Earthskin is a Charitable Trust, established by Nancy King in 2009, flourishing in incredible spaces. Beginning at the sacred, creative space at Earthskin Muriwai, expanding to The Waygood Foundation in Piha and now developing at Earthskin Warkworth, a newly acquired beautiful earth-built home and permaculture food forest site in Kaipara Flats. 

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Earthskin holds its intent embedded within its name. The overall vision is heart-centered – devoted to the arts, care of the earth and her skin, as well as all kin. 

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Our vision is to invigorate regeneration and preservation of the: 

• Earth’s Skin, educating around the importance and care of the thin layer of the earth’s crust that supports all life; to mitigate and adapt to climate change and build shared resilience. 

• Earth’s Kin, reconnecting communities and cultural heritage; achieved by sharing and protecting the abundance of the natural world, and through developing skills to meet our uncertain future with positivity and hope. 

• Earth’s Art, encouraging and supporting environmentally conscious creative expression in all forms. 

 

To realise this vision, Earthskin operates within the permaculture ethics of earth care, people care and fair share, which is the foundation for each of the three main aspects of our mission. 

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Education: 

Earthskin is focused on experiential, life-long learning to ensure we develop a diverse set of practical skills for a resilient future - not a fossil fuel past. Dynamic education expands our understanding of the interconnectedness and importance of all treasures of our natural world. From the soil food web, protecting our pollinators, wild foraging, growing and maintaining food forests and organic gardens, seed saving and caring for our seed heritage, to earthbuilding, solar and green technologies, restorative water systems, alternative economies and community governance.

Earthskin offers a range of scholarships and educational opportunities, from permaculture design courses to earth-based skills workshops and attendance of hui that support dialogue and advocacy that will collectively shift us towards a regenerated reality. 

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Arts: 

Earthskin supports a network of local and international artists, through developing local havens that allow for cross-pollination and fusion of ideas, an interwoven tapestry of creatives with a place to create, as well as exhibit their work.  Residencies and workshops, such as were offered at Earthskin Muriwai and now Piha, give artists a grounding space to diversify their mediums and immerse themselves fully. The artists are being nourished, internally and externally, by being fed by living kai, living in a closer and genuine relationship with the land, and in balance with themselves. Furthermore, immersion in permaculture ethics awakens greater environmental consciousness thereby creating awareness around ethical and eco-minded art practice. 

 

Community Nodes: 

In a nutshell, a community node is a local placemaking tool to facilitate innovative growth by promoting collaboration and learning within community, and oneself. Earthskin finds its home on the “edge” and as such in a concentration of diversity. Merging art and earth-based education, these shared spaces shape and create vitality in the social character of communities. 

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Using art to engage in cultural activities, increase awareness, and as the prime instigator of change, we spotlight solutions and celebrate the beauty of our world. 

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Similarly, education builds confidence and collective capacity for community restoration and the joyous communal reality of sharing the abundance of knowledge, of quality food that reflects the heritage of our kai, and of spirit, thereby building the rich soil of a creative and restorative future. 

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As we nurture our relationship to place, and with each other, monochrome and monocultured societal norms are rewired to include the colour and robust flavour of feasting on the ubiquitous abundance of the earth. 

 

As a charitable trust, Earthskin seeks to collaboratively sow the seeds of local growth with other charities, trusts, and initiatives to transform and revitalise communities and the earth. We hold each other up, stacking the effectiveness of our impact, in our shared vision we can energise change!

 

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    “People regain a vitality and joy through connection to nature, and to community. That’s how we evolved." Helena Norberg Hodge