Aunty is Hastings’ garden queen

On the outskirts of Hastings, in Waipatu, next to Tomoana Showgrounds, is Aunty’s Garden.

Aunty Hanui Lawrence, 76, is the passionate gardener behind it, and spends her days tending to her community garden.

She grows all manner of produce, but loves growing ku¯mara.

“I’ve grown ku¯mara all my life with passion — same with my parents,” Hanui said. “This whole paddock was full of ku¯mara. And it’s such a good kai. Easy to grow.”

Hanui also encourages others to grow their own vegetables and offers gardening workshops. About 70 came along on Tuesday to learn more about ku¯mara. The popularity of her gardening workshops still surprises her.

“I didn’t expect so many, but that’s wonderful. I gave each of them a bunch of ku¯mara. Everyone had a go.”

Workshop participant Petra du Fresne says Aunty’s Garden is an amazing resource. Keri Benefield first visited Aunty’s Gardens 10 years ago, and now tries to come back as often as possible. She kept the ku¯mara she got from a previous workshop for the latest instructions.

“I kept them over winter and cut them in half. I’ve been growing the seedlings from my windowsill. Now, I know what to do next.”

The community garden idea began 20 years ago. Hanui converted the 0.8-hectare paddock next to her marae into a community garden before opening it in 2010.

Hanui said she didn’t learn gardening from books. She learned from doing it herself and watching other people.

She spends most of her time working in the garden, but gets help from family members, church friends, Department of Corrections workers and volunteers. For locals, the garden is an affordable place to get organically grown fresh kai. Plenty of produce is on offer and there are no set prices. “Koha is anything,” Hanui said. “You could pay 10¢ or $10. Some people think of value and give a little extra.”

It’s an appealing approach, says local gardener Zoe Lee.

“You come in and you only take what you need,” she said. Aunty’s Garden is not about money. The land, part of a “reservation” and non-rated, is granted free to Hanui by the landowner for gardening. The gardens have had visits from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and previously, Sir John Key. Hanui has also been awarded a Queen’s Service Medal.

But one day, she will need to retire, and she expects her legacy will then come to an end.

Aunty’s husband Hori Lawrence is worried about his wife.

“She works too hard. I’ve been telling her to give it up. She said she might one day .”

But Aunty Hanui doesn’t have a succession plan.

“Nobody has the same passion as me. They’d probably want to be paid. So, if I’m not going to do it, the garden will be history.

“The land will go back to its owners. They might build houses here. So, it will be missed. It will be lost.”