We offer courses & school programmes that are practical, helpful and inspirational.

Funded by the Auckland Council, this 3 hour course is available to households in the Auckland region.

The course offers an introduction to the three basic composting systems which can be used in the home and garden; traditional bins, Bokashi buckets and worm farms.

The purpose of this course is to encourage people to minimise their waste; ideally turning it into useful compost to be used in your garden.

On completing the course, each household receives a $46 discount voucher to use when purchasing a composting system through the Kaipatiki Project – see our Products page.

Find a course near you and make a booking

There are three ways to book your place on a course:

• Online through the links in the course table
• Phone Kaipatiki Project on (09) 482 1172
• Email admin@kaipatiki.org.nz

Please note: bookings are required and can be made for up to two people per household. Once you have booked you will receive details on the course location.

Attention SCHOOLS

If you think a group of your parents might be interested in learning about composting (to help reinforce what their children are learning) then please make contact with us. If your school can host a course…we can teach it there. We do need a minimum of 15 adults to attend, a suitable venue and the school to do some basic promotion. Those attending do qualify to receive a $46 discount voucher.

Attention BUSINESSES

If you think a group of your (fellow) employees might be interested in learning about composting (perhaps as a ‘lunchtime learning’ seminar) then please make contact with us. If your business can host a course…we can teach it there. We do need a minimum of 15 adults to attend, a suitable venue and the business to do some basic promotion. Those attending do qualify to receive a $46 discount voucher.

10 years and still going strong

Create Your Own Eden was created within the North Shore City Council around 2001. Since then the programme has been refined and improved, it spread to other parts of Auckland and then to other cities througout NZ. The Kaipatiki Project has taught this programme since its inception and proud of our involvement.  During 2012/13 the goal is to teach around 80 courses throughout Auckland to around 1,500 households. Research during 2011/12 showed that 48 tonne of kitchen waste was diverted from landfill during the year due to the changing behaviour of the course participants.

Kaipatiki Project brings you an exciting new strand of ‘Nana-Technology’ classes – Pantry Power.

Hurry – bookings for Italian Winter Feast Masterclass close 8.30pm, this Tuesday 18 June.

Chutneys & Preserves - Long-lasting abundance in jars

Home-made Bread & Pasta - Bask in the aroma and taste of these winter-warmers including a very special Italian Winter Feast Masterclass full of tastings, tipples and Italian passion (20 June) – early-bird ticket time extended.

Home-made Cleaning Products - Cheap, chemical-free ways to cleanse your home

The recipe for Pantry Power is simple. It means taking advantage of seasonal abundance and easily sourced ingredients to create home-made foods and simple luxuries that are:

• easy to prepare
• long-lasting in our cupboards
• healthy for our families and the environment

Our new classes are presented by experienced local tutors skilled in the art of blending the thriftiness of yesteryear with today’s cool creativity.

Details about each class, including dates, times, location, tutor, costs and how to make a booking click class title.

A free hands-on practical course on how to build and look after a hot-compost heap. Over 3 hours you will help build a hot-compost heap that will increase garden fertility using low or no cost waste materials.

Tutor Judy Keats shares a wealth of experience on composting, no-dig gardening and propagation.

Hot-composting aims to decompose your garden and food scraps with minimal loss of nutrients whilst stimulating beneficial micro-organisms. When done right a hot-compost heap naturally builds up temperatures of around 60-70 degrees to kill off pathogens and weed seeds.

What will you learn:

• Types of heap structure
• Ingredients
• Placement
• Turning
• Problems & Monitoring
• Other Composting systems
• How to use the end product

Venue – The courses take place at our teaching gardens at the Environment Centre, 17 Lauderdale Road, Birkdale, North Shore.

What to bring – Tools, gloves and materials provided. Wear the appropriate footwear and clothing for compost making. Unless the weather is stormy the course will go ahead.

Kaipatiki Project, together with gardening expert Dee Pigneguy, is pleased to introduce a new series of edible gardening courses that teach, hands-on, how to start growing delicious organic veges from scratch. Each course takes place at the Kaipatiki Project’s teaching gardens at 17 Lauderdale Road, Birkdale, North Shore (10.30am-12.30pm).

A three week course – each part of the course can be taken separately ($20), or we recommend taking them as a series ($45 for three). Bring photos of your garden to discuss any problems you may have.

1. First Bite- Getting Ready for Planting

Unearth the secrets of building a garden from the ground up in this introduction to Sheet Mulching (No Dig garden) – a practical workshop that will result in a new garden being established. This course will cover identifying weeds in the garden, controlling them using Sheet Mulching and the importance of building soil using the soil food web. You will learn to grow root vegies in containers and tricks such as preparing cloches – “mini glasshouse” structures which raise the temperatures, giving your seedlings a head start.

2. Second Bite – Seed Sowing for Early Spring

Learn which crops can you plant now (using cloches or “mini glasshouses”) and how to plant them. Pick up tips on how best to protect them from insect pests, including identifying the life cycle of these pests and how to protect your young seedlings from weather events. Discover which plants you should use for the Beneficial Insect Garden.

3. Third Bite – Preparing for your Summer Garden

Plan now for the summer garden. Dee will introduce the warm season crops and how to grow Oil Seed pumpkins. Find out how to grow asparagus, how to grow kumera from cuttings plus which crops to plant for lush summer salads. Discover edible weeds and flowers and learn which Herbs and (Weeds) to grow to replace valuable soil nutrients.

Harakeke (flax) plants are all around us, but how much do you know about the protocols and practices that are involved in handling this multi-faceted natural resource? Ever wanted to have a go at weaving it?

Our tutor is harakeke educator Judy Te Hiwi – join her in this fun, friendly hands-on class to learn about harakeke and how to weave with it.

At the end of the 3 hour course you’ll have created your own woven bag to take home.

Kaipatiki Project offers these popular learning leisure walks on behalf of Discovery Walks and its experienced guide, Margi Keys.

In 2013 each series of walks has a theme:

Series 1 February – Kauri

Series 2 March – Giants of the Forest

Series 3 April – Coastal

Series 4 May – Waterfalls

Series 5 June – Climbing Rata in Flower

Series 6 Sept/October – Spring Flowers

Series 7 November – Rewarewa & Totara

Costs: Series of 3 walks $15, or $10 for one-off walk per person.

Bookings: Use the links in the table to book online.

On each walk Margi will help participants identify common NZ native trees, plants, flowers and pest plants whilst taking in the beauty of some of the North Shore’s most popular reserves. Groups are small, social and friendly, and bring together people who want to explore these reserves in confidence, at a leisurely pace, in good company. Walks take place rain or shine – bring sturdy footwear, a raincoat and a water bottle.

We encourage people to book a series of walks. This helps build your knowledge on successive walks.

Guided bush walks make a unique gift. Alternatively, if you want to reward your team or want a team building exercise, then we can arrange for a specially guided walk. Contact us to discuss your ideas.

Aimed at up-skilling participants over 8 weeks, these mini-workshops are a great way to gain experience, meet like-minded people and learn at the same time. Book for the whole series ($15) or choose just the topics you are interested in ($5 for a one-off session).

Recommended if you want to gain practical, hands-on experience in native plant propagation and / or would like work-experience in a plant nursery.

Workshops take place at the Kaipatiki Project Environment Centre from 9.30am to 12.00pm and often include study trips to nearby reserves and places of interest.

Bookings are essential and early enrolment is recommended as these workshops fill up quickly.

Click on the topics links in the table to enrol.

1. Seed collection, storage, sowing and eco-sourcing for native plants. Collect seed in Eskdale Reserve, then learn to sow the seed, some tricks to get them to germinate and how to pot seedlings on.

2. New plants from old - how to do cuttings, and divide ground-covers so you get many plants for the price of one.

3. Revegetation, pioneering & scrubland plants - Learn how our bush regenerates itself onto bare ground and how to get your own area of bush started. A trip to a scrubland area will show pioneering plants in their natural habitat.

4. Broadleaf/podocarp forest plants - meet our forest giants and learn their names in a walk through Eskdale Reserve.

5. Coastal plants - what should I plant on windy, exposed sites? Includes a trip to Charcoal Bay.

6. Wetland & riparian plants - how to create your own wetland area and choose the right plants. Come and see how Forest & Bird North Shore are progressing replanting Tuff Crater.

7. Planting to feed our birds all year round – what do native birds eat and when are the seeds ready? A visit to wonderful Smith’s Bush will reveal just how many birds can live in a small area given the right combination of plants they love to feed from.

8. Threatened plants - what are the threats to our plants and how can we help bring them back from the brink? Includes a visit to the amazing Fern Glen to see threatened plants in a natural setting.

These workshops are part-funded by Pub Charity.

A free 8 week training programme spanning May – September 2013.

Run jointly between Kaipatiki Project Environment Centre and Okahu Rakau, Ngati Whatua’s bush care and nursery at Orakei Marae, this training programme will give hands-on experience to those wishing to be a planting co-ordinator as a paid job, volunteer or to kick-start their own local planting project.

This programme is really rewarding. Help plant 10-15,000 plants over the winter. You get to learn real skills including talking to strangers, plant ID, laying out plants, managing volunteers, health & safety, planning and team work. Along the way meet a load of interesting and committed people.

The planting days happen around Bastion Point, Orakei, Hobsonville, Green Bay and Eskdale Reserve, Glenfield.

What else are you doing on 8 winter mornings throughout the winter of 2013…sleeping? Planting days are much more rewarding!!

Spend a morning out in the bush with your little ones as Kaipatiki Project leads some mini-journeys of discovery to explore natural wonders on our doorstep (10am-11.30am). Cost $3 per family per session.

Our 2012 Programme included:

What lives in Kaipatiki Stream?

Beautiful Birds

Vege Gardening for Small People

Composting & Worms

Bush Scavenger Hunt

Harakeke (Flax) Weaving

Make a Water Gauge

Bush Bug Finders

We share our expertise and resources with early childhood and school groups from around the region.

We specialise in active learning experiences that can be delivered at your early childhood centre or school, or at our base in Birkdale, North Shore.

At Kaipatiki Project we have our own dedicated education centre, teaching gardens and native plant nursery, located beside Eskdale Scenic Reserve network.

Our services can support your ‘education for sustainability’ programmes. All topics are compatible with science curriculum objectives.

Information for staff – For years 0 to 8 download a copy of our education brochure.

Home-schooled children are welcome to get together and visit as a group (minimum 12 pupils).

Preparing for a day in the wild.

Students interested in a career in conservation can gain practical experience and NCEA Credits while learning how to control one of New Zealand’s most damaging pest species.

Many students interested in conservation are unable to study conservation related subjects while at school because:

• Very few schools have teachers with the necessary skills and experience to offer practical conservation courses
• Very few schools are accredited to assess practical conservation standards

The Kaipatiki Project will supply relevant workshops, learning materials and accredited assessors to enable schools to offer entry-level conservation courses.

For Students – Are you interested in a career in conservation and working for the environment? The Possum Project offers you the opportunity to:

• Learn how you can help reduce the damage done by possums to the environment
• Earn NCEA Credits in subjects related to Conservation and Sustainability
• Experience conservation work in the outdoors
• Earn money by harvesting a renewable resource (possum fur)
• Meet industry representatives that may help with your career in conservation or fur recovery

For Teachers – The Kaipatiki Possum Project will coordinate learning and assessment workshops.

• Give your students the opportunity to have a taste of a career in Conservation and Sustainability
• Offer courses that engage students
• Take the hassle out of assessments
• Use industry developed learning materials
• Use moderated and accredited assessments
• Coordinate with your schools Gateway Programme

For Gateway Coordinators – The course offered by the Kaipatiki Possum Project meets all the requirements outlined by the Gateway Programme. We are targeting students interested in a career in conservation.

The Programme can be offered as part of an existing course in Biology, Social Studies, Outdoor Education and Education for Sustainability or to individuals keen to pick up skills and experience in field conservation.