We urgently need to promote the importance of the volunteer and non-profit sector during the downturn, as funding is in decline while demand for services are increasing.

 

To highlight the importance of the volunteer sector and reward New Zealand’s most outstanding volunteers, Good Magazine and Intrepid Travel have joined forces to create the Intrepid Travel National Volunteer Awards.

 

The Awards are a part of a larger national campaign which will be used to bring attention to the true value of volunteering while building up to Volunteer Awareness Week (14^th -20^th June). The campaign will be bringing an impressive arsenal of media together including Good Magazine, The Sunday Star Times anda  TV campaign.

 

How it works

 

Charities from all over New Zealand will be nominating their best volunteers under 7 different categories. Good magazine will load them on to a voting webpage on our social networking site for charities and volunteers www.gomad.co.nz

The Sunday Star Times will be running a promotion for 2 weeks (print and online) to send people to the site to vote for the favorite volunteers. The winners and their charities from each category will be profiled in a special supplement in Good magazine which will hit the news stands on the 15^th of June.

 

The awards will be held at AUT’s St Paul Gallery on Thurs 11^th June, the week prior to Volunteer Awareness Week. We have an extensive PR campaign planned which will create opportunities for charities to get their stories out in main stream media.

 

The overall winner will get a $5000 volunteering holiday from Intrepid and Good magazine will donate 20% of its subscription revenue in June and July tothe winning volunteer’s charity

or project.

 

What you will get:

• Massive media exposure: As a finalist your charity will reach over 600,000 people.
• Cash donation and free advertising: As the winning charity you will get $4,500 of free advertising in Good magazine and 20% of our subscription revenue from the June/July issue.
• A reward for your volunteers: The volunteer of the year will win a $5,000 Volunteering Holiday.

 

---

Deadline Friday 1^st of May

 

We will need the form, photo and logo emailed to us by the 1^st of May but pleases try and supply the information before that to make production easier for us.

 

For further information contact Jessica on 09 966 0999

 

Kind regards,

Jessica Lax

Project Manager

Good Magazine

Tel 099660999

Email jessica@hbmedia.co.nz

 

HB Media Ltd, Level 4, HB Building, 228 Queen Street, Auckland

The 5 Elements- Tattwa dharana

Queen’s Birthday Weekend

29th May – 1^st June 2009 (3 nights)

Aio Wira Retreat, Waitakere, Auckland

Teacher: Swami Chintanshuddhi coming from India

Description:
Explore the yogic view of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether (pancha tattwa) and their associated chakras. Tap into the essence behind creation and evolution in a simple, accessible and practical weekend. As the predominance and balance of the elements change, their mirror is seen in the body, mind and health. Immerse yourself in nature’s arms!

* Explore the tattwas and their associated chakras

* Utilize mantras and yantras

* Hatha yoga practices with element focus

* Tattwa dharana meditations

* Havan (fire ceremony)

Jnani & The Anahata Team

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION contact

Anahata Yoga Retreat

P.O. Box 155, Takaka,

Golden Bay, New Zealand

03 525-9887

www.anahata-retreat.org.nz

 

“There is no noise in the world.  There is no peace in the Himalayas.  Both are within you.” – Paramahamsa Satyananda

 

If you wish to be on our mailing list and are not, or received this email in error and wish to be removed from our mailing list, please let us know…  Om Tat Sat

Hello,

I’m currently working on a 26 minutes film on this outstanding novel way of living, farming, travelling, sharing, the WWOOFING! … for the documentary program “Envoyé Spécial” on the French national TV channel, France2, -telecast this summer-.

And I’m looking for people crazy about WWOOFING around the world, who are willing to

participate in this film in the near future. 

We are following this month french Wwoofers in France, India, Nepal, Japan and US, but we will be extremely happy to meet french wwoofers in New Zeland as soon as possible. I work for a teleproduction agency called Babel : babelpresstv.com.

Can you contact me if you’re in the game?

Thank you very much,

Julie Peyrard

juliepeyrard@hotmail.fr

+919958111210

OBITUARY GEORGE RICHARD (DICK) ROBERTS

Dick Roberts said more than 3000 folk had worked on his farm during the 30 years or so that he lived out his ideals of appropriate land use in Todd Valley.
He was one of the instigators of the WWOOFing Scheme (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) and workers came came from every corner of the globe, learning about his theories, which he practised.
The words microclimate, ecology and sustainability were all frequently on his lips, long before they became common practice. Though many of his ideas may now almost be in danger of becoming hackneyed, he was among the first to disseminate them in Nelson.
Mr Roberts was a fervent teacher, and his urge to impart his enthusiasm for biology, evolution and genetics resulted in his huge photo library; slides he’d taken all over the world which eventually illustrated text books and encyclopedias on matters geographical, biological and agricultural.
This was all part of his utilitarian philosophy.
Though there were flowers at his place (I suspect smuggled in by WWOOFers), when presented with some beautiful blooms, he would be more inclined to hold forth on the exquisite mechanisms that had evolved to promote pollination than just delight in them.
He was no Mr Gradgrind, but there were inclinations that way. He was something of a missionary in his zeal for reason. He was a long- time member of Rationalist and Humanist associations, and was a member of Voluntary Euthanasia and Exit groups. Almost the last words he spoke to me were “I’ve just bought a wonderful book on genetics, you must read it!”
He was a long-serving member and president of the New Zealand Tree Crops Association, and wrote articles for magazines that were devoted to conservation and other green topics.
He was a keen healthy lifer, but confessed one day that although he grew and ate salads he really didn’t like them.
On a more personal level, his longest lasting relationship, with Faye, was tragically cut short a few years earlier by her death from cancer. She, perhaps, made him aware of his limited cultural interests, and for a while he was a member of a Book Discussion Scheme, though he hardly ever read the books, unless they had a factual, preferably biological, bias. He was prone to losing the books and when a meeting was to be held at his house he always forgot and went to a compost meeting instead. Consequently, he was drummed out of the group.
As a schoolboy Mr Roberts lived for sport, got a blue at Cambridge for running, introduced dancing at the boys’ boarding school where he taught, and tango dancing became his abiding delight.
He gained a commission in World War II and later took a degree in biology at Cambridge University.
He was modest about his abilities, and was fond of saying that while he was not particularly bright “I’ve used every neuron I’ve got”.
In many ways he was ahead of his times. Born in Devon, he came to live in New Zealand shortly after the Cuba crisis in the belief that if things got really bad, the southern hemisphere had a better chance of pulling through – a reasoning that is arguably still very sound.
A few years ago, having failed in his endeavour to make his farm an educational trust to continue his land-use philosophies, he sold up and went to live in the city, where he died peacefully on March 23. He was 84.
Mr Roberts is survived by his daughter Joy and granddaughter Nova.

Christopher Vine.

with the Taranaki Environment Centre

$75 per weekend    (amazing price!)

1.  PERMACULTURE PHILOSOPHY & DESIGN    – 6 & 7 June 09
with Kama Burwell

We will explore ecology and the ethics & design principles of permaculture.
We’ll learn to read & apply landscape patterns, and practice permaculture
design in the sandpit.

2. WATER, APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY   – 18 & 19 July 09
with Kama Burwell & Michael Lawley

We’ll explore how water moves through the landscape and how we can design
to enhance water quality & quantity. We’ll also explore nutrient cycles,
greywater, appropriate technology, and ethanol & methane production. On
Sunday afternoon we’ll visit Eco-Innovation with Michael Lawley to
explore renewable energy.

3.  ECO-LOGICAL BUILDING        – August (date to be confirmed)
with Graeme North

We’ll explore the ecology of buildings, natural materials (local earth,
straw, timber etc), passive solar design, and building health.  We’ll get
our hands dirty in a practical earth-building project.

4. CLIMATES, SOILS, GARDENING      – 12 & 13 Sept 09
with Dee Turner & Jodi Roebuck

At Dee Turner’s farm, we’ll explore climates of the world, the
importance of food production, zone 1 design, soils, carbon and nitrogen
cycles, & biodynamics. On Sunday, we’ll visit Jodi Roebuck’s Seed
Keeper property and learn about bio-intensive mini-farming, make some
compost, and explore seed saving.

5. URBAN LIVING & WASTE         – 24 & 25 Oct 09
with Lisa Talbot & James Bellamy

Our urban areas need to be redesigned and retrofitted. At the Marfell
Community Garden & Community Centre we’ll explore sustainable living,
ecological footprints, waste, compost toilets, transition towns, &
retro-fitting urban environments. We’ll do some hands-on projects that
contribute to the Marfell Community Garden.

6. FOOD FORESTS, FORESTRY, PASTORAL FARMING   – 14 & 15 Nov 09
with John Earney, Steve Pivac, & Kama Burwell

We’ll explore farm design, soil & carbon farming, and integration of
fodder & tree crops. We’ll visit John Earney’s farm and explore
pastoral farming strategies, multi-species rotation, and living tree
fence/fodder systems. Then we’ll stop at Steve Pivac’s forestry block
and explore forestry design and using horses to harvest timber.   On Sunday
we’ll explore the design of shelter, food forests, orchards, and the
integration of small animals.

7. COMMUNITY, DESIGNING FOR DISASTER, NUTRITION    – 30 & 31 Jan 2010
with Kama Burwell & Ruth Cohen

We’ll explore community decision-making, legal structures & ownership,
banking & financial systems, co-operative enterprises. We’ll also explore
designing to cope with disasters such as fire, climate change, volcanic
eruptions, and tsunami. Ruth Cohen will address seasonal and local food,
ferments, preserving your yields, and maximising the nutritional value of
your food. We’ll make sourdough bread and bake it in the cob oven.

8. DESIGN PROJECT                        – 27 & 28 Feb 2010
with Kama Burwell & Dee Turner

In small groups or solo, you will complete and present a design project.
The aim of the project is to apply permaculture design to a specific site
or proposal, while making use of the knowledge and processes learnt during
the course.

Full course details are attached.

To enrol in the Permaculture Design Certificate, or any of the weekends,
please email me or give me a ring.

Regards,

Kama Burwell

Coordinator for Taranaki Enviroschools
& Permaculture Design Certificate

Taranaki Environment Centre
20 Kauri Street, Inglewood
Ph 06 756-8229
www.environaki.co.nz

We’re looking for any UK wwoofers that might be in New Zealand to escape the recession and make the most of the opportunity by doing a bit of travelling/taking gap years etc.

There’s been lots of media interest in this and we’re looking for case studies – people that wouldn’t mind sharing their story.

If you come across any wwoofers from the UK, would be fantastic if you could please let me know.

Many thanks,

Joanna

 

Joanna Cheok
PR Officer UK & Europe

Tourism New Zealand – Manaakitanga Aotearoa
New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE
DDI: +44 (0)20 7389 0152 | Mobile: +44 (0)7712 578 656 | joannac@tnz.govt.nz