NEWSLETTERS |
NEWS FROM THE KOANGA INSTITUTE OCTOBER 08
Kia Ora, Bob and I have just finished the new cook book Change of Heart and Franzi is finishing the last of the work before sending it off to the printers. It has been a joint effort from all of us and what a relief to have it almost done! I can now get back into many things that have been on hold, including keeping in touch with you via these newsletters.
Spring is more than in the air and gardens are going in all over the country is a way that has not happened for many, many years. Lots of influences are coming together here and it’s all good for vege gardens and orchards, and the new generation of children who will grow up again in gardens as their grandparents, or maybe even great grandparents did.
The challenge for the Koanga Institute remains to continue to save the old seeds and make them available to you all. The more of you there are, buying the endangered Institute seeds, the more we can save and right now our membership is experiencing its biggest growth since Y2K and then again during the Royal Commission on Genetic Engineering when many people got a fright!! It is also our challenge to continue to find ways to live simply, and to share ideas around that. The first of our Institute brochures ‘Growing Nutrient Dense Food’ has been a great success and as this goes out to you we will be preparing another in the series called ‘Seed Saving’. We are putting all the current best practice information as we have learned it in this land, together in one compact booklet of around 40 pages. Much of the information is already on the Institute website and in my book The Koanga Garden Guide but we get many requests for it in an easier form to access so this is it! This summer will see the addition of the ‘Build Your Own Solar Food Drier’ brochure as well as the ‘Build Your Own Non Electric Fridge’ Brochure.
OPEN WEEKEND IN WHITIANGA BAY Here in Whitianga Bay we are growing out 150 lines of seed for the catalogue next July, and we are going to hold an Open Weekend over the first weekend in December. For more information check out the Institute website www.koanga.org.nz. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for as many of you as possible to come and spend time looking at the gardens and discussing seed saving and related issues as well as all the other areas of interest to the Institute such as “Living Simply”, appropriate technology, and that that incorporates. Many of those working in garden now will be here to show you around. We will have our non electric fridge and solar food driers built by then, and will have begun our light earth sleepout using local materials. The gardens will be open all weekend and we will have a meal together (based on principles of Weston A Price www.westonaprice.org) on the Saturday evening at the marae next door (with local entertainment !) and the marae will be available for sleeping the night. Plenty of room for tents etc if you prefer. Saturday evening will be mainly set aside for discussions and talks on related topics, and we will run a morning discussion group as well for those who would like to continue the sharing of information. You need to book so we can cater for you and you will need to be here at 6:00pm Saturday to be welcomed onto the marae, dinner 6:30. The cost for the meal, marae etc will be a koha to the Institute. The Institute will pay for the marae.
Confirmation of our Work I haven’t been out around the place much since coming down here, it’s been a really quiet time for us and that has been wonderful. We ventured out to the Ecoshow however in Taupo recently and it was very confirming for me to have so, so many people coming up to thank me for the work we are doing. There was overwhelming support for our work from so many people it felt very special, and I really want you all to know that it has only been possible through the support of
Website We have been aware for several years now that our website has been outdated in many ways and very difficult for us to update and keep current. We have found a small company in Whakatane who are supporting us to get a “new’ website. That will happen over the next few weeks and will up and running well before xmas.
Education Education has always been an important part of the work of the Institute and our most preferred way of sharing information and teaching for serious students of sustainable living, is through apprenticeships. I have an apprentice this growing season Suzanne, and Bob’s apprentice Jan is about to arrive from Germany. We are about to activate and update the apprentice section of the website shortly to keep you in touch with what opportunities and action is happening in that area.
Sustainable Communities Part of our kaupapa around researching and supporting the creation of sustainable communities is about finding new ways for people to get access to the land. As our new website goes up we will activate that section of the website as well. Community Land Trusts is the shape we are currently working with.
Permaculture Design Course Last winter we held a hugely successful PDC here in Whitianga Bay. Over the next week you will see the announcement on our website and the Permaculture NZ websites of the dates for our next PDC. There will be more details about this in the next newsletter as well. We are working closely with the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia; check out their website, they are doing some wonderful things.
Enjoy the Season!! Arohanui Kay
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