By Alice Bulmer
The Hamilton Permaculture Trust has recently called it a day, after more than a decade. At the AGM in November the decision was made to wind up the Trust and allow permaculture to enter a new era in Hamilton. Permaculture is very much alive and well in the Waikato!
At the Waikato Environment Centre Christmas event, the Trust was given a special award to celebrate its achievements. I was the one who made the nomination, and this is what I wrote:
The Hamilton Permaculture Trust has had a huge impact on my life and on the lives of many others. I’d love to see this fantastic, unique organization honoured this year, since it has recently called it a day. This is the LAST CHANCE!
1. For being such a great role model in succession and life cycles of community groups and organizations, by deliberately bringing itself to an end when its purpose was achieved, and recycling the components. This is completely in keeping with the principles of permaculture. No organism or organization can live forever!
2. For more than a decade of lively inspiration and education around permaculture in the Waikato
3. For bringing permaculture to Hamilton
4. For founding and nurturing the Sustainable Backyard, which continues to inspire and educate countless people
5. For organising hugely popular environmental events for many years, as part of the Hamilton Gardens Festival
6. For showing that permaculture can work effectively alongside local government, public gardens and other mainstream organisational structures
7. For teaching organic gardening skills to large numbers of people over many years
8. For inspiring the foundation of Hamilton Organic Gardeners
9. For directly and indirectly inspiring numerous community gardens in the Waikato
10. For founding an excellent, world standard modular permaculture training programme (which will be continuing)
11. (Last but not least): For founding the fantastic Waikato Time Bank
And for many other great initiatives that I haven’t mentioned here.
This website will continue as a source for permaculture activities in the Waikato