With the land secure, our focus has shifted to the settler process, and the ‘development process’ which will be enacted through Kotare Commons –  so time for a little background.

Kotare Commons Ltd (KC) is a private limited liability company set up to manage the infrastructure development (roading, water reticulation, cabling etc) plus to encourage the development of business organisations/operations that support the village community.

Being a limited liability company ensures that the Kotare Community Land Trust is protected from any financial risk, and also allows for investment, and commercial returns to be made to individuals who have contributed to increases in productivity.  

So while the Community Land Trust ensures that ‘capital gain’ in the ‘market value’ of the land is held by the trust, Kotare Commons ensures that real gains in productivity benefit those who made them.

KC has three classes of shareholding to represent  three different stakeholders:-

Class A   –  The Kotare Community Land Trust

Class B  –  The individual members of the Kotare Village Association (KVA)

Class C  –  Investors, and other organisations that have strategic commercial contractual      relationships with KC.

1. This could include:

• Outside investors contributing funds
• Working members of KVA contributing ‘sweat equity’
• Sharefarmers and others having commercial leases or licenses etc with the Community Land Trust

Having this tripartite governance creates a balance between all the stakeholders.

Over the next 6 months we will be working on the following:

Workshop

Re-designing and re-equiping the workshop ready for our summer building program

Water Supply

Putting in a network of new dams and reticulation systems, giving us the ability to store winter run-off, to last right through the summer.  Water security with no more pumps.

Administration

Establishing an administrative process to account for cash drawings, sweat equity.

Green Dollars

Establishing a ‘green dollar’ system, that will strengthen our community economy

The Design and Development Team

Creating a design and development team, both for internal and external work.  This could be anything from individual garden design, forest gardens, houses and community developments.  We’ve got an amazing team now to take on more projects (once we have our own design work done)

Generic House Design

Producing generic design for modular low cost natural dwellings, that all residents can use if they choose.  This will significant reduce the cost of housing and make it easier for everyone to get involved at any skill level.  This includes earth floors, local timber framing, wool insulation, earth plasters, composting toilets, greywater recycling and various appropriate technologies.  Once we get the precedents set, this will be available for others through our design and development team

Marketing

Continued marketing of the lease sales, plus promoting our design and development team

Business Hub

Setting up an office and individual workspaces we can all use

Other Developments

Exploring more ventures, to use the many talents we have gathered here.

To integrate all this activity, we are going to need some more personnel.  We are particularly looking for:

• A business manager
• Builders
• A business development manager
• Top class accountants

This is an exciting opportunity to live in a peaceful nurturing environment, with other highly motivated people, and be part of transformational change.  

Continue browsing our website, and contact us.