By Christine Moginie

Road to Regeneration – Sunday 12^th November 2023 at the ASB Viaduct Theatre in Auckland with Dr Zach Bush Farmers Footprint , Nicole Masters Integrity Soils, Dr Hugh Jellie Ata Regenerative, Te Rangikaheke Kiripatea Kai Rotorua, Tre Cates nRythm, and Angela Clifford The Food Farm/Eat WellNZ 

Fresh from a sold out 800 plus attendance event in Byron Bay NSW “Reconnect” with Charlie Arnott, Joost Bakker, and others on the Saturday, Zach Bush MD joined the line up to inspire those looking for answers to the “where to now?” question, and to launch his charity Farmers Footprint NZ.  

Organisied by Hugh’s marvellous all girl team Fran Baxter (daughter of Kaye), and Amber Rose, the VIP Meet and Greet with Zach before the main event, had around 40 people turn up for networking, canapes and wine, and to enjoy a seriously heartfelt shared hug with Zach. This was also the opportunity to hand him a copy of our latest Harvests Magazine, and discuss a little about Biodynamics in NZ.  

Also to talk with Geoff Ross and his manager/guide Richie from Lake Hawea Station in Central Otago who Charlie interviewed and stayed with before the Feilding Conference this year. 

Not surprisingly Zach finds while hugging his patients, that he can often experience, and diagnose what is going on for them, and why they are coming to see him. Somewhat different to the standard inevitable – “What are you coming to see me for” question I get on visiting medical practitioners!

This already set the scene for understanding how this remarkable man has been inspiring people around the world for some time now. In my limited experience, the ability to not only competently share scientific and medical knowledge, statistics, and research; but also deep spiritual experiences, knowledge, and wisdom in the same presentation is rare. 

There is a humbleness not often associated with the movers and shakers on the Global stage, who rub shoulders with politicians, corporates, and other FP’s (Famous People). The range of topics he covered was vast and extensive …look him up there’s lots of content available online, and Charlie Arnott has interviewed him in his Regenerative Podcasts. 

“Glysophate literally puts out the 10,000 x brighter than the sun light that michochondria and bacteria shine in the cells of all living things”.  

“Since the 1970’s all the drugs that have been manufactured since marijuana, to cocaine, MDMA, Ecstasy, and P etc, have been introduced to completely control the population, and have shut down the human nervous system completely.” 

“We are our own best tormentors if we keep on flipping the victim/perpetrator coin that constantly destroys everything that Nature has created, and the world is built on this long established pattern” 

“Stories shape our realities. Fear, guilt and shame will be transformed when we truly experience the pain, and feel not just the emotion but the true feeling as a whole. The future we can feel and know in our hearts will create our new world”. 

The main impression shared with the uplifting energy /being that filled the auditorium when Zach mentioned his experience in France at the Mary Magdalene/Mother Mary caves, is of a human being who is walking the talk, connecting like-minded souls around the world, very much in touch with his Higher Spirit Self. 

250 plus people attended the main event and Nicole Master’s storytelling, and history of dealing personally with the effects of paraquot chemical poisoning, and associated health issues from growing up playing in the biofuel runoff near Whenuapai Airforce base as a child, was a poignant reminder of NZ’s crazy love affair with chemical fertilisers and big Pharma products. 

Her 2 x sold out Integrity Soil based events organised by Soilsisters, are currently drawing much interest in NZ while she is here, and also around the world. A signed copy of Nicole’s excellent book “For the Love of Soil” will soon be available to borrow from BDNZ’s resource library….when I’ve finished reading it! 

“The first step is to dig a hole, get to know the root system”. “Biologically alive soils reconnect us to the landscape of life”. 

Dr Hugh Jellie realised that there had to be other ways to naturally support and work with animal health during his long career as a Vet, when a farmer client commented on how he couldn’t see that the health of his cows had deteriorated due to the increase of chemical fertilisers, and they looked fine. Hugh’s view was the opposite and so he started Ata Regenerative to educate others. 

Te Rangiheke’s warm hearted stories about growing kumuera for and with his whanau, working with students at local high schools, and inspiring community based projects in and around Rotorua through his work with Rotorua Kai, were interspersed with sharing his Redband gumboots with Angela Clifford though her sandals didn’t fit him or go too well with his outfit…He’s quietly observed how even the most difficult characters become transformed while having their hands and feet in the soil. 

Angela Clifford was the delightful MC and grows food on her permaculture Farm, showing people not only how to grow healthy, nutrient dense food, but also how to cook it. 

A lot of what I heard, I knew already, and while it was inspiring and uplifting and supportive,  knowing there is movement within the conventional agricultural realms, I wonder what the difference really is between Regenerative, Organic, Permaculture, and Biodynamics?  

The question that resonates most for me is would 250 plus people pay $195 to attend one of our BD events, and $350 for a VIP meet and greet?  

Who are BD’s Zach Bush’s and Nicole Masters? How do we best inspire others to step into Biodynamics? What do we need to change to meet this change in the world? Food for thought.

“We Need Transformation” when it comes to our relationship with water.

This is the first topic that will be tackled at this year’s 2023 Biodynamics Conference – Biodynamics and You, by the incredible Gary Williams.

Join Gary for the very first Conference Session on Saturday morning (20th of May) – Regenerative Practices for Land and Water

In his session, Gary will explore the links between land and water, through the water cycle, and the differing relationships of diverse regenerating farming and monocultural industrial food growing.  The underlying theme will be the cultural worldview that conditions our relationships to, and impacts on, both waterways and food growing. 

Gary’s philosophy is that we need to work in harmony with land and water, not dominate it as is the general agricultural practice. 

The health of our rivers and water quality will be a very important topic for us to tackle in the next few years. Hear a water engineer’s and biodynamic farmer’s point of view that we need to “work with nature rather than against it”. 

A few years ago – Gary presented at the New Frontiers Summit – you can read a write up of that talk here.

For those who are particularly interested in this topic. Here’s a bit more background on Gary’s conference session.

The following is a paragraph in an excerpt from an international scientific article Gary was a contributing author to.  

The article contrasted a wholistic nature-based of matauranga Maori approach to water and waterways with the dominance and control approach of the western European mindset. 

“Anthropogenic assertions of dominance over nature in the river management arena have been echoed in intensive approaches to industrial agricultural practices in Aotearoa New Zealand, with their dependence upon high energy and high chemical use. There is little prospect to avoid an impending crisis, unless sustainable approaches to agriculture production are incorporated within integrated water resource management plans [76]. As of yet, limited uptake of regenerative approaches to rewilding rivers parallels few (but important) small-scale approaches to regenerative agriculture—practices that work with nature, rather than against it.” 

Brierley, G.; Fuller, I.; Williams, G.; Hikuroa, D.; Tilley, A. Re-Imagining Wild Rivers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Land 2022, 11, 1272. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081272

For more info about Gary Williams and what he gets up to on his land in Otaki – check out his website here.