Our Foundation Programme
We’re asking for support to complete filming, production, and the digital learning platform so our programme can be launched publicly in 2026.
Our new Foundation Programme lays the groundwork for all future APW education. It translates over a decade of on‑the‑ground teaching and over 20 years of professional practice into a format that is accessible, flexible, and scalable.
The Foundation Programme is On Line-first, providing access to all course resources so participants can learn at their own pace and in their own time. This is supported by webinars and an online community forum that enable ongoing peer-to-peer discussion, reflection, and shared learning.
On Line learning is complemented by Local Learning Communities made up of bioregional, community, and whānau learning hubs, as well as On Ground workshops and In Community events, supporting participants to connect learning to place, relationships, and real-world practice.
The programme is composed of seven inter-connected courses, each building conceptual understanding while supporting participants to apply learning in their own contexts. Together, these courses form a coherent learning journey that helps people move from awareness to meaningful action.
This new format allows APW to reach a far wider audience than has previously been possible through face‑to‑face delivery alone—without compromising depth, quality, or kaupapa.
The 7 Foundation Programme Courses
Laying the Foundations - Introduces permaculture ethics and principles, weaving diverse disciplines and indigenous wisdom to cultivate systems thinking and empower regenerative, meaningful action.
Ecological Literacy -Cultivates ecological understanding, enabling participants to see Earth as an interconnected system and navigate environmental and social challenges through a holistic lens.
Empathic Enquiry -Explores the meta-crisis with curiosity and compassion, inviting deep reflection while offering practical frameworks to navigate change collectively.
Design Thinking -Builds core design capability, refining participants’ ability to apply a design lens creatively and effectively across diverse contexts.
Ecological Design -Focuses on designing with natural patterns and processes, integrating permaculture and regenerative principles to address ecological, social, and technical challenges.
Social Innovation -Equips participants with collaborative design approaches to address complex social challenges across cultural, political, economic, and community contexts.
Appropriate Technology -Explores simple, locally sourced, replicable technologies, developing practical solutions that serve people, place, nature, and future generations.
Our First Foundation Course - Laying the Foundations
Our first course, Laying the Foundations is the focus of our crowdfunding campaign. It consists of 18 professionally produced videos, supported by a Learning Management System (LMS), webinars, extensive online resources, an online forum, and a suite of learning activities and exercises to be completed individually, as a group or a Local Learning Community.
This course will be delivered in three phases over 12 weeks. Each phase will include 6 videos punctuated with peer-to-peer engagement through an online forum and learning activities and exercises.
The first 6 videos provide some scene setting and context for understanding APW’s permaculture philosophy and design as well as some historical frames of reference for understanding both permaculture and the world today in their broader, ecological, sociocultural and historical context.
The next 12 videos cover David Holmgren’s permaculture design principles and provide an overview of the essence, theory and practice of permaculture. These principles are derived from the study of the natural world and pre-industrial sustainable societies and provide ways of thinking and acting in the world with curiosity and creativity. They guide our kaupapa (or mission), help us to think in terms of living systems, and provide a coherent and consistent approach to all our work.
As the name suggests, completing the first course will provide the groundwork for all subsequent APW educational offerings, including our Foundation Programme, Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) and Permaculture Diploma.
APW is preparing to launch the Foundation Programme
APW has been teaching permaculture for over 14 years and supporting permaculture education initiatives across the motu for even longer.
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