Tai Tokerau Timebank in Whangārei:Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop & Timebank Social

On Saturday 26th August, Whangārei Timebank ran a Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop, tutored by Timebank member, Brent Burge. Held at Mamaki Farm, Matapouri where the Whangārei Timebank Co-ordinator Janey lives, it was essentially for members, but was also open to anyone interested in learning pruning basics! It was well attended by Timebank members as well as a couple of non-members.

This was a fascinating workshop in which Brent showed us a variety of pruning techniques for different fruit trees. We learnt about the best time of year to prune; about the mineral needs of fruit trees and how to nourish the soil. Talking as he pruned, Brent demonstrated on peach, plum, pear, cherimoya and feijoa trees! He has a huge wealth of horticultural knowledge to share as a longtime member of The NZ Tree Crops Association and his own gardening experience on his plot in Onerahi.

We were very fortunate with a warm, sunny afternoon, as it’s best to never prune when it’s raining!

The workshop concluded with shared tea and snacks in the relaxing space of the Mamaki Common House.

Timebank membership increases through workshops like these, where members mix with non-members who leave inspired to join the growing Timebank family. By opening these workshops to the wider community, Timebank is facilitating greater collaboration between participants, building local networks and fostering community resilience at a grassroots level.