PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE

APW offers a modular form of permaculture education through a wide range of workshops that focus on various aspects of ecological literacy, place making, and sustainable design and living. The workshops are intended to inspire, challenge and empower participants to action.


  • “Life changing. Mind blowing. An inspirational exploration of the potential for positive change.”
  • Scott Crickett, APW PDC Graduate

  • “I’ve been studying and practicing permaculture for 20 years. The APW PDC was still full of insights and filled in many gaps in my understanding of urban design, economics and resiliency.”
  • Heidi O’Callahan, APW PDC Graduate

  • “This course has been an incredibly rich, intense experience of new learning for me. Highly stimulating, so much valuable information. I really enjoyed the practical design project element and I met a group full of fun lovely keen people. A very positive learning experience!”
  • Julie Crocker, APW PDC Graduate

Participants learn design skills that integrate the environment, people and technology to create abundant and resilient ways of living for themselves and their communities. While the workshops are grounded in the Auckland bioregion, the skills learnt are easily transferred to other bioregions.

For more information and full details on the Permaculture Design Certificate please see our Programme Info PDF. We encourage all participants to read this document prior to registering as it contains many important details.

There are twelve workshops in the Permaculture Design Certificate programme:

PDC CERTIFICATE

Philosophy and Design 19 Feb
Landscape Design 5 Mar
Living Communities 19 Mar
Appropriate Technology 9 Apr
Tree Crops 7 May
Economics for People 21​ ​May
Built Environment 18 ​Jun
Urban Design and Living 16​ ​Jul
Resources and Redefining Waste 20 Aug
Fertile Gardening 1 ​Oct
Empowerment and Resilience 15 ​Oct
Living Locally in the Auckland Bioregion 5 Nov



The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) is an internationally recognised qualification and APW offer a Permaculture in New Zealand (PiNZ) affiliated PDC. Certificates are achieved when participants complete a minimum of nine of the twelve workshops and a design project of their choosing. The Design Project is an opportunity for participants to apply what they have learned to a personal and meaningful project.

APW’s Permaculture Design Certificate programme includes twelve full day workshops, a PDC programme folder, permaculture design project mentoring and two design project presentation days.

In case of a lockdown due to Covid19 we are geared up to deliver the programme via an online format if necessary.

For more information and full details on the Permaculture Design Certificate please see our Programme Info PDF. We encourage all participants to read this document prior to registering as it contains many important details.

BACKGROUND

Permaculture is a design approach to sustainable living modelled on natural ecosystems, integrating human settlements in healthy and productive environments which provide for all human needs. The first PDC was created and delivered by Bill Mollison in the 1980s as an on-site two-week intensive course. This format was later developed into a modular programme delivered over a longer period of time.

APW have adapted this modular programme to be delivered over twelve Saturday workshops and developed the content specifically for Auckland’s Bioregion. We find that the local content delivered over a longer programme grounds the learning experience and gives participants greater flexibility as well as the opportunity to integrate and apply what they have learnt to their own life throughout the year.

In case of alert level changes due to Covid19 we are geared up to deliver via an online format if necessary.