About Toru Education

Having been part of Toru since 2018, and experienced the latest developments has brought a lot of joy and hope for what we are trying to achieve for our regions.

I am enjoying contributing to Toru Education, to co-create with others and share skills and knowledge that enhance self-reliance and resilience. I feel passionate about keeping the traditional, practical hands-on skills alive and pass them on to the next generation.

My background is in education and my partner Joep and I moved to rural Wairarapa 15 years ago. I opened New Forest school on our land, where Nature has been given back her voice and the celebration of the regeneration is tangible. A place that includes a beautiful loop walk and an outdoor classroom area which is open to groups who wish for nature connection experiences.  

It was 50 years ago that Joep and I met in the Netherlands at a biodynamic horticulture and agriculture college. I left the world of farming and gardening for many years, working as a Rudolf Steiner kindergarten teacher and raising our two children. Coming back full circle to the land to grow our own food and enjoy the processes of preserving, fermenting and baking, is just so rewarding! The land has reached a state of balance and is in harmony with the surroundings.

I have spent 25 years co-founding/managing the Rudolf Steiner primary school in Raumati, Kapiti Coast (Te Rā School). Since 2013 I have been freelancing from home. Catering (“Home Cooking Plus”) keeps the livelihood wheel turning and leaves plenty of time and space for my passion for adult education in sustainable living, encompassed in Toru Education!

As part of Toru Education I am interested in people supporting each other to design our lives with the permaculture approach like we do in our gardens: To observe ourselves, with honesty, and let our life unfold authentically and courageously, without the pressure from self, others and society; noticing and embracing the miracles and wonders of life.

My husband Bob and I have loved living in Paekakariki since 1997 where we have raised our three daughters. Since leaving our full-time jobs behind, we have enjoyed contributing to our lovely sea side village. When societal , environmental and personal challenges get overwhelming I turn to practical projects on our property and in our local community, such as the community garden and compost making initiative PaeCycle or Pataka Kai (Sharing Pantry). I find satisfaction in bread baking, and cooking for others (PaeKai). I love the magic of a sourdough starter, a microbial culture, that is an infinitely renewable resource that spreads healthy habits. I get much energy from the magic of making soil through the life giving composting process.

My background has been in community development and social development and I currently work for Te Araroa Trust in a role focussed on exploring how Te Araroa can support regeneration along the 3,000km trail.

My connection to Toru Education came through attending the 2021 modular Permaculture Design Course (PDC). For me, one of the most impactful parts of the course was all the site visits, where we experienced the permaculture principles in action and the sense of community that came from reconnecting as a group each season. This experience sparked the idea for the Toru Trail, as a way to bring people together and make these experiential learning opportunities more accessible for those who might not have the time or resources to do a full PDC.

My partner Matt and I live in an off grid tiny home, built out of reclaimed materials - a project that was catalyzed by the learning and connections made through the Toru PDC. We feel very grateful to live at Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Island Bay. We love living in community and supporting the efforts to rebuild the Marae and care for the regenerating bush that surrounds us.

When I focus on the local, I feel hopeful. There are so many amazing people and groups doing great things to reduce our impact on their earth, regenerate nature and support community resilience. I feel excited for the role Toru can play in connecting people to everything that is going on in our region and fostering community resilience.

Kia ora, I’m Loo (Elizabeth) Connor, a strategic communicator with a background in science communication. I’ve spent twenty years demystifying complex topics for diverse audiences and helping teams bring their visions to life using storytelling. My journey began when I got a job with visionary physicist and communicator Sir Paul Callaghan travelling around Aotearoa interviewing scientists and writing their stories of collaboration and discovery. Through this, I discovered the power of stories to inspire change and shape culture.

Paul became my mentor, helping me get a scholarship to do my Masters at Imperial College London and later to win the Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize. I used this opportunity to apply the power of storytelling to the big issues of the time – climate change in particular.  I founded my consultancy The KinShip, specialising in using storytelling to connect people, organisations, disciplines and cultures. 

Over time, my desire to understand our societal and environmental crises led me toward economics. I’ve been lucky to be employed for the last 2.5 years by Quatro Trust exploring the invisible economic forces that shape our lives and world. My podcast and blog, The Good Energy Project, is a quest to find and connect people across Aotearoa who are working to change our underlying systems to care more for our planet and people. This work has introduced me to a movement of people in Aotearoa that I feel deeply inspired by. It has also shown the need for stronger connections across the movement to unify our efforts.

In late 2024, my wife and I moved to Paekākāriki. We are so grateful to have found a warm, welcoming community to ground our aspirations and work. I’m excited about Toru Education’s mission to foster local connections and build resilience and skills to strengthen this movement for change. I see this as a wonderful opportunity to practice what I’ve been exploring in a meaningful way and to help weave connections.

Denis was a much-appreciated tutor on our former permaculture courses, giving a number of modules on Te Ao Maori, generously sharing his knowledge and wisdom, always inviting engaged conversations. He recently retired, wishing to be time rich for his whanau and mokopuna and for his interests (eg also Trustee on Kore Hiakai ). Biography in his words to come.