Wilderland - one of New Zealand’s treasures - is a community pioneering sustainable living. Many people come to Wilderland each year to learn and eventually take their experience out into the world. But at the moment many of these guests have to live in
caravans or camp on site!
So we can make our visitors more comfortable and provide much needed educational facilities, we are building a Visitor House which will accomodate both individuals and groups. It will also allow us to develop productive partnerships with schools and other
academic institutions.
Who are we?
Wilderland is a centre for sustainable living on 64 hectares of regenerating bushland on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. A fully functioning certified organic farm with many acres of established orchards and gardens, as well as over 100 bee hives,
Wilderland hosts a range of residential learning programs and workshops. Wilderland was founded in 1964 and became a registered charitable trust in 1992. You can find out more about the Wilderland Trust at
www.wilderland.org.nz.
Who benefits from Wilderland?
People from all walks of life come to Wilderland for stays of between three weeks and six months and are able to experience our simple yet enriching lifestyle, which includes producing all our own fruit and evegatables organically. During their stay visitors
have the opportunity to engage in all aspects of community life and develop a wide range of practical and interpersonal skills. Many visitors refer to their experience at Wilderland as 'life changing'.
Participants are able to participate in a successful social ecology based on Caretaker Teams, which allows us to collaborate productively without so much reliance on hierarchy. Our team includes people with skills in organic horticulture, bush regeneration,
bread-making, orcharding, preserving, marketing, education, web and graphic design, bee keeping, herbal medicine, group facilitation, business management and Permaculture design. Participants are able to learn from others as well as share their own skills.
What are we building?
To make visitors more comfortable and provide much needed educational facilities, we are building a Visitor House which will accomodate both individuals and groups. It will also allow us to develop productive partnerships with schools and other academic
institutions.
The new Visitor House will:
1. Provide accommodations for twelve people, and include a large, sunny, open space for workshops and other learning activities.
2. Demonstrate best practice sustainable building principles, passive solar design, rainwater harvesting, and solar electricity generation.
3. Allow us to meet Council requirements for short-term visitor accommodation.
4. Provide an income stream that will allow Wilderland to become financially sustainable in the long-term.
What will the new Visitor House look like?
Our wonderful artist friends have created these beautiful visual impressions of our dream Visitor House.
