Since 2015, our garden has flourished on a retired bowling green within the Point Chevalier Bowling Club, transforming around 1,500 square metres of open turf into a thriving, regenerative food system.
Dignan Street Community Garden
About the garden
Managed by Growing Point alongside a 60-strong (and growing) team of regular members and volunteers, some of whom have been part of the māra since its inception, the garden grows not just kai, but connection, learning, and resilience.
Our māra kai was verified Hua Parakore in 2025. This means that not only do we grow organically, without the use of synthetic fertilisers, sprays, or herbicides, but we also attend to the broader wellbeing of the natural environment we grow in and the people who encounter it.
Guided by tikanga Māori, regenerative practices, and the science of the Soil Food Web, Dignan St is both a productive māra and a vibrant classroom for anyone wanting to understand the living world beneath their feet.
The māra is tended to year-round with two working bees each week, plus regular Sunday pizza events and workshops. All produce from the garden is shared among volunteers and members, with excess being donated to neighbours, local community and pātaka kai.
Regular
working bees
& events
Our garden thrives thanks to countless volunteer hours given each Tuesday and Thursday. These working bees are not only productive but social, keeping our members and regular volunteers connected – and each going home with a share of the harvest.
We encourage anyone curious about what we do to come along to a session, get their hands in the soil and meet the crew.
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Every Tuesday, 9:30am – 12:30pm
The busiest session and the heart of our garden. Get your hands in the soil, contribute to our thriving māra and take home a share of the harvest.
All ages welcome
Shared morning tea around 11am
Tools & equipment provided
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Every Thursday 4–6 pm (winter)
5–7 pm (daylight savings hours)Wind down after work, or bask in the golden hour in our oasis. Great for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.
Take home fresh veggies and fruit
Tools and equipment provided
A quieter, more relaxed session
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Last Sunday of each month, 11am – 2pm
Featuring a new workshop or activity each month (including our much-loved screen printing!). A much more social, community-focused event.
Pizza served from midday
GF bases and sauce provided, BYO toppings to share
Becoming a volunteer
Everyone is welcome, no experience needed. Most of our volunteers come not just for the food, but for the friendships. The garden has an incredibly friendly and social atmosphere. People come back again and again to connect, learn, and enjoy good company outdoors.
Our Tuesday morning sessions are our busiest: a cheerful mix of locals, retirees, parents, and young kids. Thursday evenings draw a crowd of young adults, working professionals, and anyone wanting to unwind, get their hands in the soil, and learn more about growing kai.
Curious to attend? Simply show up to a working bee and say hi.
If you’ve been coming along for a while, we invite you to become a member of the garden. Membership is an important part of keeping our community thriving: it supports running costs, tools and equipment, seeds and supplies, and ensures everyone has read and agreed to both our kaupapa and our Health & Safety plan.
● Joining our māra
Garden Memberships
Membership is split into two categories, depending on your level of involvement with the garden.
OPTION 1Active membership
For those living in Tāmaki Makaurau, regularly attending working bees and harvesting from the garden. Due to the size of our garden active membership is reserved for regular volunteers and frequent event attendees.
Membership includes:
Access to harvest from the garden outside of working bees
Discounts for Growing Point courses and priced events
Early access to limited-capacity events
Options to pre-order limited-edition merch and publications
Cost: $30-$70 per year, on a sliding scale.
Sliding scale:
$30-70
per year
Access
member-only
benefits
OPTION 2Friend of the garden
For those living further afield and less able to regularly attend, but still wanting to support the kaupapa. Friends of the garden contribute to the costs of running the māra and stay in the loop with our regular emails.
Membership includes:
Discounts for Growing Point courses and priced events
Early access to limited-capacity events
Options to pre-order limited-edition merch and publications
Cost: $30-$70 per year, on a sliding scale.
A garden full of mauri
Our māra was verified Hua Parakore in 2025 after a rigourous three-year process. For Growing Point and the Dignan St rōpū this is a pillar of the way we grow together.
Developed by and administered by Te Waka Kai Ora, Hua Parakore is the world’s first indigenous organics verification framework. More than other organics certifications, it’s a framework that ensures kai is produced in ways that improve the health of the soil, the people and more-than-human world.
Led by six overarching principles, Hua Parakore guides the way that we manage not only the plants and natural systems of our garden but our emotional, physical and spiritual health too
Visit the garden
25 Dignan Street,
Point Chevalier
Auckland
Located within the grounds of the Pt Chev Bowling Club. Head through the carpark, turn right at the clubrooms and walk past the main green – you’ll see our oasis on your left.