Talking Taiao

Carl has been teaching horticulture for five years at WITT. He is looking back on his journey, all the way from Australia to the beautiful Taranaki soil! Dig in this episode to learn about the different Horticulture programmes at WITT, but also why (and how) assessing your soil is key in growing food and all plants! Carl will be running a workshop during the 2026 Sustainable Trails: "Soil Health: Know What You Need" on Saturday 7 November. Visit WITT's website to learn more about the Horticulture programmes and www.sustainabletrails.org.nz to book your spot at Carl's workshop!

This week Sophie chats with Sustainable Coastlines co-founder Sam Judd ahead of the Hirepool Big Clean Taranaki, happening across the region from 14–20 September. Sam has spent years bringing people together to tackle plastic pollution and care for our coastlines, from community clean-ups here in Aotearoa to working internationally on solutions to marine litter. Together, Sophie and Sam explore why getting people out onto the whenua and moana can create genuine behaviour change, build stronger communities and help people see themselves as kaitiaki of the places they love. Register your group here: https://app.sustainablecoastlines.org/big-clean-taranaki ♻️🤲🌊

Co-hosts Sophie and Elric are looking back on a LOT of Talking Taiao episodes! From gardening to waste, transport to conservation, and much more, they are sharing their experience of meeting and discussing with our community doing some good in Taranaki! Explore all our previous episodes on www.artmedia.org.nz/programme/talkingtaiao and on www.sustainabletaranaki.org.nz/talking-taiao-sustainable-podcast-in-taranaki 💯👀🔙🥳

What if growing food could also grow community, strengthen our connection to the whenua and help create a more sustainable Taranaki? On this episode, Sophie chats with Shari Corbett-Dwyer, Manager of Growmeez Communal Gardens, about an innovative approach to community gardening that transforms under-utilised private land into small, thriving spaces for growing healthy, spray-free kai 🥦🍆🌶️ We’ll explore how Growmeez supports people to learn, share and grow together, while building practical skills, reducing barriers to growing food and nurturing a stronger culture of kaitiakitanga.

Join Sophie Walker with Suzy Randall and Jenni Hammonds as they celebrate the launch of Taranaki Sustainable Trails 2026 🌱 Discover what's new this year, explore the brand-new web app, and find out how you can plan your own sustainable adventure across Taranaki. Visit www.sustainabletrails.org.nz for more details.