Lesson 1: The Foundations of Permaculture in Aotearoa

Welcome to your first lesson! Permaculture isn’t just a list of techniques; it’s a way of thinking about the world. At its heart, it’s a design system guided by a set of core ethics and principles. We’ll explore these foundational ideas and connect them to the land, culture, and ecosystems of New Zealand.

The Three Core Ethics: A Moral Compass

The permaculture journey begins with three simple yet profound ethical principles that guide all our actions.

• 1. Care for the Earth (Tiaki i te Whenua): This is the foundation. It means acting in a way that respects and nurtures the natural world. In Aotearoa, this can mean planting native trees, regenerating bush areas, protecting our waterways from runoff, and building healthy soil, which is a living organism in its own right. It’s about being a guardian of the land, a kaitiaki.
• 2. Care for the People (Tiaki i te Tāngata): Our systems should provide for all human needs—food, shelter, and community—in a fair and equitable way. This ethic encourages us to create communities and gardens where people are valued and their needs are met without exploiting others. Think of it as fostering thriving, resilient whānau (families) and hapū (sub-tribes).
• 3. Fair Share (Whakamuri atu i te hua): This ethic is about living within our means and redistributing any surplus. After we’ve met our own needs, we have a responsibility to share the abundance of the earth’s resources with others. It’s about limiting consumption, reducing waste, and sharing what we have—whether that’s a harvest of kūmara, our skills, or even just our time.

The 12 Principles: A Toolbox for Design

Beyond the ethics, permaculture uses 12 design principles developed by David Holmgren. These aren’t rules, but rather tools to help us observe and create intelligent, natural systems. Let’s look at each one with a New Zealand-specific twist.

1. Observe and Interact: Titiro, Whakawhanaunga. Pay close attention to your environment. Where does the sun hit in the morning? How does the wind blow? Who are your neighbors? Understanding these details is the first step to good design.
2. Catch and Store Energy: Whakaritea te pūngao. Think about how to collect and hold onto resources. This could be building a swale to capture precious rainwater, or using a greenhouse to capture the sun’s warmth.
3. Obtain a Yield: Kia puta he hua. Your system should be productive and provide a return on your investment of time and energy. This is about ensuring your hard work results in a harvest—whether that’s food, timber, or a beautiful, peaceful space.
4. Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback: Whakaritea te āhua, whakaae hoki ki te whakahoki kōrero. If a plant isn’t thriving, don’t just throw more fertiliser on it. Ask why. Maybe it’s in the wrong spot, or the soil is too wet. The system will tell you what it needs if you listen.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services: Whakamahia ngā rawa whakahou, ka whakanuia hoki. Make the most of what nature gives us for free. Use fallen leaves and grass clippings for mulch, or build a compost system instead of buying bags of fertiliser.
6. Produce No Waste: Kaua e hangaia te para. Waste is just a resource in the wrong place. By creating closed-loop systems, we can turn kitchen scraps into compost, which in turn feeds the garden.
7. Design from Patterns to Details: Hanga mai i ngā tauira ki ngā taipitopito. Look at how nature organises itself. The spiral of a koru, the curve of a hillside, or the branching pattern of a tree can all inform your designs.
8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate: Whakakotahi kaua e wehe. Put the right elements in the right places so they can help each other. Planting herbs among vegetables can deter pests, and a chicken coop can be placed near a garden to help with pest control and provide fertiliser.
9. Use Small and Slow Solutions: Whakamahia ngā otinga iti, pōturi hoki. Start small, with a single raised bed, and expand as you learn. It’s much easier to manage and less likely to lead to failure than trying to do everything at once.
10. Use and Value Diversity: Whakamahia, whakanuia hoki te kanorau. A diverse system is a resilient one. Plant a variety of native and introduced species to create a healthier ecosystem that is less susceptible to pests or diseases.
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal: Whakamahia ngā taha, whakanuia hoki ngā taha-whānui. The most productive parts of a system are often at the edges, where two different environments meet. Think of the rich biodiversity where a forest meets a stream, or a wetland meets a paddock.
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change: Whakamahia i te auahatanga me te urupare ki te panoni. Change is inevitable. Instead of fighting it, learn to embrace it. If the climate is getting hotter or drier, adapt your designs to be more drought-resistant.