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.
2 Comments
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. Please note that due to extremely wet ground the Car Parking will be on the Farm House side of the Road. On the left coming from Tākaka and on the right coming from Collingwood. Just past OK Grow Nursery, drive up to the Farm Sheds.
Great day to plant some trees at the Ren Xue Farm.
See you at 1pm. For more information see the previous Blog. Ren Xue Centre Australasia is having a public planting day this Sunday 15 September from 1 pm. The Ren Xue Centre Australasia project involves the restoration of the Farm at Onekakā into a regenerative Farm. This includes the planting of the Onekakā Stream. We have 2,000 native plants ready to go into the ground to enhance the biodiversity of land around the Onekakā Stream and the surrounding environment. If you would like to be involved, please turn up at 1317 Tākaka - Collingwood Highway (Just past the Mussel Inn on the right-hand side heading towards Collingwood) PARKING: Beside the farm sheds Please bring your own gloves and spades and suitable footwear. We will have the BBQ going with Sausages (Vege options) for all volunteers. You can check this page for details if we need to cancel the event due to rain. If you would like any information please phone Steve Lee on 021 298 9026   (L-R) Steve C, Marie-Laure, Cat, Rosie, Steve L and Jackie pacing out the facilities of the Centre on the Retreat Centre Site July Hui (gathering) As Matariki signifies, both the end and start of the new year RXCAA Steering Group also took this time to honour the past and celebrate the future. For the project, there is so much to honour, the milestone achievements, the beautiful people and their dedicated mahi/work. There is real excitement around the future as we imagine the best possible outcome for the New Year and the Project. This year’s Hui was based in Parapara, the same place as last year. There was a smaller team than usual as illness, overseas commitments and relocating homes meant three of the team members couldn’t make it in person, but there was plenty of zooming and a very inclusive Qifield. Offers to assist the Steering Group in their endeavors have been humbling throughout the project and Hui planning, especially Chris Turton’s treats which kept energy levels high and smiley faces. Our chair, Cat, opened the Hui with a message from Yuan Tze along with a fun creative activity for members to reflect on the year past. The weekend was facilitated by Leslie Van Gelder - our treasured facilitator and one of the founding members of the project. Leslie led us through the Global Strategy, what that means for the project and how to incorporate the strategy into project work. This resulted in adopting a Terms of Reference document that provides a guideline for operating as a sub-committee within RXAA. This alignment reminds us that our very important project is part of the bigger organisation which ultimately helps us all work towards Zi Du Du Ren. The Hui was an opportunity for the operational staff, Steve Lee and Rosie, to share their review of last year's activities and propose an operational plan and associated budget for the Project. We acknowledge the enormous effort, Ollie Clifton, the previous Project Coordinator has put into the project with a forever legacy in the Project and the Steering Group. There is a huge amount of strategic, process development and everyday operational activity to work through. Yuan Tze has provided an analogy for the Project of a tricycle, with the front wheel as the retreat centre, the two back wheels being the Farm and the Community which will ultimately help drive the Centre. This reminds the Steering Group of the priority and to remain focused on the building of the Retreat Centre. Steve Campbell has been engaged to design a concept for the Centre which he shared with the Steering Group over the weekend. This design has incorporated feedback from the various “Dream Catching” workshops and continual feedback from members as the project allows imaginations to be excited by what could be possible. The concept design will be used to inform the design brief for the next stage of engaging an architect which in turn will move the project to the Council building consent stage.  Steve Campbell explaining the concept design at the Steering Group July Hui Name Change You may have noticed a change in the name of the Project! While we used to refer to the project as the Aotearoa Retreat Centre, a new name was decided on at the March Team Building workshop. The project's proud name is now Ren Xue Centre Australasia, abbreviated to RXCAA. An update to the website, email address and branding to reflect the name is underway. Farm The Farm, through the tireless efforts of Steve and Jackie, continues to implement regenerative farming practices as it transitions from a long history of dairy farming. Yuan Tze has provided a fundamental document on Ren Xue Farming. This provides a framework for priorities to help implement this transition, a large focus being on the internal work of the practitioners. The addition of the OK Grow Nursery as a social enterprise on the Farm is a wonderful example of this transition. The native plant nursery is based in the now redundant milking shed, so nikaus and other native seedlings are now growing in this space.  OK Grow Nursery in the converted Milking shed
The Steering Group is fortunate to have Rainer Hoffman, Ren Xue practitioner and Professor in plant science working out of Lincoln University, to advise on regenerative practices, for example, monitoring the soil profile throughout the transitional stages. Rainer is consistently promoting harmony with the land and integrating this thinking into the Retreat Centre design. Retreat Centre developments While the Villa restoration project continues through the efforts of Onekakā Builders, further planning on the Retreat Centre is happening at the same time. Steve Campbell’s designs have progressed significantly with a concept design. Further planning and physical designs are required for the; building, landscaping, roading, power and wastewater system. We hope to have these plans completed by the end of the year so they can be submitted to the Council as part of the Building Consent which will mean the actual building could start in 2025. So many people within the Ren Xue Community have had major influence on the concepts that have enabled the Steering Group to progress to the design stage. The Resource Consent which granted planning permission to the “Dream” provides the project with a lot of prescriptive detail to ensure compliance with planning regulations in Aotearoa New Zealand and ensure the Retreat Centre and associated facilities are sustainable, have minimal impact on or improve the environment and minimise any potential or future impact on the community. Thank you |
