New Kai Coordinator for Karekare Draws on Deep Local Roots
A strong family tradition of growing food, a professional life spent working in gardens and alongside communities, and a deep love of the place she calls home have all come together in a new role for Rose Turbott, Kai West’s local kai coordinator for Karekare.
Rose’s grandparents lived on the lower part of Watchmans Road and both had deep connections to the land and the environment.
Her grandfather, Harry Turbott, has been described as New Zealand's first landscape architect, with his story told in a book by Garth Falconer.
Harry Turbott's connection to Karekare is deeply rooted in his life and work. After returning to New Zealand in 1961, he settled in the Karekare beach community, where he built a family home from recycled materials. This home became a symbol of his commitment to sustainability and his dedication to environmental preservation. Turbott's work in Karekare included the design of the Arataki Visitor Centre, which celebrated both traditional and contemporary cultural concerns. His legacy in the Karekare community is a testament to his passion for architecture and his role in shaping the environment of New Zealand.
Her grandmother, Nan Manchester, was a talented painter whose work often celebrated kai and community.
"I do know there were many beautiful heritage fruit trees planted where the family home still stands on lower Watchmans Road. Some of these remain today, and my dad looks after the old cherimoya and casimiroa, along with a very cherished feijoa tree that would have been planted in my grandmother's time,” says Rose.
Since then, the family has expanded the garden, now growing avocados, macadamias and bananas alongside a seasonal supply of potatoes, kūmara and other vegetables.
Rose's grandmother also collaborated with Gilian Painter, an Oratia-based writer known for a number of books on herbs and cookery, illustrating Painter's The Fruit Cookbook.
"There are some beautiful abstract frottages of fruit in that book, which are some of my favourites," says Rose. "I often think about how these connections come back around through time, because I now maintain a garden in Oratia, right next to the site of Gilian Painter's old garden and home."
For Rose, that sense of connection is personal as much as it is professional.
“It's hard to put my finger on exactly what I love about this place. I love having my family around me, the connection to my ancestors, and living in such a beautiful natural environment. There’s a sense of spirituality here, and something special about being somewhere that feels remote while still connected to the city. For me, resilience is woven through all of this: communities being better prepared for economic or climate disruption, local food knowledge being retained and passed on, and neighbourhoods becoming stronger, more connected and able to look after one another.”
