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Commenced:
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01/01/1987 |
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Submitted:
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03/08/2011 |
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Last updated:
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07/10/2015 |
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Location:
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96 Kotare Road, Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, NZ |
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Phone:
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+64 6 8386269 |
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Website:
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www.koanga.org.nz |
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Climate zone:
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Mediterranean |
A national seed saving organisation dedicated to saving the heritage food plants of Aotearoa. Providing a broad range of Permaculture based workshops and education programs.
The Koanga Institute is committed to:
· The protection, conservation and development of NZ's genetic and cultural heritage food plants
· Investigating the nutritional and health benefits of selected plants in our collection
· Exploring the benefits of heritage plants and animals in biological production systems
· The development of educational programs that focus on the practical skills in the field of sustainable living
· Research into the world wide innovation of sustainable living
The vision of the Institute is born out of 30 years of collecting heritage fruit trees, vegetables and flowers by Kay Baxter and others, in association with the Koanga Institute. This nationally important collection is in turn built on the foundation of hundreds of generations of gardeners and farmers who have nurtured the biodiversity and cultural heritage upon which civilisation has developed (we have co-evolved with our food plants and animals).
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 (eg 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 to facilitate the passing on of what we learn.
Note: The various badges displayed in people profiles are largely honesty-based self-proclamations by the individuals themselves. There are reporting functions users can use if they know of blatant misrepresentation (for both people and projects). Legitimacy, competency and reputation for all people and projects can be evidenced and/or developed through their providing regular updates on permaculture work they’re involved in, before/after photographs, etc. A spirit of objective nurturing of both people and projects through knowledge/encouragement/inspiration/resource sharing is the aim of the Worldwide Permaculture Network.
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MemberA member is a permaculturist who has never taken a PDC course. These cannot become PDC teachers. Members may be novice or highly experienced permaculturists or anywhere in between. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Permaculture MatchmakerOne of these badges will show if you select your gender and the "I'm single, looking for a permaculture partner" option in your profile. |
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PDCPeople who claim to have taken a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course somewhere in the world. |
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PDC VerifiedPeople who have entered an email address for the teacher of their PDC course, and have had their PDC status verified by that teacher. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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PRI PDCPeople who’ve taken a Permaculture Research Institute PDC somewhere in the world. |
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PDC TeacherPeople who claim to teach some version of PDC somewhere in the world. |
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PRI TeacherWith the exception of the ‘Member’ who has never taken a PDC, all of the above can apply to become a PRI PDC Teacher. PRI PDC Teachers are those who the PRI recognise, through a vetting board, as determined and competent to teach the full 72-hour course as developed by Permaculture founder Bill Mollison – covering all the topics of The Designers’ Manual as well as possible (i.e. not cherry picking only aspects the teacher feels most interested or competent in). Such teachers also commit to focussing on the design science, and not including subjective spiritual/metaphysical elements. The reason these items are not included in the PDC curriculum is because they are “belief” based. Permaculture Design education concerns itself with teaching good design based on strategies and techniques which are scientifically provable. PRI PDC Teachers may be given teaching and/or consultancy offerings as they become available as the network grows. |
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Aid WorkerThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to be involved in permaculture aid work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture aid worker experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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ConsultantThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to do paid permaculture design consultancy work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture consultancy experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Community ProjectCommunity projects are projects that help develop sustainable community interaction and increase localised resiliency. |
Koanga Institute Forest Garden Apprentice
3 Year Garden Apprenticeship! Beginning September, 2015
Two People Living Off A 200sqm Garden – Plan Included!
Become self-sustainable and build your food resiliency by following this garden plan and crop rotation following BioIntensive gardening methods. Income is built into the plan!
Escape The City | Marketing Internship
Do you have strong skills in marketing? Are you also excited about permaculture and interested in contributing your skills to a business you're passionate about while gaining valuable skills in food security and permaculture? Then this is the PERFECT oppo
IS YOUR PASSION YOUR JOB?
Are you looking for a way to earn a living doing something you feel passionate about, something you love doing, something that keeps you outdoors and healthy in mind body and soul?
Bio-Regional Seed Bank Internship
Learn everything you need to know to set up your own bioregional seed bank - Your future food security!
Spring Internship - 10 Weeks to Set Yourself Up With a Career!
We only take 8 interns on the Growing Soil Food and Health Internship so that you get individual attention and mentorship. This internship will set you up with the skills to earn a real living in this field, it is an amazing opportunity!
PDC including Biointensive & Health!
Because you are choosing to do your PDC at Koanga you will a get as a bonus on top of your PDC: Outstanding food locally sourced and cooked following weston price principles, cooked on rocket stove and solar technology...
The Urban Garden Project Crowd-Funder on Indiegogo
Our Urban Garden project's aim is to research how we can best feed our family a nutrient dense diet and be food secure on 200m². We have started a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo to help us to develop the garden further and publish our results.
Rocket Stove - Hot Water!
In my last post, I showed a picture of a wood powered water heater, so well roll up our sleeves and get into how this was designed. But first a warning! Boiling water is easy to do, boiling water in a closed container and not blowing yourself up is much t
Rocket Stove Nitty Gritty
The first post on the rocket oven left many with more questions than they started with so this is a follow up to cover some aspects in more detail. It would probably help to re read the first article and my replies to comments as I'm just going to forge a
Rocket Oven! Permanent Wall Mounted Kitchen Oven.
We're using this awesome Rocket Stove powered Wall oven for all the catering here at Koanga, it gets daily use and we're loving it! The amount of wood required is minimal, a tiny fraction of what a regular wood fired stove would use.
The Process of Co-Evolution
The more I learn about living simply; about Permaculture Design, about seeds, gardening, food, nutrition, animals and about health and the regeneration of our soils, epigenetics and our own DNA, the more I realize our ‘challenge’ is all about “stepping
Urban Design for a Sustainable Future - Design Update
So we’re on a mission to see if we can design and implement an urban garden ( 200sq m) that can provide a family of 4 something close to the levels of Vitamin A and calcium Weston Price found in all indigenous people’s diets that he visited in the 1920’s
NZ Heritage Potato Report
At the Koanga Institute, we're working to improve the health of our collection of NZ heritage potatoes.
Urban Design for a Sustainable Future
As a lifelong gardener I have never ever seen a design for a food garden that takes into account the fats, minerals and vitamins we actually need, according to science and history. We're going to give it a go!
Appropriate TechnoloyWorkshop happening now
We have an amazing group of people here this week to work together to find appropriate ways of building beautiful autonomous homes using local materials, simple technology, for a very low cost.