Inhabit Project  

An early morning trip to Rogers nursery, heavy fog, dappled light, excited kids, pink wheelbarrows. Welcoming new plant babies into the fold. Echinacea, blue and purple salvia, sage (green, purple, pineapple), lavender,  geums, marigolds,  5 meters of soil delivered and moved my hand. We dug edges of beds and created form. Planted color and discussed composting systems. A busy day with lots of little hands in the dirt and many local path testers wandering through.

You are needed!  Today was logistics focused. We need to get the beds laid and as many plants in the soil as possible before the weather gets much colder. Char and I have drawn up a final map of Ngakinga and ordered more mulch and soil for delivery early Sunday morning. Come and give us a hand, there will be mulch to move, soil to tend, wai to sprinkle, kids to wrangle and plants to plant. Something for everyone! 🌱 Green fingers are not required, just an open heart 💚  But p

I want to introduce a fierce and brilliant māmā, friend and collaborator, Charmaine Bailie (Te Uri o Hau – Ngati Whatua ki Kaipara). Char...

Inhabit Iteration 4; Ngakinga Papa ki Awataha Char and I are excited to be working with a 200 sq meter piece of land at Papa ki Awataha...

On Wednesday we were joined in the garden by four kererū, two tūī, one kōtare many flittering pepe ao uri, and Lola.  We tested and measured more wai distribution methods, checked in on the beets, hung signs, calculated soil volume needed and planned the next two weeks of planting.  Lola gifted us some yarrow that I dug out of her garden and will plant next week too. She also gave me a tour of her home apothecary shop, her paintings and the creatures she makes out of paper ma

Lately I’ve been thinking about how comfortable I’ve become with grieving. Swinging easily from grief to mothering to making. Letting it...

Sunday at Ngakinga was all about the wai. As we create the space we need to build in systems to water during the hot months. We lay old garden hoses through the mulch, they will be pierced so the wai will flow when we need it to. We meet some more neighbours. Lola, an elderly Russian woman who grew up near the north-eastern Russia-China border, told us about using woad to dye her eyebrows as a young woman. Woad, (Isatis tinctoria, or dyer’s woad) is native to steppe and deser

Ngakinga: day 1 A big day at Ngakinga today. Char and I spread 20 meters of mulch over the land like a blanket. The first act of care. Drawing with pink dazzle, we decorated her with pathways to invite you in and entangle you, while children skipped through naming their favorite colours. Incredible images and drone footage by Petra Leary @petraleary @uruwhakaaro #inhabit #ngakinga #taiao #socialsculpture #naturaldye #motheringassocialpractice #motherhood #motherartist