“Let’s see how far we can take it.” That was the challenge set by Invercargill City Council’s Parks & Recreation Manager, Caroline Rain. And it is a challenge her team has taken to heart.

If you’ve been wandering through Queens Park or Ōtakaro Park lately, you might have noticed among the flowers and shrubs, rows of kale, silverbeet, parsley, and thyme. These are part of the IncrEDIBLES initiative. A project that’s changing the way we use our parks by planting kai for everyone to share.

It all started during Covid-19, when food security became a real concern for our community. Healthy Families Invercargill brought together local kai leaders, and the Murihiku Kai Collective was born. The Parks team joined and by 2021, the first edible gardens were planted as a bit of a “Let’s test this and see.”

Photo: Murihiku Kai

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Planting has grown from 1,800 plants in 2021 to as many as 5,000 each autumn and spring. The variety has expanded too, from four types of crops to at least 13. All spray-free, all grown locally, and all free for the community to pick.

The kaupapa has already spread beyond Invercargill, with a garden now growing in Bluff. And this is just the beginning. The Parks team are looking at signage to help people harvest and prepare the kai, while groups like Koha Kai, South Alive, and KiwiHarvest make sure the food reaches those who need it most. Nothing goes to waste, even leftovers feed the animals in the park.

Photo: Murihiku Kai

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The response from our community has been huge. A single social media post about the gardens reached almost 200,000 people, with comments full of positive feedback and a call for more.

And that call is echoing around Aotearoa, with communities and even local government candidates laying down the challenge to their councils to prioritise kai in their public spaces too.