Hakea

23/02/2026

🌿✨ Hakea Gathering 2026 ✨🌿

This year marks ten years since the Hakea Gathering began — a decade of music, shared meals, learning, and regeneration on this land.

Ten years ago, the land was under conventional farming.
Around that time, a conscious shift began toward permaculture principles and long-term ecological restoration.

Since then, the focus has been steady: soil health, biodiversity, water care, planting, and connection with the whenua.
The work continues.

To honour this milestone, we are welcoming back Excalibur — a classic rock and roll band who played at the very first Hakea Gathering. Seasoned musicians, timeless songs, and a true rock and roll evening under the open sky.

We are also honoured to host Marcellus, who will speak on Sovereignty and Proclamations, introducing the foundational moments of 1835 and 1840. Marcellus has worked with hapū across Aotearoa, supporting communities in understanding constitutional history and legal standing with clarity, goodwill, and depth of experience.

Hakea Gathering remains intentionally intimate — yet full of experiences:

Music under the stars
Workshops on land, law, soil, and living systems.

Permaculture and regeneration in action.

Water wisdom and whenua connection.

Shared potluck feasts.

Storytelling and intergenerational kōrero.

Acoustic sessions and full-band evenings.

Children running barefoot.

Starlit conversations, astrology, and quiet reflection.

A space to learn, contribute, and belong.

There are 8 supporter tickets remaining for those who feel aligned with what is unfolding.

🔗 https://events.humanitix.com/hakea-gathering-2026

To celebrate this milestone, we are sharing a special video by Remi, who was part of Hakea’s early story.

The video captures the land 10 years ago, at the start of its transformation from conventional farming into a permaculture and regenerative system.

Imagine how much life and beauty have grown since then.

🔗 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DfbJL9Gmm/

Ten years of gathering.
A living landscape.
The journey continues 🌿

Experience dipping your toes into a new world...

04/02/2026

What does it mean this ' Food Forest' ?
Is it where you pick your food?
Is it the new fancy word for orchard?

You will find many descriptions of food forest, but to us it's living ecosystems that can support each living being involved from bacteria to humans, from birds to trees. They are essentially human designed Forest, although they evolve & change while we stay part of it as participants. These systems are not only highly abundant but also resilient in the face of extreme weather or disease. When designed in a diverse way, they also provide for medicine, fiber, feed for animals, even timber...

It's, of course, where we go to pick our food when we need a snack, or sit under the canopy to center ourselves and connect to the natural world. It's my (Merve) favorite place to hide.

Can you imagine one in your backyard, your neighborhood or in that public park?

26/01/2026

It's hard times with all the extreme weather. While feeling sad & praying for all those affected, we find these times are all extremely valuable in reading the landscapes and reevaluating our systems for diversity and resilience.

We go out in the rain too watch, where the water is naturally overflowing. These patterns help us make decisions to plant for the needs of the land for one thing.

We planted Taros where we don't have gutters, and they have been loving all the water. They are probably a metre and half tall with big leaves. Taro is one of those special crops of New Zealand that fed people long time.

We also planted a little valley with bananas as we observed over a time how the water naturally flows there and it is damp even when it's dry elsewhere. It doesn't look much at the stage but over time they will make the banana forest right alongside the scenic reserve track.

Did I mention we love walking and harvesting food 😋

13/01/2026

Kia ora everyone! We wanted to say hello and introduce ourselves to some new faces around here and remind that we are still here to the old friends. We’re Merve, Dan, and the rest of our little community, living life on our land with passion and purpose. Dan and I are all about growing our own food, building community, and living regeneratively. We’ve been working on this land for years - Dan’s been here for 10 years and I’m approaching 8 years - transforming this family land into a thriving haven for people, plants, and animals. We take pride in our skills, whether it’s creating food forests or off-grid systems, and we’re excited to share our journey with you. Follow along and get inspired to get your hands dirty and create the life you want ✨️✨️✨️

I have chosen a selection of photos from what we grow, the workshop we do, celebrations we make! There is something for everyone 💛

19/12/2025

💚🌱

11/05/2025

We’ve been a little quiet on here—life on the land has a way of drawing us inward, especially as the seasons shift. With a little one in our arms, everything asks for more presence. You can’t rush through the days. There’s a deeper rhythm, a kind of quiet observation that comes with it.

This morning was all about olives—something I’ve been wanting to do properly for a while. We only pruned our olive trees last spring, and as a result, most of our olives grew beautifully big this year.

In the past, I’ve made olives that tasted good, but they always turned a bit mushy by the end. Something was missing. We used to process green ones by cracking or slicing them, which was such a long, fiddly task. This time, I wanted something simpler—and maybe even more nutritious.

We harvested around 5 kg of olives and left the rest for the birds and the land.

I made a traditional salamura, a brined olive recipe I remember from Turkish farmers' markets—where the smell of all the different olives would fill the air. It’s a simple method: just whole olives in salt-saturated water, nothing more.

This time I also learned a new trick—adding chickpeas to the jar to support fermentation. I’m curious to see how that affects the flavor and process.

If you’re from the Mediterranean, you’ll know how deeply olives are woven into everyday meals—so much flavor, richness, and tradition in something so simple.

Now they’ll sit and ferment for the next six months, no extra labor, just time—and all those precious oils staying right where they belong.

We’re excited to see (and taste) the results.

22/02/2025

✨ Did you know…? ✨

Our one and only Hakea Gathering is only 3 weeks away!

As summer starts to wrap up, now’s the perfect time to treat yourself to something truly special before the season ends.

🔥 Imagine…
• Gathering around a fire on Tribal Night, sharing stories and songs under the stars.
• Exploring workshops led by incredible facilitators—passionate experts in yoga, breathwork, massage, permaculture and more.
• Learning in intimate group settings, where you don’t get lost in the crowd and can truly engage one-on-one.
• Dancing freely, connecting with beautiful souls, and feeling grounded in nature.
• Live music from amazing musicians, bringing soul and rhythm to every corner of the gathering.
• Watching your kids run wild and free, safely playing in the forest.

Why wait for next year? Make this summer unforgettable.

🎟️ Tickets are still available, but not for long:
https://events.humanitix.com/hakea-gathering

Head to the event page to find out more about what we have lined up: https://facebook.com/events/s/hakea-gathering-2025/3445391472273887/

Curious to learn more?
Watch our video to see the magic of Hakea for yourself: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WdzwrFWa5xw&t=3s&pp=ygUPaGFrZWEgZ2F0aGVyaW5n

Let’s celebrate life, connection, and the beauty of coming together—just 20 minutes out of Raglan, in the heart of Pakoka Scenic Reserve.

14/11/2024

Our Busy Bees are Thriving! 🐝🌸

We're excited to share the progress of our beehives! Our bees have been working hard, pulling in loads of pollen, thanks to the 2,000+ native plants we've planted to create a thriving, flower-rich environment. By establishing an ecosystem with diverse native plants, we're helping these amazing pollinators get everything they need while supporting the regeneration of our forest.

Bees are true keystone creatures, and their role in pollination is essential to sustaining life as we know it. Without them, many plants wouldn’t survive, which impacts the whole food chain, including us. It’s incredible to think of the hard work these tiny beings do to provide us with such a beautiful, balanced world.

We’re dedicated to using the best beekeeping techniques to ensure they’re happy and healthy. And we’re seeing incredible results across the land – all thanks to these beautiful creatures!

If you’ve ever been curious about bees or the vital work they do, now’s a great time to dive in and learn more. Let’s protect and celebrate our pollinators for the amazing life they help create. 🐝🌿