Our volunteering and training programme at Kelmarna Community Farm

Held on Fridays from 9am to 3pm for 10 weeks.

Farmhands is Kelmarna’s structured volunteering and training programme: a hands-on, supportive learning experience in regenerative organic food growing and farming. Whether you’re growing kai at home, exploring a future in farming, or just want to dig deeper into sustainable living, Farmhands helps you build practical skills, meaningful connections, and a sense of purpose.

Held weekly over 10 Fridays, you’ll work alongside our experienced team and a small group of peers, learning how to grow food in ways that nourish people and Papatūānuku.

Next cohort runs from: Friday 18 July – Friday 19 September 2025

Apply now!

Applications are open now, until Friday 11th July.

What’s new in 2025

We’ve recently made some changes to Farmhands to better support both participants and the wider community. These updates are based on feedback from past cohorts and our experience running the programme:

  • 10-week format: We’ve shortened the programme from 16 to 10 weeks to make it more manageable to commit to and complete.

  • Sliding scale pricing: We’re introducing a tiered fee system that reflects the real value of the programme, while remaining accessible to all.

  • More structured learning: Every week will include a teaching session, with a structured day and group work, allowing us to offer a more consistent, high-quality experience.

Farmhands is both a learning experience and a labour exchange, your contribution to the farm helps us keep the programme affordable for everyone, while your learning is enriched by real, meaningful work. This reciprocity sits at the heart of how we do things at Kelmarna.

Why a structured programme?

Kelmarna has long offered open volunteering, where anyone can come when it suits, and we still do. But Farmhands is a more focused experience, built on mutual commitment.

By taking part in Farmhands, you get:

  • Focused learning through weekly training sessions

  • Faster skill-building than through casual volunteering

  • A stronger social experience by working with the same group each week

  • Meaningful contribution to the productivity of the farm

In exchange for your time and labour each Friday, we offer rich hands-on learning and guidance from our experienced team.

The programme is heavily subsidised thanks to this labour exchange model, which helps us keep it accessible while ensuring the farm continues to grow kai for the community.

If a regular weekly commitment isn’t right for you at the moment, check out our open volunteer days on Thursdays and Saturdays.

What will I learn?

The programme is for anyone who is keen to fast-track their learning about regenerative organic food growing techniques, and happy to make a commitment in return.

You may be wanting to learn how to make your home garden more productive, thinking about a career in small scale market gardening or farming, picking up skills for use in your future, or wanting to kickstart your volunteering at Kelmarna with upfront learning.

No previous gardening experience is required, though experienced gardeners are also welcome. It is more important that you are enthusiastic, willing to learn, and keen to get your hands dirty!

Topics covered:

Soil health – principles & practice of building healthy soil
Propagation – seed sowing, watering, and pricking out
Planting – bed preparation, transplanting, and direct sowing
Weeding and processing noxious weeds into future fertility
Harvesting all kinds of produce and preparation for sale
Composting – hot compost, worm farming, and bokashi
Food forest – an intro to managing a productive food forest
Animal care – chicken care, and intro to livestock care
Seasonal cooking – preparing shared lunch from the farm

How much does it cost?

Because Farmhands is structured as a labour exchange, where your help supports the farm’s productivity, we’re able to keep the cost of the programme much lower than a typical training course. Your weekly contribution helps us grow kai, while we support your learning and development.

We use a sliding scale pricing model to ensure everyone can access this opportunity, regardless of financial situation:

Contributor Price – $200
Help our community flourish! This option covers your spot and helps subsidise others who need extra support.

Community Price – $130
This reflects the true cost of running the programme. If this feels right for you, your contribution helps keep Farmhands thriving.

Access Price – $50
Tight on cash? No worries, choose this option to access the programme affordably while still supporting the farm.

No-Cost Ticket – $0
No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Select this option if you need full support, we’re glad to have you.

Prices include GST.

What previous graduates say about the programme

I highly recommend the farmhands program, its a wonderful functional opportunity to immerse yourself in a diverse, multi system mature garden. To learn the ropes alongside some incredible green-fingered folk. Nourish your body and soul with good kai and like-minded community.

Katie

I would recommend Farmhands to gardeners of all levels and for people with all different kinds of garden goals in mind. It has been a wonderful learning experience. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time with a like-minded group of growers with a variety of different skill sets and experiences. I feel I learnt almost as much from the other Farmhands as from the formal ‘training’ parts of the course. Farmhands was such an uplifting way to spend a Friday and it has set me up with useful practical skills both for my own garden and for further community gardening ventures in the future.

Helen

The farmhands programme gave me so much more than I expected. Aside from the phenomenal amount of collective knowledge (from both the Kelmarna team and fellow farmhands participants), I really enjoyed crossing paths, spending time and soaking up different points of view from fellow participants. Often we get caught up in our own silos/communities, and it was really refreshing to expand this.

Kelly-Ann

This programme is really informative and hands-on, and the people running it are very generous and knowledgeable and communicate clearly and kindly. It was invaluable being able to learn by doing after being told the theory, and I feel a lot more confident about starting my own gardening projects!

Anonymous

When does it happen and how do I apply?

This upcoming cohort runs from: Friday 18 July – Friday 19 September 2025.

We always ask that participants commit to attending all or nearly all of the sessions.

We appreciate that you may have a holiday booked, or unavoidable absences that might come up, but the expectation is that you would otherwise intend to come each week. If that doesn’t sound realistic for you, our open volunteer days may be more suitable for you.

 

Applications are open NOW, until Friday 11th July.

Complete the application form below, and we will be in touch to assess your application and confirm your place.

Once your spot is confirmed, we’ll send you an invoice for the cost option of your choice.

If you’re not sure if the programme is for you, we’re happy to answer any questions you might have. Simply email to hello@kelmarna.co.nz, or call us on 09 376 0472.

Farmhands Application

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO VOLUNTEER AT KELMARNA

If you’d like to volunteer to support Kelmarna with other talents or skills outside of gardening – like graphic design, fundraising, IT systems, event management,  or anything else you think might be useful – then please get in touch using the sign up form above.