Nova Fresh
A farm and nursery enterprise helping to rebuild lives.
Under the umbrella organisation of the Nova Trust, Nova Fresh (a food and farming social enterprise) works with people recovering from alcohol and other drug addictions. Fresh produce is planted, harvested and packed year-round and distributed through commercial markets from the farm situated near Templeton. The aim is to help people regain better, healthier, more independent lives.
The Nova Trust site covers around 30ha of pasture, cropping paddocks and small forestry blocks, with administration and accommodation buildings, as well as horticultural facilities including seven tunnel houses and packhouses. The Lodge has 56 beds and distinct wings to house service users (also known as whai ora). It is a national provider of residential care, and its working program prepares service users with employment and life skills for resettlement and reintegration back into the community and the labour market.
Andy Doherty is the Trust’s chief executive. He explains, “Nova is a leading New Zealand NGO and social enterprise making life better for those affected by alcohol, drugs and other life challenges. Our skilled and compassionate people work closely with service users, their whānau, families and communities to change lives. We work with both male and female adult service-users, who can be referred from across Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Nova Trust currently manages three distinct services. The first is a recovery-oriented service and programme that provides treatment, rehabilitation and supported accommodation for those affected by addiction. There is also a supported treatment centre, providing services as an ‘Approved Provider’, as part of the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017. This is part of a nation-wide ‘models of care’ service that offers residential placement following a medical detoxification and stabilisation of health.
The third service is a well-established social enterprise, with its horticulture and farming business providing Nova service-users the opportunity of developing employment and life skills as part of their treatment programme.
Andy says it is often the introduction of a working routine helps on the return journey to becoming a contributing member of society. Others may arrive at the Farm with skills and previous training that are re-awakened during their time there. There are also some who repay staff by returning the teaching favour and leave having shared their skills also.
Andy says, “Last year Nova Trust assisted approximately 100 people through its Recovery program and 24 through its Star program for those affected by alcohol, drugs and other life challenges. These are residential programs for approximately 3 months in Recovery and 56 days in Star, which is sometimes extended to 112 days depending on capacity.”
“The benefits are wide and varied for the whai ora. Ultimately, we are aiming to change lives for the better and we see this visibly during their stay with us. The staff often have a connection with those seeking treatment through their own life experiences or from their wider whanau, so they have a deep appreciation of the tangata whai ora.”
Many people are involved in growing, producing and packing fresh vegetables and native plants across the social enterprise, including Harry Revar and Jake Linklater, who oversee a wide range of activities across the production lines. There are approximately 10 employed staff working across our Fresh and Natives area, which fluctuates throughout the year, with more casual labour required for the busy seasons.
Current crops on the farm and in glasshouses include cucumbers, chillis, and beetroot, and there are also cattle on site. The type and quantity of crops grown at the Farm are adjusted each year and the Fresh Team (along with management) make those decisions. The Board becomes involved if there are any significant changes suggested, especially those requiring capital investment. The produce is sold through tradition markets, via MG Group and Turners & Growers Fresh.
The Nova Fresh farm is comprised of 24ha of cropping and grazing land. There are 14 separate paddocks, ranging from 0.6 to 2.75ha. In 2024/2025, the configuration included 24ha of cropping and grazing land, 2.4 ha set aside for beetroot, and 20.5 ha in grass pasture. All paddocks have stock troughs and access to irrigation. In the 2024/25 year, the farm carried 42 cattle.
Beetroot for the year 2024/25 was planted across 2.4 ha of the currently configured farmland. Production was around 50-55 tonnes. Future production of beetroot and other open grown crops has capacity to increase, utilising and re-purposing existing paddocks.
All produce is grown from seed, with every stage from propagation to grading and packing undertaken on site. Short cucumbers and chili peppers are the majority of the varieties grown, along with a smaller selection of other plants. Production of other covered crops is also possible, by re-purposing existing capacity which, in the 2024/25 year, totalled over 8,700 square metres across 7 tunnel houses. From these, around 15,000 crates of cucumber and nearly 2.5 tonnes of chilli were produced.
Andy says the Nova Trust has historically raised cattle on its site in Templeton. They remain grateful to a local farming family that donates 10 animals a year, and, says Andy, “we add to these depending on available feed. We have recently added more useable grazing land, and this is an area for growth for us as we increase our livestock numbers.” The cattle are auctioned off via their livestock agent.
A more recent development showing great promise is the native plant nursery. It produces a range of native plants, trees and grasses for commercial growers, contractors, landscapers and the council. The social enterprise works alongside the Treatment and Recovery programmes, preparing service-users and tangata whai ora for life beyond treatment.
Andy says, “as a charity, funding growth is always hard to navigate. We are exploring more ways to maximise our land and reviewing what we grow in our tunnel houses. We are fortunate that we have capacity at a time when a lot of commercial players are limited in space, so that has assisted our recent growth. We see our tunnel houses as also being an important resource to maximise.”
A flexible approach is credited with building the Nova Fresh team, and Andy adds, a strong drive to become part of a team, working with living plants and soil, and to become active again with a healthy diet and a good sleeping routine are powerful elements of positive change for many. In addition to learning or re-discovering practical, transferable farming and horticulture skills and qualifications, Andy believes benefits such as discovering (or rediscovering) a sense of self-esteem, purpose and confidence are also gained.
Nova works with the partners of service-users, and other stakeholders, but has whai ora at the centre of their ambitions. Andy says, “We aspire to make a real impact and change life for the better driven by our values of ambition, putting whai ora first, working in partnership, and with integrity, responsibility, and engagement to provide support to reach their full potential. We have grown our partnerships a lot over these last 12 months and will continue to do so. Nova people operate with integrity, honesty and openness, with no question unanswered and whai ora welcome at most of our internal activities.”
“We are accountable to our service-users, to each other, our communities and other stakeholders. Our service-users develop personal responsibility and accountability while at Nova. And we believe by working together we achieve so much more, fulfil potential and sustain real change.”