Gardens on Wheels: Creative Community Action Driving Kai Resilience
The core mission of achieving greater community kai resilience was vividly showcased last weekend at Gardens on Wheels 2025, where local creativity met practical horticulture in Jubilee Park.
This lively community event, held on the final day of the weekend-long Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions Garden Ramble, demonstrated a fundamental principle: a productive food source can be created anywhere—even on a set of wheels. The inventive entries—from productive herb tricycles to bountiful vegetable wagons—served as highly inspiring and accessible models for residents looking to boost their self-sufficiency. The event was a tangible example of community-led action contributing directly to sustainable food systems.
Troppo’s Contribution to Growing Food Security
Our Vector Group Charitable Trust initiatives, including the Troppo Urban Food Forest, played a hands-on role in reinforcing this mission. To actively encourage gardening and self-sufficiency, we donated a variety of tropical and sub-tropical food-producing plants as giveaways to the community. Getting these healthy, productive plants into local hands is a direct, practical way to help people start or expand their “backyard supermarkets.” Furthermore, the gold-coin voting for the People’s Choice Award helped raise funds for the essential Te Puke Community Garden.
We were proud to collaborate with the Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions Garden Ramble committee, whose hard work helped bring together a full weekend of celebration for our region’s growers. We also extend a big thank you to our many generous sponsors, including Arun Mehan Bayleys Real Estate, Te Puke Landscape Supplies, and Te Puke Mitre 10, for their critical support in making this grassroots event possible.
The Gardens on Wheels 2025 was a powerful, creative demonstration of how community action and collaboration can drive genuine food security.
Get inspired for your own backyard supermarket! See photos and videos of the gardens and Troppo’s plant giveaways here: View the full visual archive
