Forget garden gnomes and gin & tonics on the patio, a new gardening series takes viewers deep into the māra on a visually lush and emotionally rich exploration of what it means to nurture, and be nurtured by, the whenua.
Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua
(Care for the land, care for the people, and we will thrive)
Featuring strong personalities, powerful stories, and practical advice, ONCE WERE GARDENERS premieres Monday 27 October at 7.00PM on Whakaata Māori. The full series drops on MĀORI+ on the same day.
Hosted by Kara Rickard, the eight-part series showcases traditional Māori gardening in today’s māra, revealing how age-old practices are guiding a new generation toward health, healing, and sovereignty. It’s warm, funny, and heartfelt – planting ideas as easily as it grows kai.
For Kara, ONCE WERE GARDENERS is personal. Having returned home to Raglan – to the whenua her nan Eva fought to have returned – Kara gets her hands dirty alongside passionate Māori gardeners from around the motu.
Kathleen Mantel of Black Iris Productions says the gardeners featured are not your weekend hobbyists.
“These are modern-day kaitiaki, using the old ways to solve very modern problems – from food insecurity and climate resilience to mental health and community healing. Every māra is a story of growth: of plants, of people, and of purpose.”
“We find out when to plant, how to embrace the traditional magic of the maramataka (Māori luna calendar), and what Māori food sovereignty means in Aotearoa,” says Kathleen Mantel.
“We learn the science of rongoā rākau (traditional plant-based medicine) – as well as the rituals, the recipes, and the often-surprising secrets your garden holds.
“Each episode, beginning with Kōanga (spring), takes viewers on a journey through the growing cycle, revealing how ancient knowledge can guide us toward a healthier, more connected future,” says Kathleen Mantel.
“We learn about the region and history, including traditional cultivation practices. We hear the personal stories. We acknowledge the magic of collective action and the wider ripple effects of māra life and, finally, we celebrate the harvest – a joyful coming together over kai, culture and connection.”
“This isn’t just gardening – it’s a way forward, transforming lives and communities through the simple act of working the land.”
COMING UP ON ONCE WERE GARDENERS
MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 1: THE SOIL – Meretini Bennett-Huxtable prepares her soil after a long winter, using the Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar as her guide.
MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 2: THE PLANTING – Ricco Tito is new to gardening but he’s jumped in the deep end planting 3000 Kūmara seedlings for the community.
MONDAY 10 NOVEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 3: THE REGENERATION – Three generations of wāhine Māori gardeners from the Māipi whānau, each bring a different life story, a different approach, but all travel on the same waka.
MONDAY 17 NOVEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 4: THE HEALING – Kahutane and Whitney started their garden because they had to. Their food forest grew into a place that sustained and helped them to heal.
MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 5: THE COMMUNITY – The gardens of Parihaka were once huge, feeding the community and beyond. The māra kai is flourishing once more, and food is just one of the gardens fruits.
MONDAY 31 NOVEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 6: REINDIGENISING – Plot by plot Raihania is indigenising the Wairarapa farm he grew up on, feeding the whānau and hapori in a sustainable way.
MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 7: THE LEGACY – Aunty Hanui’s community garden is famous in Hastings. Every morning she’s up and in the garden, as she has been all her life.
MONDAY 14 DECEMBER 7.00PM: EPISODE 8: TE AO MĀRAMA – Levi Makoare loves his Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei community, the taiao, the bush, bees, gardening, and the lessons gardening has given him in raising his own whānau.
