If ever there was a time....

I agree that the time is indeed now, with food accessibility front and Centre, but also with Dan’s suggestion that perhaps it’s better to build from the bottom rather than shoot for the top with the charter in its current form. I can’t offer much practical insight or help on the ground, but with the expertise and knowledge in this group it’s definitely a good chance to push forward and I’m happy to help with press releases or grant wording or that kind of thing, if it becomes useful. Also keen to sit in on a Zoom chat

Thanks for inviting me into this group. As a small organic grower myself, and also being on the National Council of the Soil & Health Association of NZ I think I will probably have something to contribute. Our farm: https://www.facebook.com/luxorganics/

@Michael Reynolds yeah bro let's go.

Welcome to reach out to me if you'd like any help coordinating/facilitating the call.

Sounds like there's a lot of interest and support behind your leadership, so the process for setting a date, inviting/spreading the word in all the right places, and gathering a facilitation team + process for the hui might be worth taking about 3 weeks in a pinch.

Not sure who else here has group facilitation experience but my suggested method would be holding an Open Space. You can read here about a virtual open space that my collaborator from Croatian Permaculture Association held recently.

@Naomi Smith We are due a catch up anyway...!!!

Kia ora Michael,
Sorry, I’ve been focused on family resilience and have been ignoring emails over the last week. It certainly is a time that there needs to be robust conversation and planned action around food resilience.

I hope you managed to get some people together for a chat.

I’m not sure what I can offer at this moment. I think there still needs to be some sort of process of collaboration before any charter could be pushed out under any notion of representing this group, but perhaps you would like to take the work you have done to those you think should hear it and seek support from individuals in this group?

It’s just a pity we are all so busy all of the time before a crisis, and so don’t have our silos organised in solidarity ready in waiting.

Good Luck!
Ngā mihi,
Aaron

I understand @Aaron McLean

I think at this point it needs to be moved forward by those who have capacity or I am afraid it will stall...which may be where it ends up. Last chance saloon I guess.

100%. I hope this moment provides the impetus and the time to engage. I’ll certainly be available to join the zoom meeting if I can. Have just been distracted and away from comms until now.
A question I have is how ‘it’ can frame itself as an Aotearoa Food Resilience Charter without a substantial base around it. So perhaps something to work out is the framing also, being clear about who it represents. It’s particularly important in relation to tangata whenua that we don’t claim to represent the nation or that we have any sort of exclusivity in this space.

Kia ora everyone....

I have created a doodle poll for dates at the end of April and into May.

For those that are interested please follow the link and let me know your availability.

I open to suggestion on duration of the call...

https://doodle.com/poll/vymb6rbnp3az3r7x

Just dropping this here

Food as commons and human right and public good - podcast.

“The way you value food shapes your food policy options”

https://essnetwork.net/podcast?ppplayer=09c4985b7f8f49f84efbb6f97014318c&ppepisode=e084a1f4d49e83161d6a195ffcd43405 

Kia ora koutou everyone, hope you're faring well in this time. I'm on a double-lockdown here with an 8 week old and a 2 year old keeping my food system very very local. I sadly don't have capacity to help with calls, however I will try and take part if the time that comes up works for me but can't commit. Due to not having much capacity I don't really feel like I can comment too much on the detail here, as I agree with Michael that those who have the energy and willpower to move things forward should do and will do. I also agree with the comments that it's not really a people's charter as our discussion on how to do that stalled last year and now (unless done by zoom) arranging meet ups around the country to pull that together will be a little tricky (but not impossible). I also believe many many parts of the grass roots food movement in Aotearoa are missing still so it wouldn't be a true reflection in that sense. My reflection on this time is big and still underway.

I'm writing a lot on it and will share that with you when it's ready in the coming days. I believe that the time is very very fluid right now and that the main parts of the food system truly affected by this are those not being able to access food and also food businesses that needed to close. Although we may feel that acting while the iron is hot is key, time may also serve to help us, and taking a more considered approach could also be a good way forward. I believe, to that end, that it's still too soon to really understand the full impact / potential / disruption and change that this time is bringing us. My instinct tells me that, so with that in mind and also my current home based situation, I will pause on this particular conversation and let you all roll how you feel best.

One more point to note is that this year I'm the host partner for the global Food Systems Dialogues. We were looking to partner with events but given that gatherings will not be taking place in the foreseeable future and the cancellation of the events we wanted to host it at, we will be looking at a new way of running this. It could, potentially, be a first step towards what you are hoping for here. I note that it is a different approach but I believe in the power of it and have been a part of this conversation since EAT stockholm last year. Although the audience members for the FSD are wider than those in this group and extend across all food systems actors, now more than ever these conversations are important. Here's more info on FSDs and I'll post an update / invitation to you all when we have decided on a format. That was always my plan, I'd just expected it to be at an event like EAT or the EDS society's (now cancelled til 2021) conference on food. https://foodsystemsdialogues.org/

Evening everyone...

I am feeling the need to postpone the Zoom call.

My capacity is stretched and is focused as much on the ground with Roimata Food Commons as possible.

With the likelihood of restrictions to a reasonable level continuing for the foreseeable future....I am not feeling the same urgency. We have time.

Ideally I would like to push this Zoom to the later part of May. This would give @Naomi Smith and I bot more time to set a vision for the Zoom call.

Hoping everyone is well in their respective bubbles..

❤🙏

Good idea Michael. The quote that’s been reciting in my mind recently is “the times are urgent, slow down”.

Sounds like you’re putting it into practice anyway. That’s ultimately what it’s about.