practical hands-on learning.
What We Do
On the 21st of every month, community members gather at Bainham Hall or at another location in the valley (see individual session pages for details) between 10 am and 2 pm. Activities include:
- Skills workshops on topics like preserving, bread making, cheese making, seed saving, and more
- Produce swaps to share garden abundance and baking
- Community gardening at the hall (in planning)
- Garden brainstorm where local growers share photos and experiences to discuss
- Craft activities using local materials
- Knowledge exchange, building connections and matching of volunteers for working bees
Upcoming sessions
Session 6: Preparing Ourselves and Our Communities
On 21 July at Bainham Hall
3 Steps for Life: Learn lifesaving skills and gain confidence to act if someone has a cardiac arrest in your community.
Build practical readiness and emotional resilience for rural emergencies, with grounding tools to help yourself, your kids and your community cope (run by Michelle Cole).
Session 7: Bread making
On 21 August at Bainham Hall
Join us for a baking session: Yeast and sourdough breads and other baking recipes
Session reports
| Session | Date | Recipe booklet |
| Session 1: Food Preserving | 21 February 2026 | Download |
| Session 2: Fruit Preserving | 21 March 2026 | |
| Session 3: Seed Saving | 21 April 2026 | |
| Session 4: Cheese Making | 23 May 2026 | Download |
| Session 5: Fermenting | 20 June 2026 |
Get involved
- Golden Bay Resilience Expo: On 3 May 2026, we ran a stall in Tākaka and asked how Golden Bay can become more resilient. Ten community members voted on six ideas. Neighbourhood food hubs and community gardens came out on top. See full results at the bottom of the Cheese making page.
- Discussions around Golden Bay resilience: We’d like to hear your thoughts on community resilience in the wider Golden Bay area. Also, we need more volunteers for community and school gardens in Bainham and Collingwood. Email [email protected] or phone 027-479 8750
Stay Connected
Join our newsletter for updates
Read articles in the Golden Bay Weekly
Our Vision
- Creating a resilient, connected community where:
- Food knowledge is shared freely across generations
- Local food production is celebrated and supported
- Neighbours help neighbours learn and grow
- Traditional and contemporary skills are preserved
- Everyone has access to fresh, local food
Celebrations
A big Thank You for the support of community members and business
- Gardening tools
- Several boxes of fruit and vegetables
- Pallets, wood and corrugated iron
- 30 waraths by PGG Wrightson
- Garden hose and watering heads by the Rural Service Centre
Materials needed
Collingwood school garden
- corrugated iron (~25 m total length)
- 12 m of 50 mm black irrigation pipe
- a couple of garden hoses
- connectors
- watering heads
Community garden Bainham Hall
- corrugated iron
- pallets
- tools
- wheelbarrow
- possibly old water tank to convert into shed
Current Community Projects
We’re building shared infrastructure at Bainham Hall to support our gatherings and community growing:
Garden shed Creating storage for communal tools and materials
- Looking for: Pallets or old water tank, roofing iron
- Progress: In planning
Raised garden beds Demonstration beds for teaching and community harvests
- Looking for: Untreated timber, cardboard for bases
- Progress: In progress
Compost system Three-bay system for processing organic matter
- Looking for: Wire mesh or pallets
- Progress: In planning
How to Contribute
Have materials, tools, seeds, or skills to share? Every contribution helps build community resilience.
📧 Contact: [email protected]
Get Involved
Join our monthly gathering: Open to all Aorere Valley residents – no experience necessary
Share your knowledge: Have expertise in food growing, preserving, or related skills? Or do you face challenges? We’d love to feature you as a presenter
Host a session: Help coordinate a monthly gathering
Want to stay informed:
Supported by: Rural Women New Zealand (Bainham branch)