As the last of the morning mist lifts, a small group of fluoro-vested workers comes into view, pulling rakes and pushing spades into a patch of soil surrounded by dew-covered grass.
The group of seven men and one woman are carrying out community work on this Saturday in late May.
They are among 7658 people across the country subject to a sentence of community work after committing an offence.
This group is working at Aunty’s Garden in Hastings, which grows vegetables and fruit for the adjacent Waipatu Marae and wider community.
The garden is quite large and has been tended by community workers for more than two decades. Being late autumn, today’s work largely involves planting winter crops and weeding, digging and hoeing the soil to a tidy state.
