Graduate Rachael Trotman shares reflections on developing human ecology in New Zealand, and the first steps towards building a Sustainable Community Development Research Institute there.

Rachael (with Keith Morrison) writes: As an explicit field of study, human ecology has only the faintest presence in Aotearoa -- New Zealand (Aotearoa is the indigenous Maori name for New Zealand, which translates to Land of the Long White Cloud). This situation is hard to fathom for a country populated by humanity only a thousand years ago, where wild nature is never too far away. The indigenous Maori have an earth-based worldview, and students are hungry for interdisciplinary approaches that reflect the complexities of our age.

But there are signs that human ecology is becoming more common. Growing numbers of New Zealanders studying human ecology internationally (many at the CHE). The Rev Dr Keith Morrison has been teaching human ecology through various courses at Lincoln University in Christchurch and the University of Canterbury, and has coordinated the Sustainable Community Development (SCD) Forum for the last thirteen years. A core part of the Forum and courses are experiential wilderness retreats, where deeper dialogue can occur and nature’s magic and transformative power can manifest.

During the weekend of 2-4 May we took part in a shorter version of such a wilderness retreat with four other members of the Forum, to discern together how to develop a Sustainable Community Development Research Institute that would be founded on human ecology principles. This Institute would build on the many years of dialogue and wilderness retreats undertaken via the Forum and take it some quantum steps forward.

We all met on Friday 2nd May at the Christchurch Arts Centre Cafe, home of many Forum discussions, and drove for three hours to the Lewis Pass National Park just after Maruia Hot Springs, north-west of Christchurch. It is autumn here, moving well into winter, with snow clad mountains coming through the Lewis Pass and the possibility of black ice on the road. After dinner by the fire at the glorious Hurunui Pub, built in the early days of colonial settlement in New Zealand and the start of the Land Wars in 1860, we arrived at the National Park and walked into the forest for twenty minutes to camp by the side of the river that winds its way to Lake Daniels, our destination the following day. The milky way glittered above us and the new moon boded well for our journey, given its association with inspiration and the start of new ventures.

After a cold night, the next morning started early with cloud hovering on the mountains but a clear day. We walked through stunning beech forest for three hours, accompanied by inquisitive New Zealand robins and fantails and reached Lake Daniels by lunch time (photos). We found a lakeside camping spot and set up the campfire for 24 hours of discussion, baking bread and cooking on the blazing open fire, meditation, singing, solo and group contemplation, story telling and even a dip in the icy Lake. We interspersed our time together with rituals, blessings and thanks giving for the privilege of being in this place and being together. Infused by woodsmoke, good conversation and the watchful gaze of the trees and birds, we deepened our ideas.

We discussed the need for intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange, and for safe and open spaces to share our views. We explored the possible purpose of this Institute, involving ideas of communion, community, experiential learning, the power of wilderness and nature to transform and the need to heal ourselves personally and collectively in order to be most of service in the world. We discussed the need for leadership and for different models of leadership so that everyone is included; the need for us to step up while keeping safe and supported; the need to balance theory with action; and the need for any new Institute to model sustainability by not burning out its guardians and by being financially sustainable.

Three themes emerged: supporting psychocultural healing; undertaking research with an explicit change agenda; and supporting community based action. The Institute could act as a 'holder' for a range of diverse activities by individuals and groups, once its vision and intent has been well articulated. We agreed on a number of concrete actions from the retreat to pursue within the next year, including clearly spelling out the intent of the Institute, developing the website, putting a sustainable financial model around the wilderness retreats and extending their clientele, developing one fully-funded research project, articulating a viable economic and governance structure, publishing already completed research, and exploring how to facilitate the development of an international graduate research and exchange programme. This programme could involve international human ecology graduates, focusing on sustainable development and postcolonial healing, traditional knowledge and spirituality, entrepreneurship and self-determination. A first step in New Zealand would be to approach the Wananga or Maori tertiary institutes and build it outwards from there.

Sunday afternoon we reluctantly put out the campfire, closed our circle and trekked the winding path back to the cars, weary but energised and excited by what we had achieved. We plan to meet again in a year's time via another retreat to see how we have gone. Who knows, we may have sowed the seeds of an organisation centred in the South Pacific to complement the work of the CHE – at the very least we have established clear intentions to action, nourished by the power of wild nature.

The progress made is particularly poignant as two weeks prior Keith met Alastair McIntosh at a Canadian retreat to explore ways to establish an international human ecology network, facilitated by a First Nations elder. Hopefully we are entering into a future where there will be increased dialogue and collaboration on a global scale in the field of human ecology.

Shortly the website of the new Sustainable Community Development Research Institute will be established out of the present SCD Forum site and there will be the opportunity for sincere dialogue to develop participatory action research projects within virtual but wild spaces on at least four themes: wilderness retreats; meditation for healing; alternative economic, governance and resource-access / land tenure structures; and ecological engineering / sustainable technology. If you are interested in such dialogues, please contact Keith.

Watch this expanding space!

Rachael Trotman graduated from the CHE with a Diploma in 2004. She plans to visit the UK this September to reconnect with dear friends and meet more CHE folk, see you soon! She can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and Keith at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .