Homefullness

Robin Allison is the founder of Earthsong EcoNeighbourhood in West Auckland, a 32-home, medium-density cohousing community on 1.2 hectares. It is guided by permaculture ethics, eco-building, and social sustainability, with an educational commitment to share learning. Zola and Robin discuss “homefullness” as individual autonomy plus shared belonging, intergenerational support, accountability, and personal and collective growth opportunities by working actively with diversity and conflict. Robin describes Earthsong’s resilience work with the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), concluding urban and community resilience depends on cultivating and fostering wider caring and connected neighbourhood relationships. A team at Earthsong is launching a film and workshop, “Neighbourliness for Resilience,” which is offered to groups wishing to generate discussion and solutions for their own local resilience. Be in touch with Robin to request a screening and workshop for your community or area. Earthsong offers tours to groups (by demand) and the public (quarterly).  Robin offers seminars on cohousing governance and design, her latest offerings being in Japan.  Her book Cohousing for Life is available to get learnings from her experience of developing Earthsong and tips for aspiring intentional community developers (and groups).   Zola at Common Ground is offering a number of services to support councils, housing organisations and professionals, and leaders and groups aspiring to create an innovative housing projects. Beyond housing, Zola offers services to those wishing to add more connection and harmony to their workgroups--finding and deepening the common ground amongst all members to work and live better together.  Services include:  Connection Labs (playful, interactive workshops) which include communication that increases connection and understand, teambuilding that increases cooperation and effective work flows, somatic activities to increase body wisdom, and Playback Theatre as a playful way to increase empathy and social cohesion. Advisory, Consulting, Facilitation and Speaking services for team and groups (related to housing and team-building) Women Revolutionising Housing network: supporting women curious about and leading innovative housing ideas and projects. Residential Property Development for Community-Focused Housing, a curated course for lay-leaders and professionals Join the Homefullness Patreon Community to support the podcast and Zola's work building a movement for housing systems change Timestamps 01:19 Announcements and Updates 03:12 Meet Robin and Earthsong 03:41 Cohousing and Permaculture Ethics 06:54 Defining Homefullness 10:03 Diversity and Discomfort 12:31 Resilience Research Insights 15:20 Neighborliness Film and Workshops 17:19 Governance Skills for Society 25:38 Cohousing Training and Tours 31:26 Conflict Skills and Meetings 41:12 Personal Note and Future Cities 45:17 Closing Thanks and Vision   Links: https://www.earthsong.org.nz/ Home page and newsletter sign up: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ Working together--how I support teams and leaders: https://www.commonground.net.nz/work-together WRH: https://www.commonground.net.nz/women-revolutionising-housing-network Property Devp course: https://www.commonground.net.nz/property-devp-course Newsletters: https://www.commonground.net.nz/common-ground-newsletter Connection Lab Playshops: https://www.commonground.net.nz/connection-labs Homefullness Community: patreon.com/commonground_zola CG FB: https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundAotearoaNZ/ CG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonground-nz CG YT: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundchannel

April Theme: Belonging and the Neighbour Connection Challenge In this episode, Zola introduces April’s theme of belonging through designing connection with neighbours, linking it to Common Ground’s focus on collective living and affordability via sharing and reciprocity, and permaculture’s people care ethic. She’s excited to share that she’s making changes to the Homefullness Show to be more practical and announces a Patreon-based Homefullness community with monthly resources.  This includes a “Neighbour Connection Challenge” which offers simple actions and a 7-day structure to build neighbourly ties, with even more resources available for Patreon members through the platform. Zola shares her personal experiences of community inclusion and isolation across different places she's lived, highlights intentional community benefits at Riverside Community (New Zealand), and discusses lessons from Serenbe and Steve Nygren’s book Start In Your Own Backyard about designing walkable, nature-integrated, clustered neighbourhoods. Check out www.commonground.net.nz for additional services for housing leaders and enthusiasts, housing-related events, and sign up for the newsletter and subscribe to the show to be alerted to upcoming content on compassionate communication for resolving neighbour tensions. Timestamps 00:00 April Theme Belonging 00:33 Show Format And Homefullness Community on Patreon 02:14 Neighbour Connection Challenge 03:54 Simple Ways To Connect 05:40 Seven Day Challenge Plan 06:32 Personal Story Early Neighbourhoods 11:31 Riverside Community Support 14:33 South Africa Lessons Learned 16:02 Bad Neighbours Experiences 18:37 Serenbe And Better Design 24:20 Start In Your Backyard Actions 26:05 Free Kit And Patreon Journey 26:49 Let Them Roam Pledge 28:04 Services Events And Resources   Links:  Homefullness Community on Patreon: patreon.com/commonground_zola Home page and newsletter sign up: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ WRH: https://www.commonground.net.nz/women-revolutionising-housing-network Property Devp course: https://www.commonground.net.nz/property-devp-course Newsletters: https://www.commonground.net.nz/common-ground-newsletter Connection Lab Playshops: https://www.commonground.net.nz/connection-labs TH Cohousing: https://www.commonground.net.nz/th-cohousing CG FB: https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundAotearoaNZ/ CG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonground-nz CG YT: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundchannel Let Them Roam pledge: https://stacklist.app/letthemroam

Reshaping Aotearoa’s Planning Laws: Regenerative Housing, Community Agency, and Structural Affordability New Zealand’s housing crisis, like many countries around the world, stems from a system producing unaffordable homes, ecological harm, and isolated communities.  Zola highlights this “rare opportunity” as the government rewrites the planning and natural resources bills replacing the RMA. Zola warns of risks in these bills like growth-led development and reduced citizen participation that could create degenerative outcomes for rural and urban area development for generations to come. Her call to action to listeners, wherever they are in the world, is to advocate to their local and central governments for policies and laws that explicitly enable regenerative land use, community-led housing models, and structural affordability, including: legitimizing tiny homes via a national definition and permitted status; rural cluster housing and ecovillage-style tools (including One Planet Development and circular economy villages); inclusionary zoning incentives; recognizing and supporting cooperative housing and community land trusts; and writing housing as a human right into legislation Zola also advocates shifting land use from industrial animal agriculture toward plant-based systems and farmer transition pathways.   Timestamps 00:00 Housing System Crisis 00:25 Planning Reform Moment 01:50 Submission Overview 02:24 Why Replace RMA 03:18 Tiny Homes Legitimacy 04:53 Rural Cluster Housing 06:27 Circular Economy Villages 07:01 Affordability Tools 08:54 Regenerative Land Use Shift 10:46 Six Risks Two Futures 13:45 Call to Engage 14:42 Course and Network Updates 17:22 Housing Guides and Housing Networks to access 19:20 NZ Housing Survey and Patreon Support for the Show   Download her submission presentation on the reports and guides page of the Common Ground website.  Sign up for the Common Ground newsletter and women are invited to join the Women Revolutionising Housing network from the website. You can join her Patreon community to support her work and this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/commonground_zola To inquire about Zola's consulting services or to be a guest on the show, you can book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/common_ground_zola_rose/quickcall or here if you are out of the Australasian region: https://calendly.com/common_ground_zola_rose/quick-call-int-l   https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundAotearoaNZ/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonground-nz https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundchannel https://karenflett.com/

Zola interviews Lyndall Parris, founder and resident of Narara Ecovillage on Australia’s central, east coast (about an hour north of Sydney), about what it takes to create and lead an intentional ecovillage from vision to reality and what daily life feels like there. The episode outlines Narara’s cooperative membership model (including the $30,000 buy-in), efforts toward affordability and intergenerational living through CLAN, and key sustainability infrastructure such as a smart grid and localized water systems. Lyndall shares the long fundraising and development journey (including setbacks during the financial crisis of 2008, the 2012 tender to buy the property, and 2013 settlement), reflects on belonging, kindness, and ongoing conflict-resolution work. Lyndall offers her free PDF book for those wanting to learn from their model and, of course, to visit their website.   00:52 Narara Ecovillage 101: Location, Land & Community Layout 02:07 How Membership Works: Co‑op Buy‑In, Responsibilities & Building Standards 03:18 Making It Affordable: CLAN, Shared Shares & Attracting Younger Families 05:16 Sustainability Systems: Smart Grid Energy + Water & Sewage Independence 06:28 Visit & Learn More: Website, Tours, Getting There from Sydney 07:33 Defining “Homefullness” 09:09 From Sheep Farm to “We Could Live Differently” 11:28 Courage to Build an Ecovillage: One Step at a Time (The Elephant Story) 13:54 Finding the Land + The Great Financial Crisis Setback (2008–2012) 16:43 Keeping the Dream Alive: Open Days, Newsletters & Founder Stamina 20:43 Life as a Resident: Kindness, Events, Healthier Living & Nature Connection 26:07 Not Utopia: Governance, Conflict Resolution & Personal Growth Ripples 29:39 Founder Fuel: “What’s In It for Me?” Avoiding Burnout + Financing Returns 31:33 From Setbacks to Solidarity: Building Trust to Fund the Land Purchase 33:20 Women Revolutionizing Housing Network: Monthly Meetups & How to Join 34:24 The $5M Tender Strategy: Pledges, Co-op Setup, and 24 ‘Pioneers’ 37:53 2012–2013: Settlement, Early Works, and Recruiting a Project Director 39:00 Paying the Professionals: Commercial Rates, Deferred Fees, and Success-Based Compensation 40:50 Member-Funded Infrastructure: Installments, Bridging Loans, and Keeping Banks Out 43:01 Co-op Membership & Shares: The $30k Buy-In, Assets, and Creative Affordability 44:38 Community-Building Practices: Weekly Zooms, Alliances, and Staying Connected 46:15 The Ecovillage Mission: Economic, Environmental, and Social ‘Three-Legged Stool’ 50:21 Charitable Arm & Tax-Deductible Giving: The Eco Living Network Explained 52:49 Sharing the Model: Website Resources, Free PDF Book, and ‘Joy of Purpose’ Workshop 55:20 Inspiration & Closing Reflections: Spiritual Practices, Nature, and Next Steps Links: https://youtu.be/x_RYTEx1Cxk https://nararaecovillage.com/ https://nararaecovillage.com/2022/12/lyndall-and-dave/ https://www.commonground.net.nz/

In this episode, host Zola Rose interviews Zola Ndimande, a Zulu woman from KwaZulu Natal South Africa about her return to her ancestral land to build her own home using traditional earth building methods, and integrating into that community-focused way of living in relationship with people and relationship with the elements. The discussion covers a range of topics such as traditional housing construction methods, indigenous community living, tribal land stewardship and right to occupy vs ownership, tribal authority vs regulatory governance, traditional ceremonies for returning to occupy land, and the balance between modern and indigenous ways of building and living. Zola provides insights into the communal support systems prevalent in Zulu communities, the challenges of integrating modern aspirations with traditional values, and the importance of maintaining cultural rituals and land stewardship.  The conversation also touches on the parallels between Zulu and Maori cultures, highlighting the universal human need for community and connection to land. Zola Rose refers to another episode (May 2025) where she interviews her daughter Oriah about growing up, learning, and creating a home in a similar way when they lived near a Zulu community in KwaZulu Natal South Africa. 02:18 Land Rights and Ancestral Connections 03:36 Community and Tribal Land Systems 10:07 Ceremonies and Traditions in Zululand 17:44 Building with Natural Materials 21:12 Community-Based Tourism and Integration 30:48 Learning the Basics of Cob Building 31:38 Building a Home While Pregnant 32:06 Construction Timeline and Techniques 33:35 Inspiration to Build My Own House 35:29 Exploring the Land and Community 37:07 Traditional vs. Modern Building Materials 39:01 The Importance of Community Support 41:43 Challenges and Legislation in Building 43:16 Sustainable Living Practices 57:42 Cultural Reflections and Language Your reflections are welcome--we'd love to hear from you.  Email to [email protected]

Zola Rose interviews Magda Garbarczyk from Fine Line Architecture about the 'Straw Lines' project, a modular housing system using low carbon materials like straw and timber to address New Zealand's housing crisis, climate change, unhealthy and expensive building materials, and waste from the agricultural sector. The project aims to reconnect traditional building methods with modern practices, promote community involvement, and reduce environmental impact. Magda, alongside collaborator Min Hall, discusses their design competition entry focused on carbon-negative construction that uses locally sourced materials and prefabricated straw panels, making housing construction faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, they explore the potential for community-led and neighbourhood-scale building initiatives to enhance affordability and sustainability. Links:  https://www.finelinearchitecture.co.nz/projects/strawlines https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/   00:49 The Relevance of Sustainable Building Materials 02:10 Magda Gik's Architectural Journey 03:09 Project Collaboration and Research 06:26 Historical Context of Building Traditions in Aotearoa 07:44 Straw Lines: Design and Implementation 10:24 Research and Development of Prefabricated Panels 17:57 Community Involvement and Future Vision 21:52 Q&A Session: Addressing Audience Queries

Host Zola Rose interviews Trystan and Stephanie from the Peterborough Housing Cooperative to discuss this housing model that is a rarity in Aotearoa NZ (a more common model in Europe). They explore how the cooperative structure, owned by a Trust, keeps rents affordable and fosters a close-knit community of families, young professionals, and the elderly. They talk about the cooperative's guiding principles and their commitment to maintaining affordability for future generations by capping rents and resale prices. The episode also details the process of joining the cooperative, the benefits of living in such a community, and the challenges that other groups will face if trying to start their own cooperative housing--challenges due to the dominant systems that make land expensive and finance hard to obtain. They speak about their conflict resolution process that is built into the guiding document but that people who are accepted to be members already have a willingness to be cooperative. Because of the complexity, they do offer mentorship and guidance for groups wishing to create their own cohousing or cooperative housing. Zola shares updates on the Women Revolutionising Housing hui and network, how listeners can support the podcast through the Homefullness Patreon community, and her Earth Fellows fellowship for regenerative housing. Zola thanks the show sponsor, Home Foundation.  https://homefoundation.org.nz/ To learn about the legal routes to unlock cooperative housing in Aotearoa NZ, check out the Homefullness episode of 28 March 2025 and the Common Ground YouTube channel. Links mentioned in the show:  https://peterborough.nz/ https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/ https://www.earthsong.org.nz/ https://www.cohousingco.com/charles-durrett   09:39 Living in Peterborough Housing Cooperative 16:55 Challenges and Benefits of Cooperative Living 34:31 Future Projects and Community Expansion 48:53 Final Thoughts and Invitation to Visit

Show host Zola shares her personal experience with housing instability through a creative reading of her unpublished article titled 'Homefullness: Recipes for Baking, Belonging, Connection, and Resilience into Housing Futures.' Zola details her struggles with feelings of homelessness due to the challenge of finding available, affordable accommodation and precarious short-term house and room rentals, despite her professional background and stable income.  She highlights the systemic issues in housing policies and market forces that creates housing insecurity for many working people in our society as well as for single mothers and older women. She explores how collective housing can offer homefullness but that these models are in short supply due to many factors such as inhospitable legislation, lack of developer interest, and unavailable bank lending or funding.  Zola offers practical 'recipes' for creating more connected and resilient communities for people "in situ" or creating from scratch. The episode serves as both a personal testimony and a call to action for systemic change in housing development, funding, and legislation. Timestamps: 00:43 Zola’s Personal Story: A Recipe for Homelessness 03:45 Her Struggles with Housing Instability 17:38 The Broken Housing System 25:10 Collective Housing Solutions 30:22 Homefullness Recipes for Transformation: In Situ and Collective Housing 38:19 Call to Action: Creating Homefullness—what you can do no matter where or who you are.   Show Links: Common Ground website &  newsletter sign up:https://www.commonground.net.nz/ Become part of the Homefullness Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/commonground_zola The article and companion document of resources is not yet ready for release.  Sign up to the Common Ground newsletter to get alerted when I’ve made this available.

In this episode Zola interviews Steven Liaros to discuss the importance and the roadmap to create a network of Circular Economy Villages (CEV). These villages aim to integrate private housing development with public infrastructure to alleviate stress on local governments and create sustainable, regenerative rural and peri-urban communities. Steven delves into the critical barriers that traditional eco-village projects face, such as local area planning policies, financing, and necessary infrastructure. The CEV model addresses these issues by incorporating principles of the circular economy, emphasizing reduced waste and enhanced efficiency in energy and water usage, and fostering climate resilience. The episode highlights the benefits of this model for rural areas and its role in enabling local governments to collaborate efficiently. The discussion also covers the strategic planning and financial strategies that are key to making these villages a reality. And, Steven envisions it being a really great place to live where people know their neighbours and share resources and activities and where folks who are a bit nomadic yet with a desire for belonging can find a community within a CEV. 05:36 Vision of Circular Economy Villages 06:32 Daily Life in a Circular Economy Village 10:20 Community Governance and Infrastructure 14:15 Planning and Financing Challenges 17:22 Engaging Local Governments and Investors 25:31 Personal Journey and Motivation 51:24 Final Thoughts and Call to Action Find two explanatory videos on the CEV on Steven's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@steven_liaros?si=_Av-PyiCkOSA2NbJ Circular Economy Village website: https://www.cevco.life/ Common Ground: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ Women Revolutionising Housing: https://www.commonground.net.nz/women-revolutionising-housing-hui-2025 Join the Homefullness Community: https://www.patreon.com/commonground_zola

In this episode of the Homefullness Show, Dionne Payne, founder of Women for Homes, discusses her ambitious mission to inspire 1 million women to invest $5,000 each to end homelessness by 2030.  She is inviting women to contribute to an ethical investment fund that will, when a substantial amount is accumulated, will develop affordable housing projects.   We discuss what "affordable" means in this context, which is 30% of a homeowner or renter's income, and how to create perpetual, retained, intergenerational affordability.   Dionne shares her journey from a scientist to a real estate developer, impact investor for affordable housing, and financial educator for women, driven by her concern for the growing numbers of older women becoming homeless due to unforeseen circumstances (such as relationship break-up or low savings due to under-earning over a lifetime.)   She speaks of her development of affordable units in Australia, which worked with a tenure-blind model (where residents don't know who has subsidised housing).    She is inspired by the One Planet Living framework which guides sustainable housing and neighbourhood development.   Dionne provides insights into financial empowerment, including the importance of community and diverse investment strategies, and offers her Amazon bestseller book, 'Ethical Property Investing', for free download to interested listeners.   Visit WomenForHomes.com and connect with Dionne on LinkedIn. Tune in for a conversation filled with actionable steps towards creating more inclusive and affordable housing solutions.   RELEVANT LINKS: Common Ground Women Revolution in Housing   BOOKS MENTIONED ON THE EPISODE: Ethical Property Investing   TIME STAMPS:   00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:10 Understanding Homefullness 01:54 Exploring Regenerative Housing 07:00 Affordable Housing Challenges 11:58 Community Engagement in Development 25:16 Personal Journey into Property Development 31:30 The Beginning of a Journey 32:31 Understanding Women's Financial Challenges 33:41 The Financially Empowered Women Podcast 35:06 Building the Women for Homes Fund 38:37 Personal Reflections on Homelessness 45:38 The Importance of Community and Support 51:55 Creative Outlets and Personal Growth 54:33 Final Thoughts and Resources

In this episode, host Zola interviews Zahra Lightway about her tour of eco villages across Australia, India, and Europe. The conversation explore what made the ecovillages she visited successful, mainly a robust governance system, income-earning programmes and opportunities, a shared worldview (values and beliefs), and mission-driven activities. They cover sociocracy as a governance model, the difference between eco estates and eco villages, and innovative financial models like Les Pas Sages for start-up ecovillages, and the significance of a well-structured internal economic system. The episode concludes with a conversation about the future of ecovillages.   Related links: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahralightway/   Global EcoVillage Network (GEN) Main Website: https://ecovillage.org/ Global Ecovillage Network Additional regional sites: GEN Europe: https://gen-europe.org/ GEN United States: https://www.gen-us.net/ GEN Oceania & Asia: https://genoaecovillage.org/   Gaia Education Main Website: https://www.gaiaeducation.org/ Sustainable Education Courses | Gaia Education - Transforming Communities   Foundation for Intentional Community Main Website: https://www.ic.org/ Foundation for Intentional Community   EcoVillage Tours Main Website: https://www.ecovillagetours.com/ Ecovillage Tours | Visit Intentional Communities around the world — Ecovillage Tours   Time stamps: 04:18 Zahra's Eco Village Exploration Tour 06:12 Insights and Best Practices from Eco Villages 19:33 Economic Models and Sustainability in Eco Villages 25:29 Challenges and Solutions in Eco Villages 43:52 Learning Opportunities and Resources 47:35 Conclusion and Contact Information

In this episode of the Homefulness Show, host Zola Rose engages  with Jo, the chair of the Hemp Builders Association in New Zealand, and Barbara, a resident of a hempcrete home, to explore the benefits and potential of hempcrete as a sustainable building material. Jo discusses hempcrete's ability to sequester carbon, its role in mitigating the housing crisis, and its use in community-driven, regenerative housing models. Barbara shares her personal experience of building and living in a hempcrete home, highlighting its thermal and acoustic properties. The episode also covers exciting updates, including the support from the Home Foundation, the introduction of an assistant producer, and the launch of a Patreon page for community support. Additionally, Zola Rose provides information about upcoming events organized by the Women Revolutionizing Housing Network and the Common Ground consultancy. Related links: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://hba.nz/   Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction to Hempcrete and Its Benefits 01:47 Welcome to the Homefullness Show 02:35 Exciting Announcements and Sponsorships 04:54 The Impact of Recent Weather Events 06:03 Introduction to Hemp Homes with Joe and Barbara 07:16 The Climate Crisis and Construction Industry 10:50 Hempcrete: A Sustainable Building Solution 16:10 The Process of Building with Hempcrete 22:01 Innovative Uses and Future of Hempcrete 23:58 Introduction to Hempcrete Blocks 24:21 Carbon Sequestration Benefits of Hempcrete 25:58 Thermal and Environmental Advantages 27:45 Fire Resistance and Building Code Compliance 28:30 Personal Experience with Hempcrete Homes 32:41 Challenges and Solutions in Hempcrete Construction 38:07 Community and Environmental Impact 44:44 Future of Hempcrete and Final Thoughts

Zola explores the concept of regenerative real estate with Neal Collins, founder of the Regenerative Real Estate Podcast and Choose Latitude. The discussion delves into transformative housing models that prioritize sustainability, community engagement, and affordability. Zola shares her personal journey of finding a suitable site for her tiny home, emphasizing the importance of shifting from an ownership mindset to a stewardship approach and creating a regenerative checklist for assessing potential land for creating a homestead. Neal discusses the need to reimagine real estate practices, focusing on community-based decision making and ecological design.  He describes how the process would look differently if one were doing a regenerative real estate buying or selling versus the conventional approach. The episode also highlights practical strategies for creating high-performance, cooperative housing that aligns with the principles of regeneration. 02:38 Exploring Regenerative Real Estate 06:04 Personal Journey and Challenges 07:40 Criteria for a Regenerative Home 11:41 Community and Collaboration 13:50 Regenerative Real Estate Concept and Insights 18:45 Challenges and Opportunities in Regenerative Real Estate 27:35 Collaboration potential for professionals working in the regenerative housing sector 39:26 Q&A Session: Steps of buying and selling using a regenerative approach  

In this episode, host Zola Rose discusses what creates successful community-led housing (CLH) with guest Thomas Moore, a senior lecturer in Geography and Planning at the University of Liverpool. They explore the concept of Enabling Hubs, a practical form of advocacy infrastructure, and why these Hubs are so important for overcoming the challenges communities face in achieving affordable and sustainable housing for themselves.  Tom explains how these hubs are funded and function and about the training programmes to build capability for community-led housing advocates. Tom shares his excitement at discovering collective housing models, his insights from his research on Community Land Trusts, the importance of genuine community engagement (not just consultation) and how his planning students are learning from their communities what makes for great homes.   Both highlight the need for robust government support and community participation approaches to planning and development. Zola makes a case for integrating environmental sustainability into affordable housing projects through frameworks like Permaculture Design. 01:15 Meet Our Guest: Thomas Moore 03:17 Understanding Community-Led Housing 07:26 Thomas Moore's Journey into Housing 14:27 Exploring Housing Models and Innovations 24:49 The Role of Enabling Hubs 35:50 Educational Initiatives and Student Engagement 42:51 Final Thoughts and Recommendations for Further Learning   Books https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creating-community-led-and-self-build-homes https://uclpress.co.uk/book/postcapitalist-countrysides/ https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781789621082   Podcast https://middlemarchclh.co.uk/podcasts/   Springhill co housing - https://www.springhillcohousing.com   Enabling hubs report - https://www.shu.ac.uk/centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/homes-in-community-hands-year-three-evaluation-report   Accreditation training - https://www.cch.coop/clh-training-programme/

In this special episode of the Homefullness Show, host Zola Rose sits down for an engaging interview with her daughter Oriah, a law student at Otago University in New Zealand. They explore Oriah's unique upbringing in an off-grid homestead in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Topics include their unconventional home setup with indoor and outdoor 'loos,' the transition from a suburban lifestyle to a self-sufficient homestead, their meaningful rituals and traditions, the "free learning" style of education, and living surrounded by wild animals. The discussion also touches on the broader community involvement through the Woofing program, their intercultural interactions with the local Zulu community, and the various sustainable practices they adopted and shared with schools and visitors. The episode offers rich insights into intentional off-grid living, the importance of community, and holistic education. To see a video we made about our homestead where Oriah is narrating, go here: Link to YouTube video of our homestead: https://youtu.be/dNzA3HPxAB0 00:26 Visiting My Daughter in Dunedin 01:22 Introduction to the Homefullness Show 02:13 Special Guest: My Daughter Oriah 02:24 Our Unique Upbringing in KwaZulu Natal 04:54 Holistic Home Environment 06:41 Family Traditions and Rituals 10:13 Learning and Growing on the Farm 13:25 Eco-Friendly Practices and Innovations 25:35 Coexisting with Snakes 26:26 Wildlife Visitors at the Homestead 29:13 Common Ground Consulting Agency--our services 30:11 Sustainable Living Systems 32:13 Fire Management on the Homestead 36:28 The Woofing Program Experience 40:25 Building and Living in Yurts 42:54 Interacting with the Zulu Community 45:22 Reflections on a Unique Upbringing 48:33 Upcoming Events and Announcements (for those living in Aotearoa NZ)

Sophie, a public works advisor at Land Information New Zealand, discusses her PhD in law, focusing on achieving housing affordability through collective housing, and cooperative housing in particular. The conversation covers various aspects, including the lack of research and public awareness on collective housing in New Zealand, her personal experiences with different housing systems in Europe, and the role of local and central governments in addressing the housing crisis. Sophie emphasizes the need for legal reforms to support cooperative housing structures and discusses her findings on the limitations of the unit title structure for collective housing and how finance and funding is blocked without the legislation for cooperative housing. The discussion also touches on potential influences from European and Australian models, and the importance of incorporating the “right to housing” into domestic law. The interview ends with Sophie’s aspirations for housing in New Zealand and recommendations for further reading and resources on cooperative housing. Links Sophie’s research: https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/items/e546de2f-eddb-400c-8bc5-5bffb1c04651 Common Ground: https://commonground.net.nz CoHoHui: https://www.cohohui.com/ The Housing Innovation Society: https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/   Time stamps 00:00 Introduction: Highlight 00:45 Welcome to the Homefulness Show 01:31 Meet Sophie: A Passionate Advocate for Housing 03:04 Sophie's Early Experiences with Housing 07:22 Housing Challenges in New Zealand 13:58 Sophie's PhD Research and Findings 29:14 Legal and Policy Changes for Cooperative Housing 38:18 Sophie's Current Housing and Future Aspirations 42:12 Fun Facts and Final Thoughts

In the latest episode of the Homefullness Show, I interview Trypp West, the founder of an urban community called Springfed in Boulder, Colorado (USA).  He describes the founding of Springfed, a community that started as his thesis project and has continued for the past three years. The community operates on a non-residential model with the meeting place being his rented farmhouse where they hold fortnightly potlucks and Sunday gardening days to foster social bonds and teach self-sufficiency. The five take-aways from this interview are: Community Impact: The intentional community has profoundly impacted individuals, helping those suffering from depression and disconnection. Members express deeply personal benefits and emotional support from the community, which enhances their sense of belonging and life purpose. Concept of Homefullness: "Homefullness" is described as the feeling of being able to rely on and connect with people around you. It emphasizes the importance of interrelatedness and creating a supportive environment that fosters a sense of home. Development and Leadership: The community, initiated as a thesis project, has continued to thrive for years. The leadership promotes shared roles and responsibilities, empowering members to take on leadership roles and contributing to the evolution of the community. Leadership includes facilitating conflict resolution and ensuring equitable participation. Ecological and Social Activities: Key activities include bi-weekly potlucks that strengthen social bonds, garden days that teach and involve members in sustainable practices, and various thematic events that encourage community engagement and personal growth. Measuring Success and Future Vision: Success is measured qualitatively through heartfelt feedback from members rather than formal metrics. The community prioritizes emotional and social well-being through personal testimonies and shared experiences. Future visions include potentially expanding to a more residential model while continuing to foster inclusive and cooperative community practices.   Resources mentioned in episode: Common Ground: https://commonground.net.nz CrowsFlyInPairs.com (poetry book) Upstream, podcast on socialist economics Iron John, book by Robert Bly on masculinity Returning to the Teachings by Rupert Ross Less is More by Jason Hickel Trypp's email: [email protected] Zola's: [email protected]

 Gentle density is a term in Australia for infill housing development in urban areas, to create more housing within existing neighbourhoods, also known as incremental development in the U.S.  In this episode, I interview Mark and Lynda Utting on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia.  They share about their way of developing housing in their backyard to give a great place to live to the future residents.  They are able to do this because their area has been rezoned to medium density, meaning they've been given permission to build up to nine units in their backyard. A lot of people get worried when they hear "density" and infill development because downsides can include shade blocking out nearby houses, it might not match the character of the original neighborhood, too many cars parked on the road, etc.  Yet, Mark and Lynda have come up with a land-use and housing design that I think few would have problems with. They have kept it to four new dwellings because they are prioritising quality of life for their residents and more sustainable and environmental outcomes.  This is a great interview because it showcases how density and infill development can be done better.  They speak about the challenges of being lay-developers (not professional) but also the joy and opportunity of learning new skills and knowledge, of creating a sense of belonging to place, and the resources they've found helpful in their endeavour.  Visit their instagram page to see what that can look and function like.   We speak to the need for Councils to give incentives for infill development that prioritises better social, environmental, and affordability outcomes rather than the usual profit motive of conventional developers.  And that councils can give assistance or support to lay developers to achieve these better outcomes. So have a listen to this episode about what gentle density and better infill development can look like and how to do it.  Links mentioned in this episode: Mark & Lynda's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentledensity/ Undercover Architect: https://undercoverarchitect.com/ Renew: https://renew.org.au/ Strong Towns: https://www.strongtowns.org/ Common Ground: https://www.commonground.net.nz/  

The Sharing with Friends housing model was born out of a burning desire for housing justice for single older women who are in the "missing middle"--who do not qualify for social housing but also can't afford market rental or to buy their own home and who are living on the edge of housing insecurity.  The unique co-housing model provides an affordable, secure, and connected way of living where five women, who self-select, share a specifically designed house which offers privacy and automony while also a sense of community, having spaces for shared meals and activities. I interview Susan Davies and Adrienne Irvine, founders of the Sharing with Friends Foundation about how they formed the foundation and fund the development, how the programme gives women agency by through workshops that empowers them to design how they will live together, and how the model can be replicated throughout Australia and other countries. https://www.sharingwithfriends.org/ https://www.commonground.net.nz/  

In our latest Homefullness episode, I interview Chloe Howorth on the HomeShare for Her program located in the Nelson-Tasman region of Aotearoa NZ. The program addresses the lack of affordable housing and the lack of available housing for single women. Because in our region, according to a Stuff article in April 2023, it says “low wages and expensive housing make the Nelson Tasman area unaffordable” with our housing being the third worst in the country, with some people spending over 50% of their income on housing. But the other thing that the programme does is it mitigates the problems that can come up when people share a living space together. You might've seen the program on Netflix called the Worst Roommate Ever. That's enough to make you to never want to have a roommate, pretty gruesome stories. So, HomeShare for Her hopes to mitigate those kinds of very traumatic experiences, as well as help women have the best possible shared living situation, sharing the home in a way that's equal, where everyone living there feels like the house really is their home. This a programme that could be replicated in other regions so listen in to learn about how it's done. That's what we're going to talk about today in our story about HomeShare for Her. Links mentioned in the show: https://homeshareforher.nz/ https://www.williamsamuels.co.nz/ https://www.commonground.net.nz/  

If you're frustrated by the amount of rates that you pay and the increasing rates that many councils are doing, you are not alone.  Many people complain, “councils, all they care about is money.” And yet, they have increasing expenses & responsibilities to pay for with less income--a gap that's been widening over decades.  The amount of income that they're able to generate through rates is not covering all the things they're responsible for. So, what is the solution? Well, we've got Nick Clark, with the NZ Initiative, on to explain to us how the new policy he's proposing called Revenue Share for Housing could work.  He says it could clear most council debt and create new income streams for local councils. The benefit is that there'll be more money to be able to support new housing construction and the infrastructure needed for that and rates hopefully won't continue to increase. So how does this work? Well, we're going to explain about it in this episode, but the basics are that:  A portion of the GST that's collected by central government from local councils on new builds would be given back to the councils. This is really a game changer, so listen in to hear about this policy that could increase the amount of income your counsel is able to generate to create new housing in your area and that might even stabilize the rates.

In this interview with Greer O'Donnell of The Housing Innovation Society (THIS) and The Urban Advisory (TUA), I speak with her about a growing demographic in housing--the missing middle--as well the increase in people who wish to have more say in the kinds of housing that they want to create and how they want to live in that housing. The New Zealand Housing Survey was created to be able to capture this information. We speak about the kinds of housing that we could have and how you, the listener, by taking part in the survey, can help define the diversity of the choices in housing and neighbourhoods that we can have and need in Aotearoa NZ.  We also encourage you to join The Housing Innovation Society as a member and come participate in the CoHoHui which will be held 15-17 April 2025 in Ōtautahi (Christchurch). Links referred to in this episode: https://www.nzhousingsurvey.co.nz/ https://www.theurbanadvisory.com/ https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/ https://www.cohohui.com/

The fastest growing demographic who are vulnerable to housing insecurity and unaffordable housing is older women.  Many of these women have been valuable contributing members of their communities and working professionally yet find themselves in housing precariousness later in life due to a range of systemic societal and economic factors.   The Housing Older Women Movement believes these women should have a say and be able to participate in creating the kind of housing that meets their needs and aspirations.  HOWM are advocating and raising awareness for what they see meets not only the needs of women but provides more affordable and diverse housing choices for people from all walks of life. In South East Queensland, Australia this mighty group of HOWM women banded together to tackle this problem with an awareness-raising and advocacy campaign where women can be a part of designing the kinds of intergenerational and socially-connected neighbourhoods where they want to live. HOWM realised there is a need for more affordable, community-led, and regenerative housing options as house prices rise around the world but unless people know what options are available and what makes a successful housing development of this kind, people are not able to advocate for these models.  Collaboration on these models creates affordability so councils and other role players also need to understand these models and what is their part to play to enable it. I interview Maggie Shambrook and Lynette Loffel, two powerhouse women with HOWM, about their community engagement series called My Home, Your Home, Our Homes.   The three models that HOWM believes that will give the best results for retained affordable housing and where future-residents can participate or influence in the development process are the Community Land Trust, Cooperative Housing, and Cohousing.  There is also the Ecovillage model which can overlay any of these.   Listen to this interview to learn about this advocacy movement, their community engagement strategy to bring community and council together increasing agency and collaboration, and how you can replicate their methods to use in your own community to catalyse better housing outcomes--for women and everyone!

In this interview with Aksel Bech, we are tackling housing unaffordability and the levers within legislation, policy, and at the local government level that are available to be able to create better outcomes for housing. I reached out to Aksel because he and I care deeply about addressing this housing unaffordability problem in Aotearoa NZ and he is leading the way on housing reform in his local area through The Housing Czar, a housing advocacy initiative in the Waikato. (http://housingczar.nz/) Aksel tells us about the Waikato Housing Initiative (WHI), which is a collaboration of all the different councils within that Waikato region, where they came together to create a local strategy around how to tackle the regional housing crisis. (https://www.waikatohousinginitiative.org/) We talk about: the policy called inclusionary zoning, a policy that a local government can put into place to make land available for affordable housing. the Community Land Trust (CLT) as a means of creating housing to be perpetually affordable. the WHI and how that came to be, its goals, and what it has achieved to date. about Aksel's background growing up in Denmark and how that has influenced how he understands housing differently than it is currently done in Aotearoa, which has a more collective or community led approach to it. And why he thinks more in terms of neighbourhoods than just about housing.  We want to make these models known to everyone so please have a listen and check out the Common Ground website for more resources, our newsletter, and to get in touch. For more detailed information and explanation videos on Inclusionary Zoning, AKA Inclusionary Housing, you can visit this site: https://inclusionaryhousing.org/inclusionary-housing-explained/what-is-inclusionary-housing/ ----more---- About Common Ground:  It is the consulting agency I started to provide professional services that enable more affordable, socially connected, resilient, and climate-adaptive housing and neighbourhood development and place-based living. We work with local government, community housing providers,  for-purpose developers, and groups of people wishing to lead their own housing initiatives. We provide services in housing strategy, in design and facilitation of meaningful community engagement, in research, in policy development, in training in new approaches to better housing outcomes, We also provide services in Workplace Culture and Communication to create more cohesive and effective teams and workplaces. Why work with Common Ground: We take a whole systems and innovative approach we have decades of experience in community and regenerative development, we have a compassionate work culture, we are aligned with the community engagement best practices of IAP2, our knowledge is research-based, and we work with a spirit of joy, creativity, and collaboration. Visit our website at https://www.commonground.net.nz/ to learn more about our services, get the two reports—one on housing for women and another on the community land trust model. Sign up for our weekly newsletter for inspirational resources, links to case studies that showcase successful initiatives and policies, and announcement to upcoming events.  Get in touch with Zola directly at [email protected]  

In this episode, I interview Sam Stout and David Diaper who are homeowners of the Secure Home programme in Queenstown, as well as Corina Sommerville who is a staff member with the programme. I really like this program is because keeps housing affordable for generations into the future. Secure Home is an assisted ownership program created by the Queenstown Lakes, Community Housing Trust.  Designed as a stepping stone to independent home ownership, this program provides people the chance to purchase a quality and secure tenure home at an affordable price. The model works by separating the land from the improvements. So, a household only needs to purchase the house, whilst the trust owns the land. The programme was launched by QLCHT in 2019 and is now being offered by other community housing trusts around Aotearoa. (quote from Julie Scott) Rather than being seen by programme homeowners as a loss (not being able to sell it at windfall profits on the open market), they see it as a legacy.  As David says in the interview, “It's quite reassuring. I find it quite satisfying to think that when we're at a point where we  want to move on somewhere else or not within the needs of the housing trust, that it will go on to be beneficial to another family that need it. That's, actually hugely satisfying to us--that it's always going to remain as an awesome asset for other families that struggle to access housing in this area.” Photo details: Family pictured is not Sam and David.  They are another family in the Secure Home programme, Kenny and Carrie Vaugh.  Photo courtesy of Run in the Shadows.  On the left, Corina Sommerville and on the right, Zola Rose   Other news & info: Common Ground supports local government to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities and to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities (Local Government Act 2002) particularly as it relates to community-led housing, neighbourhoods, and human settlements. See this webpage for more information: https://www.commonground.net.nz/councilsupport   The Cooperative Living network in Nelson-Tasman is holding workshops and networking events for those interested in the idea of some sort of cooperative living/intentional community arrangement. I hold a Regenerative and Tiny Home Community Mastermind online for people who are leading such projects anywhere in the country, every two months.   For more details and to register for either/both projects, go to: https://www.commonground.net.nz/projects   There is a national Housing Survey to gather data on how people are currently living and the factors that affect those living arrangements as well as what people aspire to if they had more choice and support.  This survey is the first of its kind in Aotearoa to gather data on collective housing (co-housing, co-living, papakāinga, cooperative housing, ecovillage) as a housing choice.   We'll be hosting Greer to share all about it in the next month or two. Find the survey here: https://www.nzhousingsurvey.co.nz/   Australia just launched its national Community Land Trust Network.   The main benefits a CLT can offer include: affordable and secure housing in perpetuity, ecological land stewardship and conservation, halt gentrification, affordable land for food production, and community empowerment and agency in housing and land use. See the video of their launch which gives an overview of the model and how its already benefitting the missing middle in Australia: https://youtu.be/51WhSIR73jY?si=E2jj1KFRLPtUwoAw

I interview Peter Southwick, a Trustee of the Bridge Housing Trust in the Waikato, on their land trust model for affordable home ownership. We discuss how this model works, could be replicated around the country, as well as what levers need to be pulled to make it happen. Bridge Housing Trust has replicated the successful “Secure Home” model from the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) where the cost of the house to buy does not include buying the land. Instead, the Trust holds the land for the wider community to always be able to offer affordable housing in perpetuity.  What is different about Bridge Housing Trust is that, unlike QLCHT which was initiated by the District government, it was kicked off by a philanthropist who wanted to make his land available for affordable housing and so formed a Trust to be able to hold ownership of that land. I asked Peter what he believes are the leverage points and what he would do for housing if he had a magic wand. Actually, what we realised is that it doesn’t take magic to create better housing outcomes but it does take the more powerful role players of central and local government, financial institutions, big industry employers, and land-owning philanthropists to be bold, proactive, collaborative and then invest in and enable these tried-and-tested housing models. For more information on Bridge Housing Trust and to see images and more stories, visit their website at: https://bridgehousing.co.nz/ Zola Rose is a consultant with Common Ground, supporting local councils, communities and stakeholders to enable affordable, connected and resilient communities To get regular inspiration, resources, and updates on the topics of affordable, connected, resilient, and community engagement for regenerative housing communities, keep in touch: Visit the Common Ground website, sign up for our newsletter, get the many resources we offer there, book a meeting with me, engage our services for your project, and more…: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ If you’d like to be a guest or sponsor of the show, go to this link: https://www.commonground.net.nz/show Follow us on our Common Ground Facebook page.  Our Instagram is commongroundaotearoanz. 

This episode is a recording of the Women Revolutionising Housing (WRH) learning and networking event where Ruth Gerzon, a WRH member, shares about her efforts championing for housing justice in her hometown of Whakatāne, in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ruth and others formed a group called the Whakatāne Housing Action Reform Enthusiasts which makes the acronym WHARE, which means home/house in Te Reo Māori, to address the housing justice issues in her community.  In this episode you will hear of the great strategies Ruth and WHARE have done ' how she mobilises her community to present about their housing challenges, gets the media to cover the issues, gets her local council to participate and start to address these challenges from a systems perspective, and the ways in which they are able to bring the community's voice to the forefront to shape the future of housing in Whakatāne. Her presentation can be found here: https://bit.ly/3PPQHm9 For more information on the show, check out the page on the Common Ground website at https://www.commonground.net.nz/show.  There, you can find a form to apply to be a guest or a sponsor of the show. While on the CG website, check out what services we offer to councils, for-purpose developers, community housing providers, and community groups who want strategies, support and engagement on community-led, affordable, connected, and regenerative housing. Please subscribe to this show as well as the Common Ground YouTube channel to get the newest episodes: http://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundchannel  

In this first episode, I share why I've started the show, the housing challenges that propel me to do this work, and what you can look forward to learning. With this platform and network, we can catalyse housing and neighbourhoods that are places of belonging, of home, while also providing solutions that address some of the biggest challenges of our time. You will also hear a beautiful song by one of my neighbours at Riverside community, Florian Pauls, called We Live in Love.