Whenua Warrior

Whenua Warrior was founded in 2017 by Kelly Francis, who one day while working at her corporate job, came to the realisation that the food distribution systems needed to change, in order to address food insecurity and promote food sovereignty in Aotearoa.

The way Kelly envisioned this happening was to reflect on the solutions of our tupuna and bring them forth to solve the social issues we face today. Kelly then made it her mission to grow an edible garden accessible to every New Zealander. In doing so, Kelly had dreamt that she would feed the community, teach the community to feed themselves, and empower them to feed each other.

The first project Kelly undertook in that year was the establishment of 132 gardens over two days with whanau across South Auckland, her homeground. As the demand for more projects followed, in early 2018 Kelly with the support of friends who shared her vision established the Whenua Warrior Charitable Trust. The Charitable Trust was formed to create capacity to respond to the demand for more Whenua Warrior projects and to receive funding support.

The Trust has worked on hundreds of projects across Aotearoa and as a result, the demand for projects rises and the number of Whenua Warriors increases.

The difference your gift could make:

$10 could provide a home with a starter seed pack;

$150 could set a home up with a garden box, seedlings, soil, organic manure, and a one-hour wānanga;

$1500 coud help to clean up current garden spaces, and provide a family with two garden boxes, seedlings, soil, organic manure, and a six-hour wānanga at the receiver’s home.

www.whenuawarrior.co.nz