ABOUT
Upper Hutt Food Week launches from 21 to 29 March 2026, marking its first celebration of local food, growing, and community connection across Upper Hutt and the wider Hutt Valley. Over nine days, a community led programme will bring people together through shared experiences rooted in seasonal produce, practical skills, and local knowledge.
The programme features a Harvest Festival, market day, workshops, films, long lunches, competitions, and hands on activities. Community gardens, local venues, and neighbourhood spaces across the city will host events. Rather than staging one large central festival, Food Week invites participation across Upper Hutt, encouraging people to learn new skills, share knowledge, and reconnect with the origins of their food.
The initiative draws on the Hutt Valley’s long history as Wellington’s traditional food basket. At the same time, it responds to current pressures, including rising food costs, climate change, and the steady loss of everyday food knowledge. Through practical events and open conversations, the week supports seasonal eating, local resilience, and stronger community networks.
Organiser Alice Midgley, Founding Trustee of Growing Sustainability NZ, explains the purpose clearly. “Food connects us to place, culture, and each other. Upper Hutt Food Week celebrates what we already have locally while helping people rediscover the skills and relationships that strengthen community resilience.”
The week opens with the Mangaroa Farms Harvest Festival, including baking and preserve competitions. Later in the programme, Upper Hutt Food Co-op will host a community vegetable muffin competition. Throughout the week, growers, makers, cooks, educators, and volunteers will contribute events that reflect the diversity of food in Upper Hutt.
Growing Sustainability NZ coordinates Upper Hutt Food Week in partnership with Upper Hutt City Council and Rimutaka Lions. Key collaborators include Mangaroa Farms, 4 A Better City, and Heritage Nursery, alongside many local growers, businesses, and community groups.
Events welcome families, experienced gardeners, new growers, and anyone interested in good local food.
Many activities will remain free or low cost to encourage wide participation and ensure accessibility across the community.
Local Kai, People & Places
Launching the
Upper Hutt
Food Week • 2026
Upper Hutt Food Week is an annual community-led event designed to showcase the richness of the local food landscape. It highlights cultivated food, wild food knowledge, and the diverse cultural traditions that shape how people eat, grow, gather, and share food in the region.
The event brings together people of all ages and backgrounds through accessible activities, from family-friendly workshops to shared meals and local food trails. It creates space for learning, celebration, and connection, grounded in real places and real stories from Upper Hutt.
What is Food Week?
A celebration of the people
who grow, gather, hunt,
make, and share our kai.
Why Join Us?
- Discover wild, local flavours
- Celebrate food traditions
- Learn & share skills
- Enjoy whānau-friendly events
Local Strengths & Challenges
Each year, Food Week focuses on themes that reflect local strengths and challenges. This includes supporting local growers and producers, sharing practical skills, and building awareness around food resilience and environmental care.
At its core, Upper Hutt Food Week exists to strengthen community wellbeing.
By bringing people together around food, it helps build knowledge, confidence, and connections that last well beyond the week itself.
