Conference to radically rethink New Zealand’s way of life

Permaculturists have created forests in the desert, provided free emergency water and hygiene facilities in international emergencies and are revolutionising farming in small pockets of land all over the world. Now a major international event aims to spread permaculture thinking and practise throughout New Zealand.

More than 500 permaculturists from New Zealand, Australia and beyond, together with green activists, organic gardeners, eco-architects, and self-sufficiency enthusiasts are being invited to Turangi near Taupo from April 11-15 for the 11th Australasian Permaculture Convergence.

The permaculture approach seeks to design productive agriculture, buildings and more that mimic the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. The main aim of the Convergence is to explore how a radical redesign of the Kiwi lifestyle based on these ideas could transform New Zealand’s future.

Participants will have the chance to train with experts from around the world in alternative approaches to home gardening, animal husbandry, local currencies, farming, environmental education, community resilience, nutrition, alternative health, seed saving, and crafts. They are also invited to share their own ideas and experience on what needs to be done to secure long-term sustainability and to celebrate the benefits of the permaculture lifestyle.

Bill Mollison, who co-founded Permaculture in the mid-1970s and is a supporter of the Turangi event, has said: “It’s no good any longer just being an organic gardener or farmer, we have to be effective financial and political units. We can run away to the bush, build a mud hut and grow ducks in the garden: it’s not gonna do it. The coals will still be burnt, the land will still be eroded, and the forests will still be cleared if we run away to the bush. So, there's no escape, we’ve just gotta stop running away, stay where we are and start to face up and fight.”

Anyone wanting to learn more or go to the event should go to: apc11.co.nz

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