growing new brighton

Growing New Brighton started in March 2024 with a simple goal, making our community greener, more connected, and inspired by nature.

Led by Casey King and supported by New Brighton Project, the initiative brings people together through sustainable gardening, urban planting, and hands-on workshops.

Community Planters:
You may have seen Casey and volunteers maintaining the community planters in New Brighton’s CBD.
GNB focuses on planting edible and seasonal plants that are both practical and visually appealing. Many  of the planters also feature signs explaining properties of plants that have specific uses, such as culinary, medicinal or environmental benefits.

New Brighton Seaside Market:
GNB runs a variety of fun and engaging activities at the Seaside Market every fortnight. These include crop swaps, seed exchanges, pumpkin-growing competitions, and introductions to edible flowers, among other fun seasonal activities, offering people of all ages the chance to get involved in gardening, share knowledge, and celebrate local produce.

​Make Station:
GNB has a creative Make Station at the 105 Collective Building at 105 Brighton Mall. Home to fun botanical focused workshops. Different workshops run every week, covering everything from terrarium making and herbal tea blending to bird feeders and driftwood garden art. With small group sizes per session, there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved and try something new.

This space is also available for local artists and educators to host their own workshops. It’s all about learning, creating, and connecting in a welcoming, hands-on way.

After School Gardening Program:
GNB's After School Gardening Program offers children the opportunity to connect with nature and learn valuable gardening skills in a fun and supportive environment. The program encourages creativity, teamwork, and environmental awareness. It’s a perfect way for young ones to unwind after school while gaining a deeper understanding of the life of plants.
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Beach Tots:
Casey runs a hands-on workshop each season for the Beach Tots Playgroup, designed to engage babies and toddlers in nature-inspired activities. These workshops focus on sensory-rich, seasonal experiences that support early development through exploration, movement, and creativity. 

Growing New Brighton is about bringing people together to share skills, learn about nature, and brighten up the community.

Follow Growing New Brighton on Facebook to keep up to date with new workshops, or email [email protected]

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Growing New Brighton is a non-profit initiative, and all workshop and program fees, after covering operational costs, go directly back into purchasing materials for the planters and maintaining the beauty of the New Brighton CBD.

​If you would like to support Growing New Brighton, you can donate to 03-0814-0209372-00 with the reference "GNB donation"