Koanga Permaculture Internship (Spring)
17 September – 23 November 2012

This 10 week internship has a focus on growing and preparing nutrient dense food, gardening and animals. (download course outline)

Main Tutor: Kay Baxter, with Dan Palmer, Paul Taylor, Emma Cowan, Taiamai Corker, Bob Corker.

These intensive courses are aimed at fast-tracking the development of knowledge and experience , and are an ideal way to get started on a career either as as a permaculture designer, and/or in the fields of growing and/or processing food. The pre requisite for this 10 week internship is a Permaculture Design Course, recognised by the PRI. The Koanga Institute holds these twice a year immediately prior to the Internships.

Course Covers:
BioIntensive Gardening
Growing Nutrient Dense Food
Preparing Nutrient Dense Food
Butchering, meat processing, preserving.
Seed Saving and Food Security
Biological Agriculture/Soil Food Web
Animal Management and Breeding
Natural Beekeeping
Urban Permaculture design
Nursery Design and Management
Orchard Design and Management
Food Forests
 

CONTEXT: The Koanga Institute and Kotare Village.

The Koanga Institute
The Koanga Institute is a nationally recognised seed saving and education organisation dedicated to

• The protection, conservation and development of NZ's genetic and cultural heritage food plants.
• Understanding the connections between soil health, plant and animal health and human health.
• Research into the practical techniques required for communities and individuals to be self reliant, with a focus on regenerative land use, nutrient dense food production and processing, appropriate technology and community development.

Much of the Koanga Institute's work has been in response to the fact that in the past 100 years much of the genetic diversity in food plants, all over the world, has disappeared as a result of the industrialisation of our food production. In the process of 'saving the seeds', all those involved have come to the wider realisation that not just the ecology of our 'food evolution' has been compromised by industrialisation, but many other aspects of our 'human ecology' have likewise been compromised, and we can't address the one issue (e.g. seed saving) in isolation. Seed Saving is one aspect of the broader need to address our 'human ecology'. Thus, while an immediate priority for the Institute is seed protection and conservation, it is also committed to contributing practical holistic solutions in the wider field of sustainable living, and the development of our education programs.

Kotare Village – A Permaculture Model for Resilience and Self-reliance.

Kotare Village is a rural village development near Wairoa, in the Hawkes Bay of New Zealand. Bob Corker is the principle designer for this project, which will continue to develop over the next few years to include 30 +  families.

The village  design includes the following:-

• A Community Land Trust model of land ownership.
• An emphasis on regeneration, resilience and self-reliance
• Individual and co-operative livelihoods
• Autonomous self-reliant housing and appropriate technology.
• Integrated water harvesting, sorage and use
• Development of high quality food production systems for fresh produce, meat, eggs, dairy and animal products, as well as the regeneration of land to support future growth, and to ensure our ongoing food security.

Website: www.communitylandtrusts.co.nz

The Learning Experience.
 As Interns, students will be fully integrated into the daily workings of the Institute, which is  focused on high quality seed production, biointesive gardening and heritage animals. Within the village development, the practical application of the permaculture design elements is ongoing, from large scale earth works to the design and implementation of water systems,  and  appropriate technology for autonomous houses.
This course will offer  practical experience to support the design theory for a deeper understanding of the permaculture principles, students will work on real projects and are integrated into the daily runnings of the Institute and the community, and will work on a roster system for general duties during their stay.  

Course Information.
 Involvement  The 10-week Internship is best suited for self-motivated people who already possess some life experience. As an intern you will be exposed to a great many opportunities to learn. Making the most of these opportunities is critical to your learning success. Getting up early and working alongside Kay and Bob will enable you to get the most out of your learning experience, adding to the classroom teaching time.  You will need to take the challenge to fully engage with the ideas that you are learning, and integrate them into your personal life.  (this will include diet, discuss this further if this is likely to be an issue)

Requirements: Student must have completed a PDC and have a copy of a certificate as proof.
Hours: 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Accommodation: Camping, with bush  baths and solar showers, composting toilets and a roofed  outdoor cooking and eating facility for weekends. All cooking using rocket stoves, earth overs etc. All hot water heated by rocket stoves. Our internships are scheduled at times appropriate for camping when the weather is mild, and we generally enjoy a mild climate.

Food: Fully catered. All meals are provided, and prepared mainly with locally produced nutrient dense, organic food. The Koanga Institute follows the principles of the Weston A Price foundation, to provide delicious, traditional food appropriate to our location. Please contact us to discuss and/or arange individual dietary requirements.

Cost: $6,600 including GST (equates to $660 per week)

Pricing options:
All prices are in New Zealand dollars.  A non-refundable $660 deposit is required at time of booking. The balance of $5,940 is due at least four weeks prior to the course start date. You will be contacted once we recieve your booking and deposit to arrange payment of remainder of course cost.

How to Pay: You can pay via Paypal, credit card, direct bank deposit or cheque.

More Information: For further information, please contact info@koanga.org.nz

Note:  Both Internship courses include several standard workshops available to the public.  If you wish to only do specific sections of the course, you may be able to do this through the public workshop program. You will note that doing these same courses through the internship course offers large discounts in price.