Shane Rush and Nicki Murray-Orr are living on six-and-a-half acres on the outskirts of the Karangahake Gorge near Waihi.

Both are interested in taking responsibility for providing as much of their own food as they can, and living lightly off the land.

The principles of permaculture have provided the framework for the design of their land and home.

Nicki works as a gardener and runs edible gardening workshops, based on permaculture principles. Shane, a builder, is involved with Vital Harvest, the couple’s permaculture consultation and design business.

They specialise in domestic gardens and lifestyle blocks with the aim to inspire and educate others to grow food, build resilience and utilise their land.

Permaculture discovery

“I was brought up in Auckland, but always wanted land after spending holidays on my Uncle and Aunty’s farm in Dannevirke,” says Shane.

Despite growing up on a farm in Gisborne, Nicki worked in investment banking in London and New York and recruitment when she returned to New Zealand.

“On an acre in Waihi, we grew veggies and fruit trees, but it was starting our family and reading a book about raising healthy kids on nutrient-dense food and avoiding processed foods that really opened our eyes to how we wanted live.

“We discovered permaculture, which really appealed to us, and bought our current block in 2016, full of plans to live more sustainably,” says Shane.

The couple designed their house themselves and Shane built it while the family lived in tents on the property for around four months.

A solar passive house relies on utilising the sun for warmth in winter and minimising summer sun to keep it cool in summer. Winter vegetables store for months in the specially-built cool room on the south side of the house.

“The house had to be north-facing, have high thermal mass concrete floors, minimal windows in the western walls, and lots of north-facing windows."

The 140mm by 45mm framing maximises the high R value insulation in the walls and ceilings.

Mindful of their future needs as a family, when their two teenage children have left home, the three-bedroom corrugated iron-clad house has a modest 180m2 footprint.

A wood-fired stove and hot water heater also runs several radiators.

“We are growing our own firewood trees using coppicing as a way of managing the woodlot but it takes time to establish a sustainable eight year rotation."

Coppicing is a traditional woodland management technique involves felling trees at their base to create a ‘stool’ where new shoots will grow.

Nicki's extensive veggie patch feeds the family all year round.

The land

While doing a part-time permaculture course, Shane was able to use their land for his design project. They are still working from the meticulously hand-drawn plan.

The land currently stocks six cows, six sheep, two pigs, five chickens and a friend’s beehives. It is holistically managed with the beasts shifted daily onto new breaks.

They only eat a proportion of the pasture, depending on the season and the rest is left to break down into the soil to feed the biology and boost soil health.

Feeding the soil microbes has huge benefits to pasture health, which ultimately benefits animal health, says Shane.

“We don’t use mechanical cultivation and we spray using organic Agrisea soil conditioner and pasture nutrition.

“Our pasture is fairly diverse already but we are always looking at adding more options.”

The food forest design uses nature as a guide. The aim is to mimic what would naturally occur in a forest setting but deliberately use edibles as the majority of the forest species. It’s planted with a diverse array of plants including support trees, ground covers and mineral accumulators that complement the fruit and nut trees, herbs and vegetables.

Plants such as tree lucerne grow fast, support young trees, fix nitrogen, provide stock fodder and can later be used as firewood and mulch. They are a great support tree.

Ideally the food forest becomes a self-supporting system.

“The soil is critical and we try and keep all dead material within the forest to feed the soil, which helps to encourage the presence of fungi,” says Nicki.

She has an extensive veggie patch that feeds the family year-round. They eat very seasonally, so rarely have to buy vegetables.

The garden is colourful and lush with flowers planted throughout to bring in the pollinators and beneficial insects.

She uses minimal cultivation and makes her own compost and mulch for the garden. The focus is always on the soil – as healthy soil is important for healthy plants, and ultimately healthy people. Berry patches, nut and citrus orchards are continuing to be developed.

The property has three 25,000L water tanks and a 3000L water tank for roof rainwater.

A pond has been dug out that is fed by a weak spring and also catches water from the property. Excess water drains into a newly-planted wetland.

Nicki Murray-Orr and Shane Rush have embraced the principle of permaculture.