Te Manawa to host permaculture workshops for children

Te Manawa educator Kirsty Porter with a 'bug hotel' in Te Manawa garden.

Permaculture is a philosophy of living that emphasises working with your environment rather than against it.

It's not solely about sustainable food production – it's a system of design, engineering and management that aims to build resilience too.

This increases a community's ability to bounce back from sudden adverse events and adapt to long-term change.

On November 15, Te Manawa will host a workshop introducing children to permaculture by starting literally at ground level.

They can meet the bugs that live there in every backyard, and learn how to attract more of them by building their own bug house.

The garden is filled with amazing bugs that do incredible things, and they're just one level of the ecosystem that permaculture seeks to coexist with.

Helen King will run the workshop.

She's from RECAP, a community group in Ashhurst and the Pohangina Valley that focuses on building community, caring for the local environment, and helping locals develop skills that increase sustainability and resilience.

Its members travel within and outside our region, establishing public gardens and orchards, preserving native bush remnants, and collaborating on plans for how small communities can best head into the future.

The workshop is tailored for children aged 5-12 years and runs from 11am to 12.30pm.

The cost is $7 per child, but free for every accompanying adult.

Though places are limited to 15 children, if there is greater interest Helen will run another session from 1.30pm to 3pm.

Parents can register their children by calling 0800-4-A-MUSEUM or visiting our front desk.