This page has been developed to help answer common questions about the project, and also to help anyone relatively new to the project to understand some of the decisions we've made in developing the project ie how have we gotten to where we are now?
If you have any questions in addition to the info below, just get in touch :-)
How is this project being funded?
Local Ren Xue teacher Catherine Alker and family have made a substantial donation towards the vision of a Ren Xue Retreat Centre. Most of these funds will be used to purchase land, with the remaining available to assist with construction of the Retreat Centre complex itself.
In addition to this donation, significant fundraising will be required to achieve the project vision, and hence a fundraising team will be formed in the near future.
What is timeline for construction of the Retreat Centre complex?
The process to obtain Resource and Building consents is underway, which we are aiming to complete in 2022.
Possession of the farm in Onekaka will take place in June 2022, and hence construction can start then. We anticipate it will take approximately 12 months to build the first stage of the complex, depending on it's size and scale, and the construction methods used. For example, it may be a practical time (and cost) saving to have some buildings pre-fabricated off site, and then shifted onto the Onekaka land.
How did you choose Golden Bay as the location for the Retreat Centre?
We went through a big process concerning location. We kept asking ourselves questions like:
Will we be able to attract enough people?
Should we be encouraging travel of any significant distance, bearing in mind the environmental impact?
Would it be better to find an existing facility, closer to an urban centre?
Hence we developed a set of criteria to help guide this decision-making process, to help us do an objective search & review. We identified that the Retreat Centre needed to be:
1. Within 2 hours drive of a reasonably sized airport,
2. In proximity to a population, and
3. Be a minimum of 50 hectares in size.
In addition to these three main criteria, we also identified that the Retreat Centre needed to be close to a significant Ren Xue teacher population, as the project would require significant local support, heart and momentum to get it off the ground.
In July 2020 Yuan Tze & Melissa visited the proposed site in Onekaka, and expressed how much they liked it - however our doubts still lingered. For the donor Catherine Alker, she was asking a good deal of trust from her family - around the donation itself and the plan to move and start a Ren Xue Centre! Catherine needed to try to accommodate their needs too.
It was then that the Project Steering Group carried out a countrywide real estate scope to see if there was anything else comparable to the farm in Onekaka. The results were that there was nothing comparable to this land at that time. We were then left with a question - should we wait and keep looking? How much time do we spend waiting? The answer we reached was that while there were 'green lights' for the Golden Bay location, and the 5 Xin qualities were still guiding us, we would keep progressing the Golden Bay option. We remain open to any other opportunities as we move through the consent process and keep questioning.
If you have any questions in addition to the info below, just get in touch :-)
How is this project being funded?
Local Ren Xue teacher Catherine Alker and family have made a substantial donation towards the vision of a Ren Xue Retreat Centre. Most of these funds will be used to purchase land, with the remaining available to assist with construction of the Retreat Centre complex itself.
In addition to this donation, significant fundraising will be required to achieve the project vision, and hence a fundraising team will be formed in the near future.
What is timeline for construction of the Retreat Centre complex?
The process to obtain Resource and Building consents is underway, which we are aiming to complete in 2022.
Possession of the farm in Onekaka will take place in June 2022, and hence construction can start then. We anticipate it will take approximately 12 months to build the first stage of the complex, depending on it's size and scale, and the construction methods used. For example, it may be a practical time (and cost) saving to have some buildings pre-fabricated off site, and then shifted onto the Onekaka land.
How did you choose Golden Bay as the location for the Retreat Centre?
We went through a big process concerning location. We kept asking ourselves questions like:
Will we be able to attract enough people?
Should we be encouraging travel of any significant distance, bearing in mind the environmental impact?
Would it be better to find an existing facility, closer to an urban centre?
Hence we developed a set of criteria to help guide this decision-making process, to help us do an objective search & review. We identified that the Retreat Centre needed to be:
1. Within 2 hours drive of a reasonably sized airport,
2. In proximity to a population, and
3. Be a minimum of 50 hectares in size.
In addition to these three main criteria, we also identified that the Retreat Centre needed to be close to a significant Ren Xue teacher population, as the project would require significant local support, heart and momentum to get it off the ground.
In July 2020 Yuan Tze & Melissa visited the proposed site in Onekaka, and expressed how much they liked it - however our doubts still lingered. For the donor Catherine Alker, she was asking a good deal of trust from her family - around the donation itself and the plan to move and start a Ren Xue Centre! Catherine needed to try to accommodate their needs too.
It was then that the Project Steering Group carried out a countrywide real estate scope to see if there was anything else comparable to the farm in Onekaka. The results were that there was nothing comparable to this land at that time. We were then left with a question - should we wait and keep looking? How much time do we spend waiting? The answer we reached was that while there were 'green lights' for the Golden Bay location, and the 5 Xin qualities were still guiding us, we would keep progressing the Golden Bay option. We remain open to any other opportunities as we move through the consent process and keep questioning.
The Retreat Centre is being built to accommodate 200 people. Is this sensible? Since Covid-19 people are much less likely to be travelling internationally, and hence the buildings could end up being under-utilised most of the time!
It is important to understand that the project has a 100 year vision. The construction of the Retreat Centre will most likely be done in stages, starting with a smaller complex which can be added to over time as demand increases, and further funding is available. Sustainability is key!
Local usage will also be important; local community consultation needs to be done to find out how this complex could be used to support community, e.g. dividers could be used to create office or recreation space. We need to be open to renting out the buildings for a range of different uses eg weddings.
It is important to understand that the project has a 100 year vision. The construction of the Retreat Centre will most likely be done in stages, starting with a smaller complex which can be added to over time as demand increases, and further funding is available. Sustainability is key!
Local usage will also be important; local community consultation needs to be done to find out how this complex could be used to support community, e.g. dividers could be used to create office or recreation space. We need to be open to renting out the buildings for a range of different uses eg weddings.
Is it environmentally responsible, and in keeping with Ren Xue principles, to be planning construction of such a large Retreat Centre, considering all the resources which will be used?
See question above - this project has a 100-year vision, and therefore it is important to take a wider view, particularly with finding a balance between potential environmental cost vs generations benefitting from this far into the future. The ripple effects of this project could help bring widespread environmental change, as it will be a place where people can achieve realisation and wisdom very fast. This in turn will allow more Du Ren (helping others) to happen. There is no 'right' answer to this and each individual will sit in a different place in how they view this.
It is also worth noting that modern building construction takes many different forms. We will most certainly be doing our best to be guided by nature, such that everything we do benefits humans and nature. In this sense yes, our construction will be in accordance with Ren Xue principles. For example, it may be practical to source some of the main building materials from the local Golden Bay area, or even from the farm itself.
See question above - this project has a 100-year vision, and therefore it is important to take a wider view, particularly with finding a balance between potential environmental cost vs generations benefitting from this far into the future. The ripple effects of this project could help bring widespread environmental change, as it will be a place where people can achieve realisation and wisdom very fast. This in turn will allow more Du Ren (helping others) to happen. There is no 'right' answer to this and each individual will sit in a different place in how they view this.
It is also worth noting that modern building construction takes many different forms. We will most certainly be doing our best to be guided by nature, such that everything we do benefits humans and nature. In this sense yes, our construction will be in accordance with Ren Xue principles. For example, it may be practical to source some of the main building materials from the local Golden Bay area, or even from the farm itself.
Can anyone live in the Ren Xue Community?
The Community working group have been considering this question very carefully! The group have discussed how there will be people with a variety of relationships and living circumstances considering this question. For example, there will be people in family relationships where one family member is a Ren Xue teacher and practitioner, but all other family members are not. Can the whole family therefore live in the Ren Xue Community?
The consensus at the moment is that the entire project should be very open, that all people should be made welcome to the project. Openness is one of the essential heart qualities after all! We also feel that this is primarily a Ren Xue Community, and hence everyone living there should have some kind of commitment to living in accordance with Ren Xue principles. We don't have all the answers or solutions to how to manage this question right now, however we do anticipate that all prospective adult members of the Ren Xue Community will be asked to sign some kind of agreement in order to live in the Community. From our research this is common place in co-housing projects, such as Earthsong in Auckland.
See also our info on Starting a Ren Xue Community.
I like the idea of living in a Ren Xue Community, but Golden Bay is a remote place, and employment opportunities are limited. How do you envisage people living in the Community will support themselves financially?
This is a complicated question, as everyone's living circumstances are different. We all have differing lifestyle needs, and hence financial needs. As a general principle, we strongly encourage all prospective Community residents to realistically assess how you will sustain yourself financially (and maybe your partner/family) before you consider shifting to Golden Bay. Whilst we can make no guarantees in the area of employment, there are a couple of things we do have in mind:
1. The Retreat Centre complex will require staff to run it - initially this may not be many people, but will grow as usage grows.
2. The Farm will be developed to enhance employment opportunities, for both Ren Xue Community residents and local community, where possible.
3. For anyone with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, there are many many opportunities to develop businesses associated with the overall project.
I'd like to get involved in the project in some way- - how do I do this?
We have a number of working groups set up already, based on some of the key areas of activity - Community, Retreat Centre, and Farm. We also envisage further groups will sprout up in time as the project develops. All of our working group meetings take place on zoom - unless we have the unique opportunity to meet in one place at one time - and hence are recorded for future sharing.
Get in touch with our Project Chairperson (Cat Alker) to see how you can be involved.
The Community working group have been considering this question very carefully! The group have discussed how there will be people with a variety of relationships and living circumstances considering this question. For example, there will be people in family relationships where one family member is a Ren Xue teacher and practitioner, but all other family members are not. Can the whole family therefore live in the Ren Xue Community?
The consensus at the moment is that the entire project should be very open, that all people should be made welcome to the project. Openness is one of the essential heart qualities after all! We also feel that this is primarily a Ren Xue Community, and hence everyone living there should have some kind of commitment to living in accordance with Ren Xue principles. We don't have all the answers or solutions to how to manage this question right now, however we do anticipate that all prospective adult members of the Ren Xue Community will be asked to sign some kind of agreement in order to live in the Community. From our research this is common place in co-housing projects, such as Earthsong in Auckland.
See also our info on Starting a Ren Xue Community.
I like the idea of living in a Ren Xue Community, but Golden Bay is a remote place, and employment opportunities are limited. How do you envisage people living in the Community will support themselves financially?
This is a complicated question, as everyone's living circumstances are different. We all have differing lifestyle needs, and hence financial needs. As a general principle, we strongly encourage all prospective Community residents to realistically assess how you will sustain yourself financially (and maybe your partner/family) before you consider shifting to Golden Bay. Whilst we can make no guarantees in the area of employment, there are a couple of things we do have in mind:
1. The Retreat Centre complex will require staff to run it - initially this may not be many people, but will grow as usage grows.
2. The Farm will be developed to enhance employment opportunities, for both Ren Xue Community residents and local community, where possible.
3. For anyone with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, there are many many opportunities to develop businesses associated with the overall project.
I'd like to get involved in the project in some way- - how do I do this?
We have a number of working groups set up already, based on some of the key areas of activity - Community, Retreat Centre, and Farm. We also envisage further groups will sprout up in time as the project develops. All of our working group meetings take place on zoom - unless we have the unique opportunity to meet in one place at one time - and hence are recorded for future sharing.
Get in touch with our Project Chairperson (Cat Alker) to see how you can be involved.
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The Ren Xue Centre Australasia Project sits under the umbrella of Ren Xue Australasia, & has links throughout the global Ren Xue community. If you would like to be involved, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-)
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