Melanie has always liked to eat the kai that she has grown, and this has morphed into her livelihood for the past 6 years. She grew up in Waihōpai (Invercargill) with horticulture and growing kai, but never expected to make her living from that childhood learning.
She had a brother, Tarris, who lived with disability. Tarris continues to inform her ideas of what people can achieve.
In post-war Aotearoa, Melanie’s grandfather bought a ¼ acre plot in Ōtātara to grow vegetables. She remembers helping her Granddad with the compost and planting potatoes and later on learning from her father. Access to Te Ao Māori knowledge of kai growing here wasn’t accessible to her parents then.
Melanie did other mahi, but plants often found their way into her life. A particular highlight was working in the Malaysian rainforest on a reforestation project.
Melanie moved to Ōtautahi in 1998 with her husband. A community of people with learning disabilities in Redwood, Marralomeda, was the first time Melanie’s livelihood was based on her knowledge of māra. There she worked in the gardens and grew food for the community members. This is where Melanie met Ruth and and started supporting Paul in the Manaaki maara at Woodend.
She is now taking a lead in the new Kōanga Kai project at Kaputahi Rongoa Reserve. “It’s a place for all of us in Hei Whakapiki Mauri,” she says.
Her spare time is spent sitting with a good cup of tea. She is a weekend tramper and enjoys spending time with her children, niece and nephew.