Community Building in Action!

We recently brought together those interested in joining our second cohousing neighbourhood for an inspiring Community Building Hui (1-3 November) here in Tākaka. It was beautiful to connect with familiar faces and new friends as we explored what it truly means to live in a thriving, connected community.

The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon at the Sustainable Living Centre, with some icebreaker activities to get everyone acquainted, followed by a workshop and discussion facilitated by the amazing Inna Alex.

Later in the day, a walking tour of the land allowed attendees to see our progress firsthand. That evening, everyone enjoyed making pizzas together, firing up the pizza oven to create a shared meal🍕.

Special thanks to Col for stepping in at the last minute to get the pizza oven going for us, and to Sophia for volunteering to keep it all going for the evening. Much appreciated. 

Saturday was all about getting our hands dirty! 🌱 After a brief korero about the realities of community living, we dove into a values-setting mandala exercise, led by Inna Alex. This was really useful for discovering what was important to each person when it came down to community life, and discovering where these were shared between everyone - from core values in the centre of the mandala, like trust and reciprocity, to the specific elements, activities and policies in the outer ring of the mandala - things like signage, a kids play area, and fruit trees.

Each person wrote down 10 values they felt were important in community life. They then took turns laying down their words on the mandala, with everyone else helping to decide where each one should sit. 

We were incredibly grateful to be able to hold this session within the warm embrace of the Common House - a huge thank you to the first neighbourhood for your generosity in sharing your special space.

Eating a delicious lunch in the Common House, catered by De-Lish Delicatessen. 

Later in the day, attendees and other volunteers joined Sol Morgan - our go-to gardening guru - for a working bee on the māra (garden).

This māra is located on Trust land beside the first cohousing neighbourhood, where the original Meihana family homestead once stood. When complete, this garden will be full of sweet-smelling flowers and herbs, with a beautiful locally made bench seat to rest on while you enjoy a tranquil moment. When complete, this will be open to the wider community to enjoy.

Sol Morgan leading the working bee. Thank you Sol for your vision and expertise, you helped us to create something very beautiful together. 

The māra is underway! This beautiful spot will be open to the public once complete, for everyone to come and sit and enjoy the scents from all of the flowers and plants. This is where the Meihana whānau homestead once stood. 

The second day wrapped up with a potluck dinner at the Common House, full of laughter, delicious kai, and great company.

On Sunday, our third day together, we turned our focus to envisioning the Common House for the second cohousing neighbourhood, as well as the physical layout of the cohousing neighbourhood. We brainstormed creative ideas to make the shared spaces welcoming for all.

This was followed by a tour of houses within the first neighbourhood, allowing everyone to really see and feel what the homes are like.

Dining in the Common House - what a treat!

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who participated and brought their energy, ideas, and hard work. 🌻 We left feeling even more inspired about the journey we are all on together.

If you missed out and are motivated to buy a home in our next neighbourhood, we hope to see you at the next one!