Right now myself, Kay, Tes and Shaked are on a workshop tour. We did a talk in Taipo last night and are off to Hamilton today for a few days then back through Whakatane.

Life back in Koatre Village is pretty exciting right now. We are far far too busy, but watching the new settlers going through the process and just seeing what a wonderful group of people we will have here is so good and such a welcome confirmation for us all.

Over the last few weeks the momentum with incoming prospective settlers has picked up considerably.  All of a sudden we are having multiple skype calls in a day, and our next hui will have 15 families joining us either on site or via skype.  I’ve been wondering about what has changed out there, that is being reflected here. 

Here’s a few thoughts that might explain the changes:

The day before yesterday I was flying around the Wairarapa in a helicopter, and on my knee was an apocalyptic ‘post sea rise’ map showing in deep blue all those areas will be under the sea if the Antarctic ice shelves and Greenland ice go the way some think they will (everything under 80m high).

Quite bizarre to be even seriously thinking about it, let alone sitting in helicopter searching for a suitable home for 30 families who are contemplating  becoming voluntary refugees out of Wellington.   But the thing that struck me the most was how the pilot was completely accepting of the conversation that arose out of those maps. There wasn’t a hint of scorn or derision.

I have a sense that behind all the business as usual hype of our media, increasingly people are deciding that things are about to change – big time.  They are no longer sucked in by the ‘business as usual ‘crowd, but they have still to define what that means to them individually, and what it will lead to.  While there is no consensus as to what to do, increasingly people are deciding to make choices as best they can.  Any path of positive choice is better than knowing and not doing something about it.  Those who may have hesitated a few years ago, are now choosing to act. There has been a tipping point, those who are joining us are clearer and more decisive in their vision and their actions.

On a final note, I want to thank Shaked for mapping out the sections. Here are a few new pictures for you to check out.  As always, we welcome you to join us to learn more.