Lay summary
The prevalence of non-communicable diseases are a major public health issue, globally and within Aotearoa. Unless dramatic changes to the environment we live in occur, such as ensuring access to healthy food, safe and accessible places to be physically active, and creating places to connect as communities, we will likely see a further decline in health and wellbeing in our population. Community gardens and maara marae have the potential to improve holistic health and wellbeing through connecting communities to the taiao, incorporating the Māori worldview to achieve better outcomes both for Māori and across other groups. This research aims to build a solid foundation of knowledge around the scientific evidence of gardening for health and wellbeing, as well as gain a thorough understanding of what already exists in our communities and how we can build on this work to implement successful, thriving community gardens throughout Aotearoa.