Kia ora

Welcome (back) to the Toru Newsletter!

This newsletter will give you the inside word on permaculture related events in the Wellington Region each month. We are excited to announce we are hosting our own ‘Toru Trail’ events across the bioregion, as well as sharing any events in the Wellington, Kāpiti, Hutt Valley, and Wairarapa Regions that align with our values.

Do you have any events to share? Does someone you know run amazing events? Click here to share with us and we will share far and wide! By the way, this is a free service. 🙌

This newsletter and our website is very much a "work in progress" at the moment, which we are sharing with you as we grow and evolve. If you would like to give us feedback or let us know of a bug or issue please simply reply to this email. We appreciate words of encouragement too while we launch this new direction..

We are very excited to share our rejuvenated Toru newsletter with you, ‘old timers’ and ‘newcomers’, though before I say any more, I want to explain how we got here…

I believe things start (or re-start) with meeting up face to face with friends over a cuppa. That is exactly what happened at our Oct ‘23 rejuvenation workshop which you can read about here. It triggered many ripples, including a generous financial gift from the Biome Trust for which we are deeply grateful.

We identified that there are many amazing folk across our region teaching skills, hosting working bees or planting days, getting stuck in, and changing the world, but they are not that well connected to the people who want to muck in with some ‘doing’ and learning...

This is where our new website, and this newsletter come in!

Taking us back to the garden, I have now harvested all my pumpkins and marvelled at how they spread over my garden effortlessly. They mostly germinated from seeds in my compost from a harvest a number of years ago. They took some time to rest and then were ready!

We have taken the inspiration for the rejuvenation of Toru Education from our pumpkins and are now ready! We will strive for natural sustainable effortless ways to connect. And yes, it may take some time.

We trust you enjoy this first newsletter, striving to connect all the things...🕸️

Doris Zuur, for the Toru Education Trust

P.s. If this doesn’t sound like something you are interested in, please unsubscribe here.

The Toru Newsletter

Is to provide information on:

• Toru events (see below)
• Events by individuals/organisation aligned with Toru values. Add an event here!
• Links to resources or topics of interest to folks learning and growing in our region.
• ‘Notice board’ for the evolving community (offers and requests). Find our first one below.

Toru Events:

Two types of Toru events have evolved:

1. Toru Trail site visits: Monthly visits to different people's places where the host shares their story/vision, passion, skills and experience.

2. Toru Workshops: Covering a specific topic in more depth, practically and theoretically, responding to requests

These events reflect our Toru goals: To provide enjoyable and accessible practical learning experiences that connect folk in the wider Wellington region who care for people, planet and spirit and wish for sustainable lifestyles.

The first Toru Trail event took place in Paekakariki in April (read the blog post here) and the second at Mikimiki Road, Masterton in May (blog post here).

They were well attended and we received rich feedback, including many specific requests for Toru Workshops. We will strive to respond to all these requests over time.

So far we have requests for: fruit tree pruning, fermentation of vegetables, composting, composting toilets, chickens, seed saving, permaculture approach to native revegetation, design process in more depth, bread baking...

What would you like to learn at a Toru Workshop? One of the above or something else? Reply to this email to let us know directly.

Or our first one promoted through this newsletter at least… 

...will be at Gary and Emily Williams’ place in Manakau on Sunday 16th June from 10am - 3pm, including lunch.

You are invited to hear stories as we walk their land, and learn about their approach to regeneration over the last 30 years.

They have applied the permaculture approach in many aspects of their life, not just on their land, food production and building but have also taken it into the economic and social sphere.

Click below to read more about the Toru Trail event at Gary and Emilys place, and get your tickets.

This newsletter will only work if it’s shared far and wide and is read by folks right across the lower north island, if you like the idea of our vision to connect those who want to learn and get involved in their community projects with those creating and hosting beautiful local events please take a moment to forward this newsletter to all your friends and family who you think might be interested AND ask them to sign up to receive it each month. 

And if someone forwarded this newsletter on to you or sent you the link? Are you interested to stay up to date with our events? Would you like us to promote your event (for free)?

Sign up now! ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Learn key homesteading skills and household resilience with permaculture elder Su Dennett.

Our friends over at Holmgren Permaculture Design have been busy the last few months recording the wisdom of Su, and creating the online video series Do with Su.

While Toru is very focused on in-person learning and events where locals get stuck in in their community, we also understand that great permaculture learning can happen online. Especially when it comes from Su!

There is also a free episode where Su makes Tortillas available so you can try before you buy.

This section is for asks and offers from our community (that’s you!) - we expect this section to evolve as we evolve but for now we have a couple of asks:

Have you ever had a dream to become an outdoor educator?

This may be your opportunity, there is huge potential here for making your dreams come true!

Due to retirement we closed at the end of 2023.

We built a very good reputation in the community and the initiative is ready to start again under new leadership.

* Take the already established and thriving Forest school a step further.

* Work in partnership with land owners and Toru Education trust.

* Help to build a community around Nature Education.

Please contact: hella@newforest.org.nz

80% of citizens in G20 countries want action on climate change and are willing to make changes. But many feel powerless and confused about what they can do.

‘Take the Jump’ is a global, evidence-based initiative based on 7 lifestyle shifts that will make a real difference in reining in runaway consumption, which is partially driving the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Recognising that behaviour change is challenging, the movement is designed to be positive, engaging, social and inclusive.

The Jump campaign asks people to sign up to take the following seven "shifts" for one, three or six months.

TTJ has been initiated in Aotearoa by the Nelson Tasman Environmental Group and is now active in the Wairarapa. We’re planning for a national campaign to be launched shortly.

Find out more on www.takethejump.org.nz

For the Wairarapa you can email us at: waijump@gmail.com