Our History
2014-2015 For The Love of Bees (FTLOB) emerged out of a bee focused social sculpture called The Park initiated by artists Sarah Smuts-Kennedy and Taarati Taiaroa and co-created with Aucklanders. The artwork created pasture paintings across Auckland city in the flight radius of bees.
2016-2024 Inspired by growing flowers that are safe for bees and collectively imagining a city safe for pollinators, the project evolved into a not-for-profit trust focused on inspiring the next generation of growers to use food production as a tool for healing ecosystem. Our first model teaching farm was in Wellesley Street in Auckland’s CBD called Griffith Gardens where FTLOB ran regenerative programmes including Lunch Time Learning and Rāhina Hauora. The success and energy of this teaching site inspired the City Rail Link to offer founder Sarah Smuts-Kennedy 450 sq.m at 257 Symonds Street, which she used to invite the community to imagine and learn together how to farm in ways that would heal the cityscape. This urban farm called OMG (Organic Market Garden) became a hub of learning, where FTLOB inspired a growing urban farming movement in Aotearoa/ New Zealand.
Over the next six years OMG became a centre of education where our FTLOB mentoring team trained a new generation of farmers, developed a nationwide composting network, and eventually designed and delivered the 5 day Earthworkers Hort 101 educational course, designed to help growers become informed and confident. FTLOB also created a post course mentoring network which now supports close to 200 Earthworker Alumni across Aotearoa/New Zealand. In 2023-2024 FTLOB ran their first cluster teaching programme called Communities of Regenerative Learning ( CORL) with six Earthworker Alumni farms in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.
2024-future After a decade of activated training and mentorship, FTLOB is set for a new direction as a dedicated education provider. OMG and many other urban market gardens are now in the capable hands and leadship of FTLOB/Earthworker Alumni. Our relationships with them will be ongoing. The FTLOB team have been able to hand over the OMG urban farm to FTLOB original urban farmer, to be run by Earthworker Alumni and integrated into a bigger urban farming project. FTLOB Founders Sarah and Daniel are proud of the Earthworker Alumni many of whom have graduated to commercial biology first regenerative production. Our alumni are now stepping into mentoring a new generation of farmers all around the country.
Energised by this new phase, FTLOB will share over the coming months our new direction including transitioning into being rebranded as the Earthworkers Charitable Trust with a primary focus on the Earthworkers educational pathway. With an ambition to support the next generation of farmers, develop the capacities they need, to turn food production into a tool for developing farm resilience both ecologically and economically.
Our Team
Trustees
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Trustee / Operations / Facilitator
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy is the founder of the Charitable Trust For the Love of Bees, OMG urban farm, the Earthworkers educational pathway and the Communities of Regenerative Learning. In 2022 she stepped down from the leadership team, though remained an advisor and facilitator during those years. After a good break she is pleased to be stepping back into continuing the development of Earthworkers and its post course mentoring programmes.
She is an artist, For the Love of Bees began as her artwork in 2014. She has been a practicing biology first regenerative farmer at Maunga Kererū for the past 15 years. In 2020 Sarah received a Commendation for her work at For The Love of Bees, The Sustainability Superstar Award at the Sustainable Business Awards.
Daniel Schuurman
Trustee, Regenerative Agronomist, Earthworkers Programme Lead
Drawing on over 40 years of expertise, Daniel serves as a trusted consultant for a diverse array of commercial growers and farmers throughout New Zealand. His services encompass comprehensive soil analysis, tailored crop programs, and hands-on technical support across a spectrum of agricultural sectors, including fruit, arable, viticulture, ornamentals, and pasture. Daniel's specialisation lies in guiding the transition away from conventional agrochemical-based practices toward biologically regenerative programs grounded in the principles of beneficial microbial activity and optimised nutrition. Through his adept guidance, farmers not only embrace regenerative growing systems but also witness tangible improvements in yields and profitability, marking a pivotal shift towards sustainable agricultural practices.
Daniel is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading regenerative horticulturists and director of Biologix and believes education is an important catalyst for the uptake of regenerative practice around the country. He is a co-creator and facilitator of the Earthworkers: Regenerative Horticulture 101 course and mentoring lead on the Communities of Regenerative Learning. He is delighted to have stepped back into a leadership role to work alongside Sarah to continue delivering and developing the Earthworkers legacy.
Daniel provides mentorship to our Earthworkers Alumni network supporting them to become confident informed biology-first regenerative growers.
Beth Harper
Trustee
Beth comes from a background in education, working for 18 years for the aid and development organisation Tearfund. Coming from a family of farming she is delighted to be finally creating her own farm project with her husband Roger and her four children and three grandchildren.
Beth’s journey with faith, food and the microbiome led her want to start her food garden to feed her family and community. She had already made the connection between our internal root system (the microbiome) and its relationship with our wellbeing, but was yet to connect this to the role microbes play in the health of plants, via their external root system.
Beth completed the Earthworkers course in 2024 which was a game changer literally completing the loop of understanding in regards to the microbial world and our health. It helped Beth gain the practical tools to improve the health of her soil with beneficial microbes to produce nutrient dense food with minimal inputs.
She loves to share with others how they too can live a healthy, abundant life and is therefore delighted to be able to bring her skill sets to the For the Love of Bees Charitable Trust to help develop the Earthworkers educational pathway.