Kia ora koutou Permaculture Whanau

I am currently in my final week of a trip back to Queensland Australia where my permaculture journey started more than 2 decades ago, and I have been fortunate to revisit some sites that I helped to create and see the changes that have occurred since I returned to Aotearoa in 2017. With the wonderful warm 27 - 33 degree days I have been reminded of the summer ahead and that I have a lot of preparation to get done in the garden and on the farm as soon as I return home.
There will also be a lot of activity in the permaculture space over the next month with some projects coming to fruition, proposals put to members as part of our AGM to be held in late November, and we will be looking for new members to join the PiNZ council.

One of the projects council have been working on is the creation of a new website and we have gone live.
This decision came after a review of our functional requirements for our website, which are not complex, but include the ability for council members to manage the content and make updates with minimal delays, maintain greater control of member listings, and create a more streamlined process for website visitors to get in contact with the right council member for each type of enquiry. All able to be achieved without the need for large amounts of training or prior website development knowledge for new and existing council members.
There will be further refining of the website over the next few months, but the upcoming AGM will be the priority.
We will be sending out more information about the processes for the AGM and any proposals to be voted on by members. To receive this information and be entitled to vote at the AGM you must be a paid member of PiNZ.

Nga Mihi Nui

Fiona Moorhouse
Chairperson
Permaculture in New Zealand

Kia ora,

We had Spring Equinox already in September but the weather hasn’t fully turned into warm-misty spring days. If you are living on the land, this is possibly one of the busiest times in the garden. Sowing seeds, planting early potatoes for Christmas (is it already?), making compost.. The list goes on. We have also made it to half way in Permaculture Principles, exploring principle 6: Produce no waste in this newsletter.

The idea behind each principle is to look at nature and take lessons on how nature works. We are also learning a lot looking into how indigenous cultures / pre industrial societies worked with nature, essentially the ways of fitting the role of humans into the local ecological system. A big concept in nature is that there is NO WASTE. Also called a closed loop system, nature goes in full cycle, making waste from one into resources for others. This keeps everything in a constant cycle instead of transformation.

One simple method anyone can use to create less waste, and eventually no waste, is to compost. From a small apartment living to a farm, there are suitable composting methods that require little space or even input.

Or buying what you need from second hand shops, supporting local businesses, even as simple as upcycling the leftovers to make a new dish is a way to reduce waste.

These help build the community by weaving connections to other people, to new experiences, to community activities and unique and interesting offers made by each person.

For example, members of a Timebank exchange skills, time, and knowledge using time instead of money as a currency. Everyone has talents and abilities to share:babysitting, knitting, fixing bikes, raising seedlings etc. Timebanking is a great way for people to benefit and learn from one another, essentially creating a more resilient and connected community.

Check out these links to find something in your local area:

So as we head into the season of abundance consider; how you might be able to create less waste by composting, reusing, recycling and what other creative ways to use unwanted items?

Arohanui,

Merve Yeşilkır

Coming up this month our members are holding events around the country. Head over to our website and check out what is being offered in your local area.

If you are a member and have an event coming up that you would like to promote on the website, please get in touch by emailing Permaculture In New Zealand.