Wonderful Wild West…

It’s wonderful being Westies, with the Waitakere Ranges on our doorstep and its beaches half an hour’s drive away. We’ve just had a three day break  at North Piha, in a comfortable old-fashioned holiday home, Tai Haruru, run by the Forest and Bird Society.  We were totally surrounded by flowering pohutukawa,  with tui hurtling through branches, kereru swooping around the house, birdsong […]

Coltan in the Congo

 Did you know that each time we buy a  new smart phone or tablet we are condoning rapes, mutilations and murders in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Tanya and I certainly didn’t know about the coltan mining industry destroying familes and villages in the eastern Congo until we met Lema Shamamba, a refugee from the area, […]

Safety, strength and success: Ranui Primary School

We hear a lot about the problems of low-decile schools – and not nearly enough about their strengths and successes. Ranui Primary School held its once-a-term community day in early December, featuring student work around the theme Safety- at home, at school, in the community. Their work was inspiring – thoughtful, well-informed and beautifully presented […]

Auckland’s future? or more grey men…

Project Auckland, a 20-page supplement published on December 9 2014 by the New Zealand Herald, shows clearly why progress in developing Auckland as a truly liveable city is so slow. Of the 23 key people commenting, only four are women, only Paula Bennett is obviously Maori. And I’d be surprised if any of the commentators is under 40. […]

Media Minutes…

We do find time for some media indulgence  – more often the media seem like a penance. Each month we’ll try and mention something outstanding – where posible with a link to something we think is specially worthwhile. Grandpa Herald…   The front page of the NZ Herald, most days, is repulsive – another celebration of violence […]

SPRING AT EARTHSONG

Recently, Tanya organised a working bee with the Permaculture focus group to clear overgrown garden beds around the Earthsong Common House in preparation for spring planting.  24 Earthsong people turned up to help.  Six large beds cleared, a giant hot compost built, and delicious muffins and coffee provided … Now most Earthsongers are busy planting up their […]

living in different worlds

This month we’ve been living in three vastly different worlds within Aotearoa Read more in the other postings : ..a cooperative community ..a city of contradictions ..an election

a cooperative community…

Marmalade and Miso Making A batch of marmalade is an hour of shared chopping, stirring and interesting talk when three of us gather for the task in the Earthsong Common House kitchen. Learning to make miso with Yuki is even more exciting as we try to toss lumps of the mix from hand to hand […]