Talking Taiao

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.

Join Sophie for a kōrero with Sustainable Taranaki's new Zero Waste Events and Education Manager, Sunita Torrance. Hear about Sunita's journey, the behind-the-scenes mahi that helps make Taranaki more sustainable, and how Zero Waste Events and education supports waste reduction, boosts recycling and composting, and care for our taiao.

What began with a single set of footprints on Ōakura Beach soon became a family-led conservation project helping to monitor and protect Kororā (little blue penguins) along the Taranaki coastline. In this episode Sophie talks with Edyta Materka about citizen science, kaitiakitanga, and how curiosity, connection to place, and community action can inspire us all to become guardians of te taiao.