·      HEADLINE - LOCAL:

o   Valley community social page sites are crying out for local produce (personal and businesses).

o   Small to medium valley producers have limited means to economically and effectively DISTRIBUTE excess.

o   SO many people I know do not have social media.

§  Awareness and enthusing strategies must involve non online means.

o   This is NOT just about Producers.

 

·      CRITICAL – LOCAL.

o   Awareness, enthusiasm and involvement in healthy food production and preparation.

o   Affordable

o   Accessible 

 

·      HEADLINE - Elsewhere:

o   The “market” is crowded, there are a few sites with the same aspirations across Australia ( http://growitlocal.com/categories/local-produce-and-foods). There are a number of Huon Producers on this.

§  We need a focus on the region.

 

·      CROP SWAPS:

o   I know of 4 operating across the valley, either on a monthly or adhoc basis. 

o   They are HIGHLY effective in bringing community together, swapping produce, preserves, ideas and more

o   A food hub design needs to ensure there is a central place to inform the community of ALL existing crop swaps and encouraging others.

 

·      A Food Hub is not just a physical location 

o   It is a culture / knowledge / confidence / pride which builds and thrives.

o   In saying that, it DOES require a physical hub.

§  Please check out this beautiful example (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-07/farmers-unite-to-put-local-produce-on-the-menu/100646466)

o   MY VISION – for a physical hub beyond a community shop.

§  ¼ Acre or more, covered shed (apple?).

§  MULTI-Purpose.

·      Always the shop

·      Workshops, vege patches, cooking classes, entertainment, communal spaces.

 

This survey consists of multiple sub-studies carried out between 2018-2021, assessing the impact of:

New Zealand’s food environments are still largely unhealthy. Where policies, codes and commitments by government and industry do exist, the progress on implementing these is patchy and there are too many gaps. Some are too weak to have an impact even if they are followed, such as the Children and Young People’s (CYPA) Code to restrict marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children. There are examples of strong commitments being actioned and policies being implemented when sufficient support is available, such as in South Auckland leisure centres.