Gardening, humour, and sharing food together are what binds these four women together. Marjorie, Lynette, Dharshika and Katie were born in three different countries and work together at a farm on the outskirts of Christchurch.

From her first day of work, Katie could see that her workmates were people “she could definitely work with.” Originally from China, Katie says her English has improved a lot since working with them, and they laugh a lot at the cultural differences, English language mistakes, and trying to overcome the language barriers that some work situations bring.

Katie and Marjorie share the same birthday and celebrate this together at work. Christmas lunch is spent together too. The four friends visit each other’s gardens, share produce and gifts, and have become so close over the years that sometimes don’t even need words to communicate.

“It’s the unsaid exchanges,” says Katie, “the little unspoken interactions between us that show how close we are.”