Mangaroa Farms · Volunteer Opportunity
Eight weeks on a regenerating farm in Whitemans Valley. Free board and staple kai in exchange for around twenty hours a week on the whenua — gardens, gorse, building, kitchen, story.
Applications close Monday, 11 May 2026 · Replies by Thursday, 14 May 2026
An invitation
During the winter months, we're inviting a small cohort of people to come live here, work alongside the team, and be a part of the wider Mangaroa mission. Eight weeks. The middle of winter. Real work, real food, real time on the land, and a chance to be part of something that doesn't quite fit any of the usual labels.
Call it a working stay. Call it a winter residency. Call it whatever feels true. What we know is that good people who turn up steady, give what they've got, and leave a place better than they found it. Those are the kind of people we're looking for. Those are the people who get the most out of their time at Mangaroa, or have the most meaningful time here.
The shape of it
What you give
Roughly five hours a day, five days a week, give or take. Market gardening, native planting, farm support, pest plant control, building, kitchen prep, and a dose of storytelling work for whoever's got the eye for it.
We group the work where it makes sense. Some days you'll be in a team with our farm crew, some days you'll be paired with another resident, working through a list. Two days off most weeks, your own.
What you get
A bed in one of our beautiful farm houses. Kai from the farm (delicious spray-free veges and regeneratively raised meat). Bulk staples (rice, pasta, oats, flour). Hot showers, wifi, a kitchen that holds the whole crew at dinner.
The deeper offer is harder to put on a list. Time outside. A different rhythm. People to think alongside. An experience in community.
The frame
Eight clean weeks. We prioritise people who can hold the full chunk — there's a depth that only opens up after a few weeks of being somewhere properly.
Four-week minimum if your life can't quite stretch to the full eight. Couples welcome — we have rooms set up for pairs.
This is a volunteer stay, not a paid role. The exchange is room and staple kai for your time on the land — no money changes hands either way.
A typical week
Mornings
Coffee, breakfast, the weather report. The day's plan gets sorted out as we go — sometimes a Monday brief sets the week, sometimes it's morning by morning. Gardens, plantings, the wood pile, animal chores, whatever's needed.
Lunches
Finish up mahi at 1pm. Self-organise lunches. Soup, eggs, sourdough, leftovers from last night, salad from the garden. Then the arvo is yours.
Afternoons
Space for yourself. Enjoy the valley how you like - creative time, walks in nature, reading, whatever suits you.
Evenings
Dinner together every night. Two cooks rotate. Eat slow, talk well, dishes get done. Some nights you might like to light the fire or watch a movie, some nights a yarn that goes too late. A lot of nights people just go to bed early — winter does that.
Weekends
Two days off over the weekend. Wellington's half an hour away. The Tararua range is an hour. Beaches on the east coast, or native forest at Kaitoke. Or stay in, read, walk the river, do nothing. We'll trust you to know.
House culture
Look after the spaces. Pull your weight in the kitchen. Be honest when something isn't working. The houses run on care, not rules — but the care has to be real.
Who we're looking for
It gets cold here in winter. You'll be working outdoors, often wet, often muddy, sometimes windy. We're after people who turn up steady, work alongside the team, and look after the land when no one's watching.
Attitude over CV
We'd rather have someone humble who'll get into the gorse than a credentialled person who won't. That said — if you bring a real skill, say so. We've got things on the go where the following come in handy:
Not a checklist. If your thing isn't here, tell us anyway — sometimes what we need turns up wearing the costume of something we didn't expect.
Plug in
Threads of work already running at Mangaroa. If your skills line up, your residency hours can flow into one of these.
Earth School
Earth School Aotearoa runs nature-based learning days at the farm — kids in the bush, the gardens, around the kitchen. Inspired by forest-school and outdoor-ed traditions: hands-on, relational, grounded in seasonal rhythm. If you've got teaching, facilitation, or storyteller energy, there's room for residents to plug in for a day or two each week.
Visit earthschool.nz
Creator Exchange
Some of our richest stories come from people who pass through with cameras and sharp eyes. If you're a photographer, filmmaker, social-media maker, or writer, part of your residency hours can flow into producing aligned media for Mangaroa — Instagram reels, photo essays, longer-form pieces, or the quiet behind-the-scenes documentation that helps the farm tell its story properly. We're open to this kind of exchange and happy to make space for it. Quality of attention over follower count, every time.
The land
Mangaroa Farms is a community food hub and resilience centre nestled alongside the Mangaroa River, 45mins from Wellington, 10 mins from Upper Hutt. River bottom, native bush, market garden, free-range pasture, a yurt, a heritage church, a working kitchen.
A farm that's been finding its feet for years and is in a real flourishing chapter now. Trees going in. Gardens scaling up. The shop running. Events running. Lots of life here.
The people
You'll work alongside our farm team and a handful of other residents. Two or three trusted folks help hold the houses. Everyone eats together at night.
Our team will be holding it down, directing and guiding at a high level - and we welcome your iniative.
This experience could change you.
Reset
Eight weeks of being outside, working with your hands, eating real food. The kind of time that does its own quiet work on you.
Skill
Regenerative practice, butchery, gardening at scale, off-grid systems, kitchen craft, animal stewardship. Pick one and we can show you something real.
Cohort
Some of those friendships outlast the season by a long way. Some of our closest collaborators came through stays like this.
Contribution
Trees planted that you can come back and visit. Gorse cleared. Beds turned. Stories told. Pieces of the place better than you found them.
Practicalities
What to bring
Wet weather gear
A real waterproof — winter here is honest about its weather.
Sturdy boots
Not your gym shoes. They will get muddy and they will get wet.
Layers
Thermals, fleeces, beanies, gloves. Cold mornings, mild middays, cold evenings.
Optional outdoor tools
We've got plenty, but maybe you have a fav spade.
A book or two
Long evenings, no obligations — or select one from our choice library.
A camera if that's your thing
Phone is fine. We love when people document the season.
Personal toiletries
We provide household stuff but bring your own personal kit.
Whatever quiet practice keeps you good
Yoga mat, journal, sketchbook, music, walking shoes, whatever it is.
Got questions?
Email us with anything — questions about the residency, ideas you'd like to bring, thoughts on whether it's a fit. We'll write back within a few days.
online@mangaroa.orgApplications close
Monday, 11 May 2026
You'll hear from us by
Thursday, 14 May 2026
Residency runs
1 June – 31 July 2026
Join the movement
Takes about five minutes. We read every application. Strong candidates will be invited to a 30-minute Zoom kōrero — a yarn, not an interview. Replies by Thursday, 14 May 2026.
Application received
You'll hear back from us by Thursday, 14 May 2026. If you're shortlisted, we'll be in touch to set up a 30-minute Zoom kōrero.
— The Mangaroa team