Oxi – Bravo to the Greeks. For me there has been something special in watching the Greek people stand up to the financial/political orthodoxy. They are by no means out of the mess their old leaders have got them into, but enough of them have at least got clear that the existing order doesn’t work for them and they are inspired to seek change through Syriza and other channels (note that permaculture practises are taking off in Greece).

www.travelanddo.com

It will be interesting to see where this leads, and many people throughout the world will be watching with interest, because Greece is most likely only one of the first of the ‘western’ nations that will be challenged to stand up against the interests of those who are mainly concerned with protecting their own wealth rather than looking after the common good. This is a show that is ‘coming to your nearest town’, brought to you by the letter D – as in debt, de-growth, democracy and ‘dirty-tricks’.

breadandfriday.wordpress.com

If you want a humorous take on this try Jim Kunstlers blog (Why is this relevant to my blog/newsletter, because my understanding is that this will be a common pattern throughout the globalised economy as growth disappears, first in the peripheral communities (eg Greece, Wairoa etc.) and then increasingly in the centres of ‘wealth’ accumulation (Germany, Auckland etc).

The model we are constructing in Wairoa, is not just about an ‘alternative’ lifestyle (not-withstanding that that is a good enough reason for some) but it is also about preparing ourselves for the inevitable demise of ‘let the good times roll’ brought about by easy finance and the low hanging fruit of pre peak geological resources. It’s time to get real again, and the sooner we start, the less bumpy the transition will be.

www.greentechmedia.com

OK, so where are we up to now. Three months ago we started our marketing campaign to sell the leases which will fund the development here. As of today, we have :

• eight (8) people who have committed to purchase leases before 31st July, and have the funds available
• six (6) people who are keen and in the middle of the settler process (still uncommitted)
• three (3) people who have committed but need to sell their houses, probably after 31st July.

Basically we need ten (10) people to purchase leases to make this work, so we are tantalising close. I’m confident we will get there, but we need to push on and resolve this asap. To do this I am concentrating on two main factors:

• The next hui, this weekend,where the six (6) ‘in process’ prospective settlers will be attending either physically or virtually. This could be it!
• Approaching investors to see whether they are interested in the bridging finance needed if we need to get another two lease sales.

This can include several options with a good return and also the possibility of long-term investment in our development company (this is another exciting project which will be launched immediately after we have purchased the land – more on this in the next newsletter). These investments could be a multiple of small investors or one large one. They could be short or long-term. Let us know if you are interested!

At this point I would like to thank Kirsten, Mel, Kay, Tes and Shaked for all the amazing energy they have put into this campaign, and also all those who have expressed their interest and engaged wholeheartedly in the process we have set up. Especially those who have joined the settler ‘team’ which is right now in daily dialogue in our Loomio site working through the transitions to being settlers and creating this vision. (This is only open to those who have attended a hui and expressed a desire to continue on the path to being a settler) Have to say this has been the most heart-warming part of the campaign for me, seeing the great team of people and their contributions so far. To end this blog/newsletter, I would ask that if there are any people out there who would be interested in investing (if we need it) could you please contact me at contact@kotarevillage.org.nz

Also I would invite you all to the celebration we are having on the ‘blue moon’ on Friday 31st July at the Marumaru Hall in Wairoa. Its starts at 5.30pm and goes till late. (see kotare village website for more details) Again you can always contact me at contact@kotarevillage.org.nz

Bless you all

-Bob Corker