Common Ground newsletter, May 2025
Topics:
Women R-Evolutionising Housing Hui—info & survey
CoHoHui—on the future of housing in Aotearoa
Participatory Permaculture Design for Thriving Neighbourhoods
Cooperative Living & Affordable Housing event—18 May near Motueka
Homefullness Show—upcoming episodes & first member
NZ Housing Survey—have your say for better housing choices
Community-Led and Affordable Housing--—a successful model
Women from across Aotearoa from the Women Revolutionising Housing Hui 2021
Women R-Evolutionising Housing Hui—info & survey
I’m starting to organise the 3rd Women R-Evolutionising Housing hui and would love your input and collaboration. It will be held at Riverside, the oldest intentional community in Aotearoa near Motueka sometime in Aug or Sep.
Vision & Mission for the Hui:
This personal and professional development event is for women who are passionate about evolving housing in Aotearoa, who have worked in this area for many years or just starting out. What we share is the vision of a holistic housing ecosystem that nurtures the well-being and potential of our communities, our children, and future generations.
At the event, we will:
Explore solutions to our common challenges professionally and in our communities
Celebrate the unique contribution that women’s voices and values can bring to this sector
Share about the innovative and impactful projects we’re working on/dreaming about
Support and encourage each other to succeed in our efforts and aspirations
Discuss how we can grow our individual and collective influence as leaders and change-makers in the housing sector
The survey is to decide on the best date, what women want out of the event, what they would like to contribute, and what kind of support and resources could be available. I’m running a survey until 12 May and then will set the date and put together a coordinating team.
Take the survey and be part of shaping something powerful. Thank you for your time (estimate 5 min)
CoHoHui—on the future of housing in Aotearoa
The CoHoHui is Aotearoa’s only hui focused on advancing collective (community-driven and community-focused) housing. It’s been held every two years since 2019. This year, it was held at Ara Institute in Christchurch.
There were about 35 presentations and workshops spread over 1 day (Yes, lots of FOMO as many of the topics I wanted to attend were at the same time.) We had six international guest speakers sharing successful collective housing models/institutional support from Europe and Australia and many others were by students (undergrad through PhD) and some professionals.
I was really enjoyed the one by a student on “Autonomous Housing” which was about housing and neighbourhoods “operating independently of any inputs except those of its immediate environment.”
The other was a project that is nearing to getting established after six years in the making: a Tiny House neighbourhood in the Richmond area of Christchurch. Its strength lies in its collaborative approach with Council and other organisations. Learn more about it here: https://cths.nz/rthv/
If you wish to be kept in the loop of news, events and resources related to collective housing, consider becoming a member of The Housing Innovation Society, who put together this hui.
Link: https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/
Participatory Permaculture Design for Thriving Neighbourhoods
Robina McCurdy and I had the great opportunity to present on “Participatory Permaculture Design for Thriving Neighbourhoods.”
The first part covered the ethics and principles of permaculture and living systems design and how this applies to housing and neighbourhood development to increase the social, ecological, and economic healing and thriving to a neighbourhood and the wider community and ecosystem.
The second part was about the benefits of doing a hybrid development approach--the best of resident-led and developer led, creating more affordability and less lengthy development timeline.
Conventional housing development is done by developers who are focused on a profitable outcome and expediency which can sacrifice ecological and social outcomes. Resident-led housing is typical for cohousing projects but the strong focus on participation can create expensive and time-consuming projects.
The hybrid approach starts with a developer, contractors, and relevant council staff being informed by or educated in permaculture design and consulting to permaculture professionals. Then future-residents are consulted on aspects related to their experience of living in the houses and community.
If your team or organisation would like to receive this workshop to give you the framework and process for such a participatory, permaculture-informed, hybrid development approach, Robina and I are taking expressions of interest.
Email us to find out how we can support your housing team and projects.
Upcoming Event on Cooperative Living and Affordable Housing
Networking during the first event
This "Cooperative Living and Affordable Housing" event series is for those interested in any form of cooperative and affordable living such as tiny home village, ecovillage, co-living, co-housing, papakāinga, agrivillage, etc. It's an opportunity to learn of innovative models and then network with others who have land, projects, or wanting to live in such an arrangement.
Part 1: Workshop on Participatory Permaculture Design for Thriving Neighbourhoods
Part 2: Structured Networking
We’ll offer some activities to help people connect in meaningful ways. Our focus is on bringing together those who have land or property they may want to share for housing with those looking for land or potential partners for cooperative living & housing projects.
As part of this session, the developers behind the Takaka Cohousing project will introduce a potential new tiny/small home cooperative living development being explored on rural land near Tapawera. You'll have the chance to view an early-stage concept layout, discuss how the development could work, and what the housing might look like. If it sparks your interest, you’ll be able to register your details to stay informed and involved as the project progresses. It is still very early days and the development would need to go through a Resource Consent process.
Zola is looking for people who wish to live in and help establish a tiny home cohousing neghbourhood to the NE of Nelson or in the Maitai River valley or other land around Nelson. It will be based on the concept of the Tiny Home Village in Richmond, Christchurch.
In addition to the above projects, those with other ideas, projects, land, etc will have an opportunity to get connected with those sharing a similar vision.
Homefullness Show—upcoming episodes & first member
I’m celebrating getting the first supporting member to the Homefullness Show—Cheyenne Zigmund. Becoming a financial member allows me to produce more and better quality change-making shows on housing. And there are perks to membership!
To become a member or make a once-off donation: buymeacoffee.com/zola.commonground
Soon I’ll be publishing the next episode which is a special one—I interview my daughter, Oriah, on what home was like growing up in an off-grid self-built home in rural Zulu South Africa and how that has influenced her today.
Check out the other 13 episodes here or on your preferred podcast app.
NZ Housing Survey
Say how you live and how you want to live in the future so that decisions around our housing include all our voices.
Community-Led and Affordable Housing—a successful model:
Check out the latest episode of the Regenerative Real Estate podcast on Reclaim, a Collaborate Design Organisation that is creating a templates and workbooks to enable communities to design their own neighbourhoods.