Thank you! We’ve had generous offers from people to pay for a bag on behalf of someone else. This is the kind of mutual aid that Ōtaki Vege Bags relies on. By paying it forward you’ll be subsidising veggies for others by helping to keep the kaupapa a pay-what-you-can scheme. If you’d like to pay for a bag on behalf of someone else, get in touch at kiaora@crookedvege.co.nz

We have a suggested value of $38 per bag.

This is based on forecasting of our ‘break even’ cost, which we hope will cover at least minimum wage for growers and the cost of ethically sourced inputs (in a world where it’s cheaper to buy imported synthetic nitrogen than it is to buy locally produced compost). 

Members can pay more or less than this amount depending on their financial circumstances.

No worries! Ōtaki Vege Bags is about giving everyone access to local, sustainably grown kai, regardless of income. We’d love for you to sign up and become part of the community!

Part of what keeps Ōtaki Vege Bags affordable is the commitment from members to get a weekly vege bag for the whole 13 week season. This lets growers plan crops in advance, minimising waste and keeping things simple.

To keep things simple and affordable, the bags consist of whatever is ready to harvest. If there are certain veggies you don’t like, we have a swap crate where members can leave what they don’t think they’ll eat, and take something else instead.

We also work on a pack-your-own bag system, and usually there’s an option to choose between different vege.

We aim to offer 6-8 different veggies each week. These veggies come from Ahoaho māra kai at Ōtaki College (spray free) and Crooked Vege Ōtaki (certified organic). We also connect with other local, organic and spray free farms to bulk the vege bags with crops that Crooked Vege and Ahoaho māra kai don’t grow. This helps to keep the bags diverse especially through the winter months. Feedback from previous members says that the quantity feeds 2-4 people per week. The variety depends on the season and what’s growing. You check out the vege bag archive to see what previous bags have looked like.

Some weeks there might be an abundance of tomatoes and more vege than expected, some weeks there might be less. Members commit to receiving the abundance and risk of the season. This gives members the perks of any gluts of vege, and offers the farmers some security if crops fail (we've always been able to offer at least 7 different kinds of vege, but it's really helpful for us to know we have security if we can't hit that mark).

Pick up is from Ahoaho māra kai at Ōtaki College on Saturday mornings. This is a great opportunity for members and growers to meet. Members get to know where their kai comes from and growers get to see where it goes!

We also offer delivery for $48 weekly which covers the cost of both the veggies and the delivery fee. Unfortunately we can’t offer pay-what-you-can for deliveries.

You can also do a “late collection” from the Crooked Vege chiller on Waitohu Valley Road, on Sunday or or Monday. We do require notice if you need a late collection.

We can deliver your vege bag for $48 weekly - that price includes both the veggies and the delivery fee. Unfortunately we can’t offer pay-what-you-can for deliveries.

If you can’t make it to Saturday pick up, you can collect your veggies on Monday from the Crooked Vege farm on Waitohu Valley Rd.

To keep things simple admin-wise (so we can spend less time on the computer and more in the māra) we use an automatic direct debiting service (GoCardless) which takes payments weekly.

Members can choose which amount to pay and change the amount if needed.

We ask for a season-long commitment to simplify our admin. This simplicity is what keeps the Ōtaki Vege Bag suggested price lower than the organic stores (while reducing waste and giving members the freshest vege possible)!

We know that circumstances change, so if you need to you can also change the amount you are paying through out the season.

But if it’s just not working for you, kei te pai. We require 2 weeks notice to cancel your membership so we can find someone to replace you.

Yes! Life can be unpredictable. If you need to change your payment at any point, head to www.crookedvege.co.nz/edit-sub to update your payment value.

Over the seasons, we may need to increase the suggested price to keep up with running costs/inflation.

Any changes are made between the “seasons” of vege bags (i.e. if you sign up for a summer vege bag, the suggested price would not change mid-season, it would be updated at the start of the Autumn season).

We’ll let you know about this in advance. If you’re unable to increase your payment, just let us know and we’ll keep the amount you’re paying the same. If we don’t hear from you, your payment will automatically increase by the suggested amount.

We want to emphasise that it’s still pay what you can, and that if you’re unable to pay the increased amount, that’s totally fine! You can always adjust your payment at www.crookedvege.co.nz/edit-sub

Yes! At the end of each season, memberships are automatically carried over into the next season unless you let us know that you’d like to stop. We’ll give you a reminder that the season is ending.