Kia ora

After winter’s rest, spring is arriving all around us — with its signs of abundance, growth, and freshness. Perennials planted last year are pushing back through the soil, steady and resilient, reminding us that sometimes taking time below the surface is part of the cycle of renewal.

This rhythm feels close to home in our Toru whānau. At our recent trustees’ hui, held on a crisp day in the Mikimiki Valley, we took time to observe, reflect, and imagine. Under the watchful presence of Pukeamoamo or Mitre and the Tararua ranges, winter still clung to the mountains, while spring revealed itself in the garden around us. We checked in, took stock, walked Hella and Joep’s land together — feeling hopeful as we witnessed lush regeneration — and allowed the conversations to unfold at their own pace. By the third day, ideas had crystallised into practical next steps and a refreshed action list.

The new 'crop' of Toru Trustees

It was also a moment to welcome new growth in our team (pictured above). We are delighted to be joined by filmmaker Jess Feast and to celebrate my return from maternity leave (that's me top left). We complement Denis Grennell and Loo Connor, who joined earlier this year — a new configuration of Toru, full of fresh energy, inspiration, and possibility.

Permaculture reminds us of the principle to observe and interact — to take time before acting, and to build resilience through redundancy: ensuring that if one element steps back, another can step forward. Just as our perennials re-emerge stronger for their pause, our team too is finding its rhythm of rest and renewal, holding the work together with balance and care.

Before we turn fully toward spring, we’re still carrying warmth from our mid-winter Toru Trail at Trinity Farm. Wendy Neale’s story captures the feel of the day, reminding us what “care for land and people” looks like in practice—read it and take the walk with us.

Looking ahead, this month’s Toru Trail invites you to Ruamāhanga Farm in the Wairarapa for hands-in-the-soil restoration and nature-based storytelling. The Natural Building Conference is coming up AND it's in our bioregion this time, or if you like making homes for microbes, the Biochar Big Day Out is for you, plus the rousing new film from our own Jess Feast—Think Like a Forest—calling us to help Recloak Papatūānuku.

So as we move into this new season, we invite you to join us in that same spirit — of observing, connecting, and celebrating the abundance already around us. Take a moment to explore the wonderful workshops, gatherings, and learning opportunities blooming across our region this spring.

Ngā mihi o te wā,

Emma Elison, for the Toru Education Trust

P.S. If you’re feeling inspired, pass the word along. Forward this email directly to a friend or neighbour—there’s a little something for everyone.

Last June, just before we wrapped up the Toru Trial for winter, a frost-bitten dawn gave way to a blue-sky winters day as we met outside Ōtaki at Trinity Farm, who among many other wonderful things host Crooked Veg, a pay-as-you-can market garden. Hosted on the whenua by Peter Davis and Jenny Potaka alongside Jonothan Mines of Crooked Veg, the gathering brought us together to explore and tour the property, even including and impromptu duck escort through the garden beds!

In the abundant vege rows and under the young orchard guilds, collaboration came alive—from crowd-sown beginnings to a sunlit, shared lunch of just-picked greens—leaving us with a steadier sense of what “care for land and people” looks like in real time.

"Brrrr… it was the coldest morning I’d woken up to this season and, as I dug out my gloves from the bottom of the drawer, I wondered what my second Toru trail experience would bring.

Of course that coldness brought a clear and lovely day, and as we meandered up the Trinity Farm driveway I could see that this would be..."

- Story by Wendy Neale

Will be hosted by Jane Riddiford and Rod Sugden at Ruamāhanga Farm, just outside Martinborough in Wairarapa on Saturday 27th September from 10am - 2pm, including lunch.

This month’s Toru Trail takes us to Ruamāhunga Farm, where Jane and Rod are transforming a traditional stock-and-crop property into a regenerative, community-oriented landscape—restoring wetlands, opening access to the awa, and laying the groundwork for Te Reo o te Wai, an arts-and-conservation programme for local primary schools. We’ll spend the day planting trees and grasses along a new wetland walk and trying the experiential practices they use with tamariki—nature-based storytelling, art, and creative writing.

Spaces are limited, so book your spot soon! We look forward to seeing you there.

We have a humble request of you (yes, you!): please share this newsletter with folks who would like to receive it. We would love it to be read by folks right across the lower north island. 

If you like 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 events (for free)?

Sign up now! ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Hella shares what is inspiring her about our partner organisation: Beneath The Canopy

Janine and her partner Sam are the team behind Beneath the Canopy, a unique kaupapa bringing together creative expression, the abundance of food forestry, and the healing power of community. Their work is rooted in syntropy — creating systems that regenerate life, strengthen resilience, and deepen our connection to the whenua.

Based on their forest block near Castlepoint Beach, Janine and Sam host retreats and workshops that invite people to slow down, learn, and experience the principles of syntropic food forestry and permaculture. Whether it’s through hands-on food forest design, shared meals cooked over the fire, or hands-on clay creation, their offerings create space for transformation and belonging.

This October, they are hosting the Beneath the Canopy Syntropic Food Forest Retreat — a women-led weekend of food forest magic, local kai, rest, and reconnection under the spring supermoon.

 🌿 Retreat update 🌿

More Toru Partners! 

Natural Building Conference & Professionals Day 2025 by EBANZ

Enjoy three days of engaging learning and kōrero with leading voices in natural building, indigenous knowledge, climate-responsive design, and regenerative practice. Includes Presentations, Workshops, and Building Site Visits. 

Biochar Big Day Out 2025

Biochar is the buzz word in the soil generation world.. It has been said that adding Biochar to your soil is like providing a 5 Star Hotel for our healthy soil microbe friends. Come and see John and Holly from CharPae in action and find out why.

Grow Your Own Groceries Permaculture day course

A one-day course with Korito Education, comprising theory and practical sessions to give you the tools to grow nutrient dense food by teaching you how to build beds, feed soil, sow seeds, transplant plants, deal with weeds and mulch.

The new film Think Like a Forest (by our very own Jess Feast!) is a galvanising look at Aotearoa’s native forests and the path to Recloaking Papatūānuku—keeping what remains, removing predators, and restoring native bush across two million hectares. 

This newsletter has come into being because we saw a disconnect in our bioregion. We knew there were many great locals with knowledge to share, and some of them were already creating great opportunities for learning, connection and community spirit.

We also saw that many folks didn't know about these amazing opportunities to wānanga together and grow connections in their own back yards. 

To address these needs, we have started with a few interconnected 'small and slow solutions': our new website to host and promote events (among other things), our series of Toru Trail events across our focus area of Kāpiti, Te Whanganui-a-Tara - Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa, as well as this monthly newsletter tying it all together and telling the story. 

If you resonate with our vision, we would love you to be involved, this can be in many ways!  

- Please share the good news far and wide, Sharing really is caring, and we want to find our people!

- Do you have an event or educational opportunity? - check out our guidelines and if it fits in with our kaupapa, then sign up and list your event with us! We are promoting local events for free.

- Join one of our events! Learn with us and our partner organisations. Invite a friend along and learn together.

- Do you have ideas for us? Reply to this newsletter or email us at info@toru.nz with your bright spark!