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EcoFest

EcoFest North: 20 Mar - 18 Apr 2021

web banner ecofest north 21

A month-long series of eco-events

EcoFest North Finalist LOGO

EcoFest North is an annual community festival filled with environmental events, activities, workshops and sustainable living actions. We aim to offer a diverse month-long, interactive and educational platform for people, families and other communities to feel a re-connection to their nature and our environment as a whole. At the same time, EcoMatters will be hosting EcoFest West, and together we will be creating Auckland's biggest environmental festival, EcoFest!

Taking place at various locations across North Auckland, many events are free and family friendly, so make sure you join in and get involved. View events below and register!

Ecofest north21 event 24 Community Nursery & Composting Hub EcoDay
Enviro Day at EnviroHub
Engine Bay Nursery is opening its green doors to host Enviro Day and raise awareness about the community restoration work, volunteer opportunities, its new composting hub, food forest and more. What to expect on the day:
• Native Plant Nursery tours: Learn about native plants or how to volunteer.
Narrow neck beach clean up
Narrow Neck Beach Clean up
This clean up will take place on the 20th of March beginning at 10 am. There will be between 50-100 volunteers joining us to ensure one of Auckland’s most iconic beaches is kept clean. Narrow Neck Beach is a stretch of golden sand with wonderful views of Rangitoto Island.
Ecofest north21 event composting workshop 20 march
Composting Workshop
At Glenfield Community Centre – Mission Hall, this course will be facilitated by Pip and offers an introduction to the three basic composting systems that can be used in the home and garden: traditional composting bins, worm farms and bokashi buckets.
Ecofest north21 waipapa stream resoration
Waipapa Stream Restoration
Mulching and weeding morning in Parnell. Come along to a local community project to restore the historic Waipapa Stream. Meet our regular volunteers and help us clear a few weeds away from our native plantings and prepare the ground for new plants to go in over winter.
sunrise-yoga
Sunrise Yoga
Sunrise Yoga is a pop-up yoga at Milford Beach run by Aloha Studio - an awesome way to kick your weekend and connect with the nature. 90 minutes of yoga with all proceeds going to the Kindness Institute.
Stancich Reserve Family Bush Camp
Stancich Reserve Family Bush Camp
Join your park rangers for a night in the park under the stars from 20 to 21 March. Learn camping skills, explore, and learn about nature, family outdoor activities, BBQ dinner and night adventures, loads of fun for the whole whānau. Proudly supported by Kaipātiki Project and Craftlab NZ.
Lyford workingbee Ecofest north21 event 20march
Lyford Reserve Working Bee
Come join the Sunnynook Community Association in restoring Lyford Reserve. Learn how to identify common weeds and how to remove them. Bring hand tools and gloves
Gloves, tea and coffee provided and a light snack
Meet at the Lyford Rd carpark, Sunnynook
Compost-system-tour-silverdale
Compost System Tour
At Stoney Homestead Community Gardens, this Compost Systems Tour is a hands-on look at working systems within the community gardens and will be facilitated by Pip.
Fernglen Native Plant Gardens Open Day
Fernglen Native Plant Gardens Open Day
Fernglen Native Plant Gardens - Take a botanical tour around the gardens to the coprosma collection at Ben's Ridge, or meander at your own pace past the vast
and unique collection of native plants, collected from all over New Zealand.
Ecofest north21 event waterwise workshop
Waterwise Workshop
High water bills? Want to be a water-conscious kiwi? We’ll run through all possible ways of saving water in your home, including showing how to fit your own water saving devices. Brought to you by EcoMatters and Watercare Services Ltd.
Ecofest north21 eventPLANTS ID
Plant ID Workshop: Natives and pest plants
Learn how to identify native plants and pest plants in this 2-hour free workshop, delivered jointly by Pest Free Kaipātiki and Kaipātiki Project. You will find out about what makes native plants so important and why pest plants are such a problem.
Dynamic Movement
Dynamic Movement
Our body is designed to move. If you don’t move it, you gradually lose the ability to do so. It’s been proven to be the cause of many health and mental issues in modern society.
Nature Journaling Workshop
Nature Journaling Workshop
Nature journaling is sketching or writing your response to nature. This fun and relaxing practice helps you connect more closely with plants, trees, birds and other natural things and results in creating your own unique nature journal. Once you start properly looking you'll be hooked.
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Come and join a bunch of enthusiastic residents caring for Wainoni Park. We are restoring a streamside and caring for other native bush areas within the park. No conservation skills/experience is required. Equipment (spades, gloves etc. ) will be provided, but please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed footwear.
Ecofest north21 event worm farm talk
Worm Farm Talk
At the Eco Shop, Whangaparaoa Community Recycling Centre, 637 Whangaparaoa Road, Stanmore Bay, this talk will be facilitated by Pip and offers an introduction to composting with worm farms. Come and discover how easy it is!

Confirmed participants will receive a $40.
Ecofest north21 Gardening through the Seasons
Gardening through the Seasons
Winter planting will be the focus of this workshop, with emphasis on soil fertility, crop planning, and crop selection for transitioning one season to the next. Physical barriers for seedling protection will be demonstrated.
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Come and join a bunch of enthusiastic residents caring for Wainoni Park. We are restoring a streamside and caring for other native bush areas within the park. No conservation skills/experience is required. Equipment (spades, gloves etc. ) will be provided, but please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed footwear.
Ecofest north21 event Doughnut Economics
Introduction to Doughnut Economics
James Watson is the chair of Doughnut Economics Advocates New Zealand (DEANZ). He will give a presentation and talk about the philosophy of Doughnut Economics, an economic model for the 21st century and about the work DEANZ is doing to stop environmental degradation.
Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown
Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown
Experience the possibility of actually reversing global warming. Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown is a free 2 hour workshop that invites you to see both the possibility of reversing global warming and the important part you play in that process.
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Come and join a bunch of enthusiastic residents caring for Wainoni Park. We are restoring a streamside and caring for other native bush areas within the park. No conservation skills/experience is required. Equipment (spades, gloves etc. ) will be provided, but please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed footwear.
Nature Journaling Workshop april
Nature Journaling Workshop
Nature journaling is sketching or writing your response to nature. This fun and relaxing practice helps you connect more closely with plants, trees, birds and other natural things and results in creating your own unique nature journal. Once you start properly looking you'll be hooked.
Ecofest north21 event Conscious Lab Workshop 10
Conscious Lab
Art Yoga will come together to inspire children and their whānau to think how they have special skills to share with the world, and how they can offer their actions in service towards this huge project - The Global Goals.
love food hate waste
Love Food Hate Waste - Creative Cooking with Leftovers
Get inspired to love your leftovers again, with tips and hints for creating nibbles, pesto, drinks and more from common leftovers. You’ll also get great advice about how to store your fresh food and leftovers, to help them last longer.
repair-cafe-21
Repair Café
Bring along all those bits and pops that are sitting around, too good to throw out just in case they can be fixed. We will have an electrician on site as well as skilled sewers, handymen and ladies and a range of tools.
composting workshop
Composting Workshop
Come and find out more about different composting tools and processes, however much space or time you have you’ll find a system that works to help reduce landfill and provide a really wonderful resource for your garden. To register, contact Sonya at community@bayviewcentre. org. nz
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Friends of Wainoni Park Volunteer Mornings
Come and join a bunch of enthusiastic residents caring for Wainoni Park. We are restoring a streamside and caring for other native bush areas within the park. No conservation skills/experience is required. Equipment (spades, gloves etc. ) will be provided, but please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed footwear.
Ecofest north21 event Conscious Lab Workshop 16
Conscious Lab Workshop
Art Yoga will come together to inspire children and their whanau to think how they have special skills to share with the world, and how they can offer their actions in service towards this huge project - The Global Goals.
Ecofest north21 bokashi talk
Bokashi system talk
At the Eco Shop, Whangaparaoa Community Recycling Centre, 637 Whangaparaoa Road, Stanmore Bay, this Bokashi talk will be facilitated by Pip and offers an introduction to composting with bokashi buckets. Come and discover how easy it is!
Confirmed participants will receive a $40.
Ecofest north21 Sausage Making Workshop
Sausage Making Workshop
Do you want to be in control of making your own amazing sausages and know the superior quality ingredients that go on your plate?
Create your own blend of flavours and find the best, tried and true recipes.
Sheet mulch workshop
Sheet Mulch Workshop
At Stoney Homestead Community Gardens, this sheet mulch workshop is a hands-on workshop using the principles of compost layering where we can build up a tired garden or create a new one! This workshop will be facilitated by Pip.
Ecofest north21 event Conscious Lab Workshop 17
Conscious Lab Workshop
Art Yoga will come together to inspire children and their whanau to think how they have special skills to share with the world, and how they can offer their actions in service towards this huge project - The Global Goals.
Ecofest north21 composting 17 april
Composting Workshop
At Helensville War Memorial Hall, this course will be facilitated by Pip and offers an introduction to the three basic composting systems that can be used in the home and garden: traditional composting bins, worm farms and bokashi buckets.
Lyford workingbee Ecofest north21 event 17april
Lyford Reserve Working Bee
Come join the Sunnynook Community Association in restoring Lyford Reserve. Learn how to identify common weeds and how to remove them. Bring hand tools and gloves
Gloves, tea and coffee provided and a light snack
Meet at the Lyford Rd carpark, Sunnynook

Videos 

Video series about native plants

tihei-taio-videoIntroducing Tihei Taiao a new series that focuses on different tipu in our taiao. The 3 kaitiaki sharing their taiao knowledge are Riki Bennett, Graeme Atkins and Tame Malcolm. Explore what our tipuna used them for, their kai or Rongoa uses and how to identify them.

20+ Inspiring and Free Gardening Documentaries

Teaching garden coordinator role

Here are some inspiring gardens and gardeners, as well as some older documentaries that are hard to find, but packed with absolutely wonderful gardening information. 

Film - 2040 | Free Livestream 

film-2040-ecofest-north-2020

Auckland Libraries and Kaipātiki Project are pleased to offer the Livestream of "Film 2040" - a documentary by French filmmaker Damon Gameau who travels the world in search of new approaches and solutions to climate change. Click here to livestream "2040" via Beamafilm and use your library membership card. 

Nature Documentaries - There are some fantastic Nature and Environment documentaries available through Beamafilm videos on the Auckland Libraries website, and a number of the docos have local content. Gaining free streaming access to these docos with an Auckland Libraries membership is easy. If you don't have a library card, you will still be able to sign up to Auckland Libraries and get a membership number. More details will also be posted on the Glenfield Library Facebook page.

Environmental Film Festival - As the annual environmental film festival in Washington DC got canceled, the organizers have put about 80 films online, almost all of them free access for a limited time. A great resource for those sheltering, watch them here.

Get Close & Personal with Your Environment - Sara Kulins is a young enthusiast who is sharing her passion about the great outdoors and here she shares one of her first 'educational' videos, also part of her job at MERC (as an educator and National Coordinator for Seaweek), and in this video, she is encouraging people to interact with the outdoors and seek out adventure in their 'backyard'. Follow Sara's Facebook page.

Sustainable Food Videos by Pacific Vision Aotearoa

  • Healthy Soil = Healthy Kai: In this video we acknowledge the papa’anga, the whakapapa, the many layers that is part of the soil in our bucket garden. A journey of time, and of many hands who helped transform our food scraps into ‘super food’!
  • Grow 2 Share - Fast Food in a Bucket: How to grow food in a bucket 

Wellbeing

Grounding for the Soul 

Shamanic Journey

Alyse Young: "I am delighted to share my Grounding Exercise which I started with everyone at the recent Shamanic Journey on the opening day of the EcoFest North. This is a very potent exercise to practise, it's simple and immediate, bringing all of your energy back into your body and Being. We are born sensory beings, therefore, we are naturally sensitive because we are naturally "connected to everything", not just other people but all living matter, including trees, animals, rocks, & the elements. Read more: Grounding Exercise for Embodying Your Energy.

Chakra Mantras by Uttarkashi - This album is a guided mantra practice that will create sound vibrations that have a relaxing and healing effect on all four aspects of our being. They calm the mind, creating peace, tranquility and stillness, hence create space for energy to rise. Listen to the album via Spofity or Apple

Children’s corner

 Ti Hey Taiao

tihei-taioA series of animated Te Reo Māori stories for children. It is for tamariki and whānau and is an opportunity to access te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori stories online.   

Upcycle Tutorials by ReCreators - Short video tutorials for kids and the whole family to learn how to sew a pillow, make a T-shirt yarn or sewing kit and many more upcycling tips. Follow them on Facebook to watch more videos.

Check out Wild Eyes: Nature Missions for Kiwi Kids - Learn nature ninja skills, get crafty, hunt poo and discover amazing stuff outdoors.

A gift from Pacific Ink

Find hidden animals and colour them. Colouring is a great activity for everyone. Download the image

Activities to Live Lightly