Christchurch Food Resilience Policy

The context

New Zealand, like other Pacific island nations, sits on a subduction zone. The natural disasters it has experienced only serve to highlight the vulnerability of its food system, which is highly dependent on imports and exports. Most towns produce less than 1% of their own food, and 75% of what they do produce is exported.

Against this backdrop of food insecurity, Christchurch City Council developed the World's Best Edible Garden City action plan in 2014. This programme marks the beginning of a public policy of territorial food resilience. In partnership with the Food Resilience Network, it aims to support the creation of a sustainable and resilient local food system.

The project

As part of its policy, the City of Christchurch, in partnership with the Food Resilience Network, is defining the key priorities for building "the world's best edible garden city":

• Protect productive land around the city
• Develop and support the creation of productive gardens
• Support initiatives that promote healthy, local food for all
• Helping people make the switch to healthy, environmentally friendly foods
• Promote food resilience in the city

Nicknamed the 'Garden City' for its many parks and gardens, Christchurch has used this green environment, which is ideal for growing food, to develop projects for local residents.
Increasing food self-sufficiency for Garden City residents
The City Council is a signatory to the Edible Canterbury Charter. This sets out the guiding principles for collective efforts to create a more food resilient region.

Specifically, there are 25 community gardens in Christchurch, supported by community councils and financial support from the council through community grants. The council provides residents with guides to help them set up new community gardens and advice on varieties suitable for local growing conditions.

The council is also working with the Canterbury Horticultural Society to establish an awards scheme (The Edible Garden Awards) to support individuals, schools and communities who are actively involved in producing their own food. City parks are being transformed into edible parks: plants, fruit and nut trees grown and maintained by the community for use by all residents. Edible plants are also being incorporated into the landscaping of council-owned social housing.
The city is not shying away from education either, promoting 'school gardens' that provide hands-on learning for schoolchildren.

In terms of funding, the council provides funding for community initiatives to support healthy eating and living, including community grants and the Transitional City Fund.

Ōtākaro Orchard: an urban learning centre for local food

In 2015, Ōtākaro Orchard, a Food Resilience Network project, was conceived to create an urban learning centre for local food in the heart of the city. Ōtākaro Orchard is a collaborative project supported by local and national government and has many partners. The centre includes a community garden, a local food information centre, a restaurant in a sustainable building and a dome that will be used for indoor food production and classroom space.

A local, healthy option accessible to all

Christchurch has now gained national recognition for its open spaces, vegetable delivery services for low-income families, farmers' markets and organic farming training to support local producers.

A little extra

In 2017, as part of its 2014 Food Resilience Policy, Christchurch is implementing the Healthy Food Action Plan, an action plan that aims to improve the availability of fresh food in Christchurch and encourage healthy food choices for the community, particularly for young and vulnerable people. These actions are designed to be implemented by local community councils in their local areas, and all are eligible for funding through the City of Christchurch's Annual Plan and Long Term Plan.

This leaflet was written by Magda Salvatore, LFC trainee in June 2021.

Last modification : 23 Jan 2024.