Community and Tribal Gardens in Aotearoa New Zealand: Some Literary Images

Community gardens, that is sections of public land collectively gardened for the specific purpose of growing fruits, vegetables or flowers, have risen in Western urban societies all over the world in times of emergency or as alternatives to current food environment as well as opportunities to engage in outdoor physical and social activities. Recent academic studies about community garden participation in Aotearoa New Zealand have highlighted its benefits to health and well-being. The idea of community gardens, however, reflects notions of sharing, reciprocity, and conviviality that are alien to the Western solipsistic view of the garden as a “private haven” and much closer to the Māori concept of “tribal” or “communal gardens”, which was a standard feature of Māori subsistence economy prior to the advent of European settlers. This article will provide literary images testifying to the two above-mentioned views of the garden. It will also show how community gardening has become part of the strategies of the public health sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and how it has been utilized by Māori communities for cultural and political purposes.