|
Dear Ren Xue Family, We hope this message finds you warm and well. Across the top of the South Island, we have been experiencing an intense stretch of heavy rainfall, with many areas facing serious flooding and damage. It has been a powerful reminder of nature’s force and the importance of community and care during challenging times. Here in Golden Bay, the community has also had a significant amount of rain. Thankfully, any flooding around the Ren Xue Farm, the Centre site, and the Villa in Onekaka has been manageable. While the land is definitely wet and the paddocks muddy, things are holding steady, and we are grateful for that. A huge thank you goes out to our dedicated team—Steve Lee, our Farm Manager, and Jackie, who together have been tirelessly managing the land, keeping an eye on the conditions, and making sure the animals are safe and well-fed. Their commitment and care have made all the difference in ensuring everything remains in good shape despite the weather. The Ren Xue Golden Bay community also want to acknowledge and send heartfelt support to those in other parts of the top of the South who haven’t been as fortunate. Communities around Motueka and elsewhere have experienced severe flooding, with damage to farms, roads, homes, and buildings. Our thoughts are with all those affected—may recovery come swiftly and safely.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in. It means a lot to know our community here in Golden Bay is held in your thoughts. All is safe here, and the Ren Xue spirit continues to hold strong. With much love from our wet but grounded corner of the world, The Golden Bay Ren Xue Community
0 Comments
 Celebrating the official opening of the Ren Xue Villa Dear Ren Xue Community, We’re excited to share a special update on the Ren Xue Villa — a beautiful part of the Ren Xue Centre project in Onekakā, lovingly created as a space for rest, connection, and practice. A Place with Deep Roots Nestled right on the Ren Xue Farm and just across from the future Centre site, the Ren Xue Villa has undergone a major transformation over the past year. Originally an old, derelict farmhouse — once the local post office, library, and general store — the Villa came into our care when Ren Xue Australasia purchased the farm in 2022. Recognising its history and connection to the land and people, we made the decision to preserve and restore this special place. With the generous help of many hands and hearts, the “Old Villa” is now beautifully renovated and ready to support our shared journey in life cultivation.
A Supportive Space for Community The newly refurbished Villa offers:
A Compliant and Comfortable Home The scale of the renovation meant that building consent was required, and we are proud that the Villa now meets New Zealand’s latest environmental and building standards — making it not just beautiful, but safe and future-ready. The local community has responded with heartfelt positivity, and we are deeply grateful.
Rates & Accommodation Information We have aimed to keep the Villa affordable while covering costs:
A New Beginning – March 2025 In early March, I (Sharon Munro, newly appointed Villa Manager) and Elena (a student from Germany completing her practical studies) moved in and began preparing the Villa for its very first guests. The timing aligned beautifully with the March Yuan Tze Leadership event — our first real test run! The Villa came to life with daily Qi Gong practice in the lounge, shared meals, and the warm presence of our community. It was joyful, grounding, and a wonderful way to open this new chapter.
Official Opening – March 12th On March 12th, the official opening was celebrated with a relaxed BBQ tea hosted by Yuan Tze, Melissa and Cat. It was a special evening filled with gratitude and connection. Yuan Tze gifted a beautiful banner featuring Yuan, Tong, Ling, Ming to strengthen the Qi field — proudly hung in the living room by 10-year-old Enzo (thank you, Enzo!).
Looking Ahead – Next Steps Landscaping is now underway, guided by a thoughtful plan from Meret Weiss — a local native plant expert who has also set up a Native tree nursery on the Ren Xue Farm. Meret is supplying native plants for the project. Derek and Steve Lee have made a great start clearing the grounds, with more help from our incredible volunteers.
A Huge Thank You
This project would not have been possible without the help and generosity of so many. Heartfelt thanks to Rosie Bartlett, Ollie, Stefan, Steve C, Chris Turton, Kiri, Vincent, Marie-Laure, Rainer, Trina, the Alker and Munro families, Jackie and Steve Lee, Derek, and all the Trades people who worked on the Villa. The Qi field built by all of those within the Ren Xue community and everyone who volunteered, donated or loaned items — furniture, bedding, artwork, BBQ, and more. As I am new to the project and the Bay I know that this list does not include everybody who has had involvement in the Villa renovation project and we are grateful for everyone's involvement without this involvement it would not of been possible. Your kindness continues to ripple through the space you helped create. The Ren Xue Centre Villa is here — ready to welcome, to support, and to hold space for all of us on this path. With gratitude and warm wishes, Sharon Munro Villa Manager 📧 [email protected] Autumn Update from the REN XUE Farm: New Arrivals, Greenhouse Progress & Winter Preparations25/5/2025 Another Beautiful morning on the REN XUE Farm As the chill of winter begins to settle in, there's still plenty of activity and life on the REN XUE farm. Steve and Jackie are excited to share some updates with our community as we move into this next season.
Our herd has recently grown with the arrival of 64 Angus heifer calves from the Blenheim High Country Calf Sale. They have settled in beautifully and are thriving on a daily diet of pasture and baleage. Last week, we welcomed an additional 22 Hereford/Friesian heifers from Brightwater. These strong and healthy additions make a great complement to our growing herd.  Elena and Johannes during the construction of the Green house Meanwhile, the greenhouse is taking shape! Initiated by Steve Lee and Elena, a German horticulture student who joined us during her practical semester, the structure is now nearing completion. Elena brought great energy to this project, and with the help of Steve Lee, Johannes, Jayden and Marco, it is looking fantastic. We look forward to sending Elena photos of the finished greenhouse once it's up and running, complete with our first plantings. A wet day on the farm as the girls arrive in a new paddock with lots of lush pasture Winter is always a time for grounding ourselves in the rhythm of maintenance and preparation. Steve and Jackie have been busy grading farm tracks, trimming back overhanging branches, and feeding out baleage daily to keep the cattle well-fed and comfortable. Looking ahead, Steve is gearing up for the next native tree planting session in July.  Photo of tree planting in June 2022 Steve and Jackie would love your help! If you're interested in getting involved with native planting this July, please reach out to our Farm Manager, Steve Lee [email protected]. It’s a great way to spend a day outdoors, contribute to biodiversity, and connect with the land and community.
Thanks, as always, for your support. Stay warm, and we will keep you posted with more farm happenings soon—including that finished greenhouse photo! — The Team at the Ren Xue Farm  Elena working on the Green house Elena is from Germany and is studying Horticulture at the University of Geisenheim as part of her studies she has been completing her practical semester living and helping out on the REN XUE Farm. As Elena concludes her practical semester at the REN XUE farm, we want to express our sincere gratitude for her dedication and hard work over the past months. Activities Elena has been involved with on the REN XUE Farm: Elena has been instrumental in maintaining the health of our trees with various tasks around the orchards, including staking, watering, weeding, and fertilizing. Elena has also contributed to the construction of our greenhouse, a project that is nearing completion. Her involvement in this initiative has been invaluable, and we look forward to seeing the greenhouse flourish in the coming months. Elena's efforts have contributed significantly to the farm's growth and sustainability. Beyond her work on the farm, Elena has been an active and supportive member of the Villa. She was an exceptional cook on the BBQ for the Villa's opening and has been generous in sharing meals, her time, computer skills, and building skills assisting with various tasks including assembling a large BBQ generously donated to the Villa by Kiri.
Her willingness to help and her positive attitude have made her a pleasure to have around. As Elena prepares to return to Germany to complete her studies, we want to wish her all the best in her future endeavours. Her contributions have made a lasting impact, and she will be missed by all of us at the REN XUE Farm and Villa Safe travels, Elena, and thank you for everything.
Fundraising update, villa updates and more!
Greetings everyone!
It has been a full and active start to 2025 and the Chinese year of the Snake! We would love to share our latest updates with you here. 
Retreat centre concept design
The REN XUE Centre Australasia Steering Group has been overwhelmed by the offers of assistance and donations following our presentation in Dunedin. We are all truly amazed by everyone’s offers. The project has received financial contributions, large and small, one-offs and some ongoing. The project has been enhanced with offers of assistance from professionals offering their skills and time to donate to the project in the form of marketing, strategy and fundraising, collaboration and art projects along with a huge amount of interest.
We will endeavor to involve everyone who has offered to be involved in one way or another. We are a very small team, made mostly of volunteers, so everyone's enthusiasm is incredibly encouraging. As a result of these contributions the project to develop a REN XUE Retreat Centre in Golden Bay/Mohua, New Zealand/ Aotearoa is now well underway. A project management company has been engaged to help us with the next stage of development, which will involve transforming the amazing concept design into reality. This will involve obtaining planning permission and then a detailed design. The Concept Plan we shared in Dunedin which can be seen on the website Retreat Centre Plans has an indicative costing of NZ$32 - NZ$38 million. Future costings will be required once a detailed design has been completed for all aspects of the Centre which will include all the underground infrastructure and services as well as the actual Retreat Centre Building. At this stage of funding, it is expected that the construction will be staged, with stage one estimated to cost NZ$15.8 million. This would achieve the construction of all the key infrastructure, the main hall, kitchen/dining, and one accommodation unit. This would result in an interim REN XUE Retreat operating on the site. Project funding update: Approximately: $6 million has been spent on the project to date $5.6million has been pledged to the project!!! What do we need? Our fundraising aim for stage one is NZ$20 million so we are currently seeking NZ$14.4 million. If you would like to be a financial partner in the Project, please contact Cat [email protected] or Rosie [email protected] to discuss how you can become involved or go directly to our donations page: Donate - Ren Xue Centre Australasia
Other Project news:
The Healing land movie Another big thank you is owed to Alex Emmerich for his amazing movie which has now had 40,000 views and allows many to appreciate what is happening as part of the Ren Xue Centre Australasia Project - Thank you Alex. This inspiring film is now available for free on, Ren Xue TV 
Hosting Jackie and Kiri (and a team of volunteers) have had a lovely time meeting and hosting people who came to visit the project either before or after Yuan Tze’s Seeing your Original Face #4 Retreat. Many guests volunteered on the Ren Xue Farm - thank you for everyone's efforts. As the project develops, and hosting guests associated with the retreat becomes more established we would love to learn from experiences. If you came to visit the Retreat Centre Site or the Ren Xue Farm we would appreciate it if you could email Rosie with any feedback at [email protected] Villa Update The renovation project is nearing completion and Sharon Munro has accepted the role of Villa Manager. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Villa, please feel free to contact Sharon at [email protected]. Above: Sharon and her sister Vivien with Leroi the painter inside the Villa We are so excited about this milestone in the project. Recently some of the local teachers built a Qifield together and these are some of the heartfelt sharings after we connected our hearts with this beautiful place to create positive intentions for this beautiful space. Please feel free to add your own intentions for how this space will develop and put it in the Qifield. " No identification- it’s for everyone" " Zi Du Du Ren- joyful, light, it helps people to uplift themselves and provides support to help others" "people living together working on themselves supporting each other to grow" "provides a place for connection that people can come" "Just magic!" "A supportive community hub which will help to nourish the centre and help it to grow" "A nourishing place, a nurturing nest" "Building strong foundations for the Ren Xue retreat centre - a mini centre"
We look forward to holding an opening ceremony next week during the REN XUE leadership course being held in Golden Bay and look forward to sharing more as plans unfold.
Almost 5 years to the day from when the vision to build a retreat centre was first shared, some of our Ren Xue Centre Australasia steering group gave an inspiring presentation to the 150 in person and 150 online attendees watching from round the world. Yuan Tze and Melissa shared their wider vision of the need for this centre and it's role to provide a model for living in harmony with each other and in the world.  Steve Campbell shared the beautiful 3D render created by Sasha Schiavi, an Australian an Australian based landscape architect. This concept design is based on input from Yuan Tze and incorporates learnings from past retreats and dreams shared by the community. There was awe in the room (and a few tears) as we watched the flythrough together. This beautiful vision is becoming a reality... and we need resources to make this happen. At this stage in the project we are looking for NZ$20million to move from dreams to reality and realise this vision. All contributions, whatever the size, are welcome and appreciated. Yuan Tze and Melissa have started our fundraising with a significant gift which moves us further into this reality. Their support of the Centre is amazing and we are so grateful. We are currently working with professionals for more detailed costings and we will share updates with you as well as our progress along the journey. To find out how to give, visit our Donation page or contact our chairperson, Cat Alker to have a chat. Some family photos of our time together on retreat including fun night!  Connecting our Hearts - A Workshop for Couples was run over the weekend of 19/20 October.
Donna Hall and Jackie Blunt organised a very special workshop, designed for couples. The workshop aimed to deepen and enhance the relationship between partners, using couple-focused tools and Ren Xue practices. The experience helped us nourish our relationship and appreciate the true motivation behind our partner’s upsets so we can remain loving and supportive and understand the patterns that play out in our relationship Some of the feedback... It was very helpful to improve our relationship. Would recommend it to everyone. We might do it yearly as the benefits far outweigh the input. I really enjoyed the workshop and feel we both got alot out of it. Many tools we will be integrating. Overall there has been a healthy subtle change in our connection and communication which sets us in a good place for the next phase in life The information we gather about relationships growing up is often skewed and unhelpful. After having attended the weekend with Jackie and Donna, and learning how to incorporate the tools they gave us into our lives, I feel confident that my partner and I can move forward together in a more open, connected way, communicating effectively and respectfully. Click on the link below to read about Steve's speech at the Golden Bay Rural Womens Day.
 Ren Xue Global Awakening Day was celebrated in Golden Bay/Mohua at Rauhitanga  Having fun in the kitchen - connecting with each other   Maire-Laure Darricarrere & Vincent Thank you to Verena Jonker for the photos
Thankyou to all the teachers who organised this years event for GAD in Golden Bay, Rauhitanga. We had a wonderful day of Yuan Qigong offerings, including the movie "Any Given Moment" Watch it here (Any Given Moment. The Secret to Happiness: A Pathway to Enlightenment - YouTube) Over 40 people came along, old and new friends. Much appreciation to Kiri and Dave for the fabulous venue also.    It was a beautiful spring day for the Ren Xue Farm Riparian planting day. There was a great turn out by locals and members of the Ren Xue community. Over 1200 seedlings were planted by 30 keen volunteers.
The efforts of all volunteers highlighted the importance of the community for the project and the inter-generational nature of the work that is going into this project. The trees planted will continue to benefit both the environment and community for future generations. Steve and Jackie put on their usual wonderful hospitality with afternoon tea, BBQ and Bon Fire. Thanks to all the volunteers for your efforts. |
