New trustee for Atamai Land Trust

October 5th, 2015
[Press release]

Atamai Land Trust has new trustees, with Village Stewards Limited stepping into the role of Corporate Trustee for the trust and aiming to continue work towards the completion of the Atamai Village project.

Atamai Village was formed by a group of people who had the vision of creating a resilient community modelled after a traditional village where neighbours would know each other, children could run around in safety and there would be a collectively conscious approach to reducing the environmental impact of the whole settlement.

The Village has had some very dedicated people in the volunteer positions of Trustee and developer. Villagers Ben van der Wijngaart, Jack Santa Barbara and friend of Atamai, Linda Bamford who together brought skills from senior management, business, governance and land transactions, have helped get the project on a secure footing.

During their time as Trustees, Ben and Jack helped to resolve many difficult legal and financial issues that had threatened to derail the project (particularly after the departure of Jurgen Heissner).

Linda has been an invaluable person behind the scenes, managing many complex land transactions with great patience and dedication.

They have elected to step down from their positions, taking a deserved and much needed rest after the challenges of the last few years.

The group that have formed Village Stewards Limited to carry on that vision are all neighbours in the fledgling village. The model of the company is very aligned with that of Atamai Village Council (AVC) - democratic, consensus-based (in most cases), and inclusive.

All directors and shareholders of the company are also part of AVC. Some of the villagers stepping up within this new structure shared how they are bringing their combined and extensive experience successfully working in a range of businesses and community groups to the development process. New models of inclusion and social cohesion are among them.

"I think this transition has come at the right time", said Charlie Ablett, a software developer and mother of two, who is the new chairperson of the Atamai Village Council (AVC).

The Village Council manages its common land and works together to create a sustainable social culture as well.

"Every project needs to renew itself at intervals, and it's a good time now for those who have been in the lead to step back and let some new folks take on the day to day responsibility," she said.

Craig Ambrose agrees. "Here we focus on values and culture." Besides being a software developer, Craig is a parent, woodworker and community facilitator. Craig is from Melbourne, moving with his family to Earthsong co-housing community in Auckland, and then Atamai, seeking a more natural environment to bring up their child.

The challenges of shared leadership also bring rich rewards, according to many villagers. Patsy Blackstock, a former public and Steiner school teacher, has been living at Atamai for three years.

"One of the things I love about community is working with other people, applying more than one mind to creativity or problem solving. The way other people see things adds to the depth, value and understanding of what we're working on.

"It makes it much more fun with the high levels of collaboration and cooperation. The joy of working together gives me energy."

The outgoing trustees have contributed much to the forward motion of the village, and during very challenging times.

"We joined this project because we saw the establishment of resilient communities as an essential component of a sustainable civilisation," says Jack Santa Barbara.

"For us, establishing a resilient community meant working with like-minded folks to ensure our basic needs. We felt very inspired by the idea of making a serious attempt to meet these basic needs in a sustainable way. And we felt very fortunate in meeting others who were also inspired in this way."

Former Air Force Group Captain, then corporate trainer, turned Greens Councillor, Ben van der Wijngaart explained why he and his wife up and moved to New Zealand five years ago, instead of continuing their comfortable retirement lifestyle in Kiama, NSW.

"The psychological and emotional benefit of working with people is significant. I found that working on Council or Transition Towns, we were forever fighting and trying to convince people these things were real and matter.

"Here you don't have to persuade people. You can focus on the response. You need to be careful with resources, grow much of your own food and provide your own energy and water supply. Here in the village, and in the Tasman more generally, we understand this," he said.

Now these three dedicated champions of this new form of eco-living are stepping down from their role as Trustees to let another group of residents navigate the project into its next stage.

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