Background: I have been involved in conservation and environmental issues in New Zealand for almost 50 years. More recently my main interest has been intentional community and cohousing, and I recently moved to Atamai Eco Village near Motueka, west of Nelson in the South Island of NZ.

Permaculture: I first became aware of permaculture about 2002. I first completed a PDC in Wellington in 2014, but have understood and applied the principles to some extent for many years. At present, I am part of a team organising a PDC specifically tailored to Atamai, integrating the farm, orchard, other commons and planned cohousing in the village.

Over the years I have studied money, what it is and the part it plays in Western capitalism. This interest, combined with cohousing and permaculture, led me to develop a collaborative home ownership programme, which will be used to finance the cohousing at Atamai.