PDC Internship
We have replaced our PDC Internship with a Permaculture Apprenticeship. It is similar to the internship although a certificate is not issued at the end of it. The learnings are much the same.
Our programme is unique in the world of permaculture in that it combines hands-on learning to support theory and design thinking.
The programme balances content, process and reflection, while nurturing systems thinking skills. It’s about developing a way of thinking that recognizes the connections between diverse elements on the farm and how they interact, along with the hands-on skills required to work effectively with cultivated ecologies.
Our programme is unique in the world of permaculture in that it combines hands-on learning to support theory and design thinking.
The programme balances content, process and reflection, while nurturing systems thinking skills. It’s about developing a way of thinking that recognizes the connections between diverse elements on the farm and how they interact, along with the hands-on skills required to work effectively with cultivated ecologies.
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The Facts
Kaitiaki Farm is a 5.1 hectare (13 acre) property located 2 km outside Whanganui, New Zealand. We operate as a mixed-use operation leveraging niche markets for annual crops, perennial crops, nursery trees and animals. Our primary interests lie in holistic land management, regenerative agriculture, market gardening, appropriate technology, renewable energy and human-scale solutions, as well as home building and renovation. Interns come from all over the world for eight to twelve weeks primarily during summer months. They are usually engaged two days @ 5-6 hours and three days @ 3-4 hours per week. Animal care is a daily requirement. The living arrangement is familial - you are truly a part of our family while you are here with us (and for ever after!). We dine every evening as a family and our energetic children are a large part of family life. |
The Curriculum
We spend a lot of time teaching and talking. This slows down our work but makes the experience what it is – an endless series of ‘teachable moments’. It is also the best way to earn a PDC. This type of learning experience is extremely rare anywhere in the world and would not come from a book or standard PDC course. That said, we have a huge library of books and lots of connections locally and nationwide of practicing permaculturists. It is internationally recognised that 'Permaculture: a Designers' Manual' by Bill Mollison is the basis for the PDC curriculum. Our curriculum builds on the Designers' Manual and extends the scope to address topics specific to New Zealand and relevant to our specific farm and current events and developments in the field. It is inline with the curriculum discussed by the Permaculture NZ education working group in late 2016. A great benefit of the experiential model of this course is that it provides the opportunity for students to explore in great depth, topics that are of particular interest to them. It also will give you plenty of opportunity to re-visit topics in a practical setting and get immediate feedback. But perhaps the greatest benefit is living on a permaculture farm that provides a wide range of design strategies across a diverse landscape. So-called ‘teachable moments’ are the heart and soul of this style of PDC, and what makes it unlike any other. The challenge of this model is that it requires learners to be self-directed to a certain extent in order to ensure that all topics are covered in the time period allotted. Each learner has a copy of the curriculum and can check off topics as they are covered. Kaitiaki Farm and it’s holistic management strategy provide inspiration and motivation to immerse oneself in a living four dimensional permaculture design. |
