Upper Hutt Food Week launches for the first time from 21–29 March 2026, offering nine days of events celebrating local food, growing, and community connection across Upper Hutt and the wider Hutt Valley.

The community-led programme includes a Harvest Festival, market day, workshops, films, long lunches, competitions and hands-on activities — all centred around seasonal produce, local growers and practical food skills. Events will take place across community gardens, local venues and neighbourhood spaces throughout the city.

Rather than a single large festival, Upper Hutt Food Week is designed as a city-wide participation event, encouraging people to take part, learn new skills, share knowledge and reconnect with where their food comes from. The initiative builds on the Hutt Valley’s long history as Wellington’s traditional food basket while responding to modern challenges such as rising food costs, climate pressures and the gradual loss of everyday food knowledge.

Organiser Alice Midgley, Founding Trustee of Growing Sustainability NZ, says the week is about strengthening community through food.

“Food connects us — to place, to culture and to each other. Upper Hutt Food Week celebrates what we already have locally while helping people rediscover the skills and relationships that make communities resilient.”

The week launches with the Mangaroa Farms Harvest Festival featuring baking and preserve competitions, followed later in the week by a community vegetable muffin competition hosted by Upper Hutt Food Co-op.

Upper Hutt Food Week is coordinated by Growing Sustainability NZ, working in partnership with Upper Hutt City Council and Rimutaka Lions, and delivered alongside key collaborators including Mangaroa Farms, 4 A Better City and Heritage Nursery, together with many local growers, businesses and volunteers contributing across the programme.

Events are designed to appeal to families, experienced gardeners, new growers and anyone interested in good local food. Many activities will be free or low-cost to ensure accessibility and broad participation.

The full event schedule is released alongside this announcement.

Media Contact:
Alice Midgley — Managing Trustee, Growing Sustainability NZ
024 104 2398 | growings.uh@gmail.com

A “thank you” to Alice Midgley for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

27/02/26