Community garden addresses mental health

The Kadavu Canterbury Club, a Fijian cultural group used Solesolevaki as a way of addressing the issues of mental health and well-being.

In Canterbury, two Fijian community talanoa sessions reveal the importance of Solesolevaki (collective work) to address the issues of rising health and well-being. The New Zealand Mental Health Monitor and Health and Lifestyles Survey revealed that almost 50% of Pacific people experienced some form of mental health disorder compared to other ethnicities, with 40% (Minster & Trowland, 2018). For the Fijian community gardening became the ideal way to practice Solesolevaki as it continues the tradition of domestic duty commonly practiced in the islands. The Kadavu Canterbury Club and Fijian community in Christchurch used Solesolevake to work together to build and plant a community garden.

This communal work was a prime example of using the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Give, Keep Learning, Take Notice and Be Active.

The work of the community garden allowed the community to prosper, join in talanoa and share in the crops of their hard work.