Written by Kay Baxter
Originally published in the February 2012 Koanga Institute Catalogue.

The garden we put in last Spring at Kotare Village is the 5th huge garden I have planted since leaving Kaiwaka 4 1/2 years ago.

I have continued growing much of our own food and over half the seeds sold by the Institute during that time, and I have had a range of soil types and situations to deal with! I have been totally committed to absolutely doing my best to produce high brix food/ seeds.

Tutor: Geoff Lawton (Founder Australian Permaculture Research Institute)
Location: Koanga Institute, Wairoa.
Price: $980 / 950 Members. Includes all meals.
Date: May 14 - 18,  2012

[CANCELLED] - Our apologies, but due to lack of bookings, we've had to cancel this workshop.  We are considering running it next year (probably around February 2013).  If you are interested please let us know!

In this 5 day workshop, you will learn the theory and practise of Permaculture Earthworks - learning site Designing, surveying, and directing earthmoving machines to establish dams, swales, terraces, etc. Geoff uses these techniques to transform landscapes, to make them highly productive, sustainable, and to support intense biodiversity. Watch: Greening the Desert - U Tube. 

This workshop is particularly suited to designers working on broad-scale
permaculture projects in both arid and humid climates.

Date: May 7-13, 2012

Location: Koanga Institute
Tutors: Bob Corker, Tim Barker & Taiamai Corker   

Price: $1050 General Public / $980 Members. Includes all meals, camping accomodation available.

An intensive 7 day (60 hours) workshop to learn low cost, sustainable technologies for building projects suited to low cost, low energy sustainable living. There will be a particular focus on techniques that are suited to NZ conditions, using materials that are easily obtainable and can be sourced locally.

This workshop is for you, if you would like to:

• Drastically reduce your power bills by running home heating, cooking and hot water systems without electricity.

• Design your own grey water systems to maximise nutrient and water recycling

• Learn legal ways to build simply and cheaply, using local materials.

• Use humanure safely and legally to recycle nutrients to your garden

• Learn earth building and earth plastering techniques to construct or create healthy, beautiful homes that are wonderful to live in.

• Find out about low power fridges, hand washing machines, and hand powered appliances.

• Build your own rocket stove – for water heating, fast or slow cooking, and thermal mass (radiant) heating for rooms.

If you have been following the work of the Institute over the last few years, you will have noticed the ever present move to addressing the wider issues of sustainability. How do we move towards a human ecology that works – long-term. We are faced with the question of re-design.  Doing nothing is not an option, the industrial society we have is on a collision course which will play out sooner or later. This is a discussion that our whole community needs to have, but it seems we are not ready for it yet, as we are still being encouraged to ‘shop’ our way out of it.

The Koanga Institute is committed to addressing core issues of sustainability.  One of these is land use/ownership/stewardship. Treating land as a commodity is not working, we need different models, where we recognise that land and resources are the common heritage of everyone, not just those who are the most effective exploiters of those same resources. At the same time the Koanga Institute needs to address its own requirements for access to land for growing seeds. We have decided to work with the ‘model’ of Community Land Trusts, both as a way to address integrated community development, sustainable land use, and our own needs to grow the seeds we work with.  

Recently we have initiated a new website devoted to developing a Community Land Trust both for us, and willing settlers. You can get involved and/or follow its progress: www.communitylandtrusts.co.nz