This year we have a group of amazing parent volunteers and staff who are giving up their valuable time to support students in Pohutukawa through the "Garden to Table" programme.

The Garden to Table programme builds skills for life through highly practical, hands-on classes - not only teaching growing and cooking skills but also building awareness of individual and collective responsibility for the environment, healthy eating and community connectedness. It is an opportunity for children to get their hands dirty and learn how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal food.

Through the establishment of this programme we now have an AMAZING school garden. Led by one of our amazing parents Nicky Maclean the garden is flourishing with a wide range of fruit, vegetables, herbs and sustainable projects (including composting and a worm farm). Nicky and her dedicated team of volunteers have put a huge amount of hours in establishing and maintaining the garden as well as educating our students around growing and harvesting fresh food.

The beauty of the "Garden to Table" programme is the students take the food they have grown and prepare and share the most amazing fresh food. The kitchen team, led by other amazing parent Emma Prestage, focusses on developing a wide range of safe culinary skills, recipe reading and food service to produce the most delicious, fresh and healthy foods.

The results.........well they are inspiring!! Last week I was invited to the "Garden to Table" programme. Not only did I see passionate and engaged students both in the garden and kitchen but I got to sit down and share a meal which included a beetroot, feta and mint salad, stuffed mushrooms, an asian salad and a rhubarb and apple stew. It was a 10/10 meal. I need to get my hands on the recipes!!!!

A massive, massive thanks to Miss Stuckey, Nicky, Emma and the rest of our amazing parent volunteers.