New Zealand Prabhupadanugas in the News

The Nelson Mail – Friday January 7, 2011
Photo: MARION van DIJK
Reporter: Naomi Arnold

Hare Krishnas on move to Motueka

Seeking warmer climes: A Hare Krishna group based in Christchurch parades along Bridge St during a week’s stay in Nelson. They are relocating over six months to Motueka, where they are setting up an organic farm.

Chilly Christchurch has sent the city’s Hare Krishna movement north to start an organic farm and spiritual retreat in Motueka. The 12-hectare property, on the Motueka Valley Highway north of Ngatimoti, is leased from a former sheep farm and the group has been growing crops for two months.

Christchurch Hare Krishna member Gokul Das said the group’s long-term aim was to develop a place for people to stay, work and learn about the spiritual basis for the Hare Krishna movement. ‘‘Christchurch is very cold and the vegetables you can grow are very limited,’’ Mr Das said. ‘‘The Motueka valley is an excellent place for growing vegetables. It’s ideally suited.’’ He said the Hare Krishna movement was trying to encourage members to move back to the land to live more simply, but needed a means of income to do so.

‘‘We want the members of our movement to have a livelihood and an income that’s more in the mode of goodness – a more wholesome lifestyle,’’ he said. ‘‘Rather than working in the cities – not that we have anything against cities – we want to have a more peaceful, agrarian style of life and get our members out of town and living in the country.’’

Volunteers work on the farm at present, although later on Mr Das hoped to have employees as well. He hoped to supply vegetables to restaurants in the area, as well as offer gate sales. The farm already supplied a Christchurch Hare Krishna restaurant with vegetables grown at the Motueka farm’s two hectares of crops. They were hoping to increase that to six or seven hectares, Mr Das said. The farm was producing courgettes, coriander, beans, tomatoes and potatoes, with carrots and other vegetables planned. The group would seek certified organic membership in the future, but for now was concentrating on being spray-free.

There are about 20 Hare Krishna’s in Nelson Tasman, a number Mr Das hoped to increase. ‘‘It’s a great region for that type of thing, especially around the Motueka area. There are a lot of spiritual seekers. We’ve had a good response already from people coming along to join us for a little bit of chanting, meditation and music.’’ He said all were welcome to join the workers at the farm.