Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre

20/08/2026

Murray Rogers, Trustee and Treasurer, reflects on why he initially got involved at the Sustainable Living Centre, what his role currently is, and what he gets out of his involvement.

16/08/2026

Rita Scholten, Trustee and HR Leader, reflects on why she initially got involved at the Sustainable Living Centre, what her role currently is, and what she gets out of her involvement.

Rita Scholten, Trustee and HR Leader, reflects on why she initially...

26/07/2026

Did you know about Soup Mondays Run by Sarah, Coco and a group of volunteers hosted at the Gardens? Here's a letter From Sarah telling you more..

"Free Soup Mondays!!

The idea for Free Soup Mondays came to mind some years ago, but it wasn’t until a conversation with Coco Lolani that we found a shared aspiration and co-founded Free Soup Mondays, based on community resilience and a desire to cook delicious food with fresh, local ingredients.

This community-run initiative has now been going strong for ten weeks. A small group of volunteers serves hot soup, bread, and dessert to anyone who wants to enjoy a hot meal on a Monday evening—for free. There is the option to give a koha, and people have been contributing what they feel they can afford.

So far, we’ve successfully been able to cover the cost of the kitchen hire and ingredients. The soup is made possible through ongoing produce donations, bread baked by our volunteers, and donations of fresh and frozen bread, and occasionally pastries, from Bacca. They have generously provided us with their excess loaves and pastries whenever they can.

We’ve also received beef bones from Ellis Creek, and other members of the community have donated lentils, relishes, feijoas, apples, beetroot, carrots, and pumpkins. Volunteers forage for fruit for the crumbles and are now starting to meet on other days to preserve donated produce for future soups and desserts.

We like to provide something nutritious, so we occasionally serve bone broth-based soups, and always have a delicious vegan option available.

Between 20 and 30 people have been coming each week, either to eat in or take soup home in their own containers. A couple of posts on the Golden Bay community page keep people informed, but we could easily feed more people.

We would love more produce donations from the community, so if you have an abundance to share, we’d be incredibly grateful!

Thanks, Sarah"

We love being able to support such amazing initiatives here at the gardens, this is exactly what we stand for..

06/06/2026

Still spaces for today’s workshop.. and it’s a beautiful day 😍
come learn how prune your fruit tress for maximum health and production. 🤩

14/05/2026

09/05/2026

Come along today and learn how to turn waste into healthy soil and food production! We’d love to see you there.

07/05/2026

Composting Workshop Sunday

Save Your Seeds Workshop - SLC

Fruit tree Pruning workshop - SLC

06/05/2026

🌱 COMPOSTING WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY🌱
Composting Workshop Sunday ⬅️ click me for event page.
Part of May Sustainable Living Month at the Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre

Join local permaculturalist Sol Morgan for a practical and inspiring afternoon exploring the foundations of healthy compost and living soil.

Learn both the theory and hands-on practice of making hot compost, improving soil health, reducing household waste, and creating nutrient-rich systems to support thriving gardens and food production.

Whether you’re new to composting or wanting to deepen your understanding, this workshop will offer practical skills and simple techniques you can apply at home straight away.

📅 Sunday 10th May 2026
🕐 1pm – 5pm
📍 GB Sustainable Living Centre
💚 Free — TDC funded
☕ Afternoon tea provided

Please bring garden gloves and clothes suitable for practical outdoor activities.

Spaces are limited and registration is encouraged.
Email: [email protected] to reserve your place or ask questions.

Part of our May Sustainable Living Workshop Series alongside our Save Your Seeds Workshop (May 24th) and Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop (May 31st).

23/04/2026

🌾 People’s Pantry — Happening Tomorrow 🌿
Join us at the SLC tomorrow for our next People’s Pantry — a hands-on day of preserving, learning, and sharing seasonal abundance with the community.

You don’t need to commit to the full day — drop in when you can, lend a hand, learn something new, or simply enjoy the company while processing produce together.
All preserved food is shared between participants, the SLC, and donated to the Mohua Food Bank, helping strengthen our local resilience 💚
And while you’re here, check out the food stall, which has some beautiful new produce available.
📍 Sustainable Living Centre, 24 Waitapu Road