Digging In! – Feeding Ōtepoti through the years
Schedule
Sun Oct 05 2025 at 12:00 am to 04:00 am
UTC+13:00Location
31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin, New Zealand 9016 | Dunedin, OT
From Mahika kai, to the gardens of early European settlers, to the large scale agricultural operations of today, this land has always had a special relationship with food.
From 10am – 12pm, take part in family friendly activities in the Josephine Foyer. Make a smoothie while riding a bike, learn how to preserve food, make seed tape to plant in your garden, learn where in the world your food comes from, master the art of dunking a biscuit, and much more.
Dig up items throughout the museum galleries with our special ‘Digging In!’ gallery trail. Collection items displayed throughout the galleries take you through the entire food process, from seed to plate and everything in between.
From 12.30pm hear from locals in the Auditorium for ‘A History of Homegrown Food’, short talks centred around the history of feeding Otago.
Sue Smith (Puketeraki), James Beattie (Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden), Peter Cox (Harraways Oats), and Kim Reilly (independent vegetable grower) will take you on a journey from traditional kai gathering practices, to the market gardens of early Chinese Settlers, to the vegie gardens of today, and everything in between. From the smallest gardens to the biggest industrial operations, they’ll explore how Otago has fed itself through the years.
10am – 2pm, Sunday 5 October
Josephine Foyer and Auditorium
Free
Where is it happening?
31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin, New Zealand 9016, New ZealandEvent Location & Nearby Stays: