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Description
Kia ora!
Welcome to our page. I'm Emily and my partner, Zara (same-sex couple) run an Animal Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary is 80 acres set amongst some of the most beautiful untouched NZ bush. The Sanctuary itself is partially native bush with the rest mostly bare land which we are in the process of regenerating where possible.
The Sanctuary is a Vegan animal sanctuary with 20 cows and calves, 2 sheep, 2 ducks, and 10 chickens currently. We are also starting a food forest and restoring the farm with native bush. Our end goal is also to have a sanctuary for women that require a safe space from the world to heal for a while, utilizing the animals, garden, and forest to help them heal.
Due to the nature of the assistance we provide, we may be helping someone who is in a vulnerable state/position. We are only looking for women who have a good level of emotional intelligence, communication, and a calm demeanour.
We avidly try to not create excess consumption. As such the large majority of our food comes from 'Reduced to Clear' stores. These are stores that specialize in clearing food products that are near or past best-before dates, have packaging errors, or too much was ordered by the original store. This food is safe for consumption otherwise it could not be sold, however, if you feel uncomfortable you are welcome to bring your own food but it is an expectation that you would generally be okay with this principle. No meat is allowed.
We both work part-time while Emily also studies part-time. The rest of the time we are either out on the land with the animals, working on projects, gardening, or DIY projects.
Due to the mission of the sanctuary, we will only accept women. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We can teach many things like:
- living sustainably,
- low-carbon lifestyles,
- vegan cooking and food,
- basic permaculture,
- English,
- basic French,
- basic Maori,
- building skills,
- gardening,
- propagation of plants,
- how to look after animals,
- sustainable grazing,
- up close relationships with ducks, cows and chickens.
We love playing card and board games.
I (Emily) am also a nurse and am currently studying climate change strategies. While Zara builds websites and works on social media marketing.
Help
The Sanctuary is always busy!
In return for 4 days a week at 4 hours per day we offer; room, amenities (power, internet, bathroom etc) and meals - Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We welcome any cooking you may wish to do and you are welcome to use what we have in the house to do so (if we have what you need).
There is always something to do here and the list of projects is never-ending (in a good way). Depending on the season there could be propagating plants in the nursery, planting plants out in regenerative areas or in the garden.
Working with the animals is a big part of what we do here at the sanctuary. There is a routine that needs to be done daily (feeding chickens, counting the cows, and looking after any that need special care). Then there are things that will help to increase their happiness and well-being here such as weeding the paddocks, removing rocks from the fields, helping make fences or troughs etc. There will also be odd jobs that are on the to-do list.
There are opportunities for artists of any medium to also contribute that way, making the farm more interesting and fun. We have project ideas that we just will never get to that artists can also help with.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Beginner
Maori: Beginner
Accommodation
Due to our distance from even the smallest of stores, we are 15km down a gravel road in a very rural area, successful applicants would need to have their own transport.
No smoking on the property.
As the Sanctuary is Vegan you would also need to be okay with eating and cooking plant-based food while here.
You would have your own room in the house with us. The house has electricity, tv, unlimited wifi, 1 toilet and bath/shower inside and hot water.
The farm has some cellphone signal, but only a few bars here and there.
Food is provided and it is assumed you would eat with us, but you may do whatever suits you best.
What else ...
Our 80 acres are partially forested, set at the end of a gravel road with beautiful NZ rainforest hikes only 2kms down the road. We are close to Tane Mahuta, beaches, Kai iwi lakes, the Hokianga and giant sand dunes.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Our internet is on a copper line, but we can stream with no issues, however, uploading can slow the system down. We do get power cuts from time to time. Perhaps one every few months, and they generally last about 2 hours. We can not guarantee that this wouldn't happen. So your work may need to be able to be flexible.
Space for parking camper vans
We have an outdoor caravan plug in the driveway, or depending on the season, you would be able to park in other areas of our space.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
4 hours a day, 4 days a week
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