22/04/2026
Ngā mihi maioha to all those who supported last Sunday’s wonderful Kai for Community Waiheke Food Festival.❤️
We appreciated all of the entries showcasing Waiheke’s abundance and local growing talent – and the the generosity of our judges in each category.
The judges this year were:
Fruit: Steven and Bianca from Once Upon a Farm
Vegetable: John Stansfield from Island Waste Collective
Flowers:Sue Odlin & Robyn Clerk from Waiheke Garden Club
Preserves: Kathy Voyles from WRT
Pumpkins: Eddie Welsh
Thanks to Owhanake Estate for our judges thank you gifts.
ADULT CATEGORY WINNERS
🍎FRUIT : John Stansfield for his Monty Surprise Apple
Prize: Oil gift pack from Allpress
🌽 VEGETABLE :Dafna Kaplan with her enormous spring onions
Prize: Food Voucher from Lily and Lotus Cafe
🍯 PRESERVES:Jan Welsh - Sri Lankan Chutney
Prize:Food Voucher from Lily and Lotus Cafe
🌺 FLOWERS:Mona Chica
Prize: Placemakers voucher from Waiheke Garden Club
CHILD CATEGORY WINNERS:
🥦VEGETABLE : Baxter Welsh - Curly Squash
🌸FLOWER : Ella Welsh & Ruby,Huia, Mala and Tui
🍯 PRESERVES: Charlotte Kerr - Pesto
Prize pack: Voucher from ‘Dragon Fired’, voucher from Island Waste Collective and garden goodies from Sunshine Valley Farm
🍅 LARGEST PUMPKIN
Brooklyn Boughey (9 years)10.9kg plus
Thank you to all the local businesses who supported the days with donations
Allpress, Island Coffee, Owhanake estate, Waiheke Chocolate, Timmy’s Teas, Alembics NZ, Dragon Fired Pizza, Lily and Lotus, Sunshine Nursery and Waiheke Garden Club
Thanks to all our wonderful stallholders who showcased some of the abundance of locally grown seedlings, produce, compost and knowledge that’s on Waiheke Island, as well as neat seaweed products
Ngā mihi nui to the kai karanga, kai korero and hāngī team supreme -Huhana Davies, Maurice Heta, Paora Te Oti Takarangi, Eugene Behan-Kitto,Tessa O’Shea, Michael Grant, Brenton Stockman, Tommy and crew.
Thanks to Kate Evans who traveled all the way from Raglan/Whāingaroa to share her korero about the fruit of the month, feijoa - to Hana Kumagi and the home school children for their workshop and Amanda Sorrenson for facepainting the happy faces of our tamariki.
Where would we be without our volunteers: Puawai Ormsby, Louise Waghorn, Ami Cusack, Vibeke Brethouwer, Zoe Hartley, Yossi & Hadas Ore, Penny Holmes, Helga Meyer, Julie, Peter Forster, Rob Morton, Em King and Sally Howe
The crumbs are still in the corners of our mouths thanks to our bakers: Karla Burgin and Kathy Voyles
🎸Rapturous applause for those who created the sounds track for the day, our musicians Baz Caitcheon, Neal Ghoshal and Peter Forster and to Waiheke Radio for the use of their sound system
🤸🏼♂️To our Zero Waste team and ringawera Zoe, Arthur, Finnian and Aurelia - thank you for doing so many dishes
🍐It takes a village, to grow a garden, to feed a village.
Finally ngā mihi nui to Eugene and Tessa for sharing their journey and the mātauranga of kūmara cultivation, both on the day and over the last three years.
As so aptly put by Valia who attended Kai for Community 2026
“Local food, grown and shared locally, is about so much more than eating. Food sovereignty starts right here.”
This event was funded by the Waiheke Local Board and COGS and run by the Once Upon An Island Charitable Trust.
