Newsletter - October 25, 2008

From the Coordinator’s Desk New Book: Thanks to all those hosts who replied in time for the printing of the new book in August. This was around 1000 hosts but this is rising steadily as the late replies come in. Those who have missed the printing will go in to the next edition due to be done around Feb 08. Don’t panic if you’ve missed the book! WWOOFers will still be able to find you online. Website: WWOOFers and Hosts should check that their Introductions/Descriptions are updated with current information. Hosts can look up a WWOOFer and read their “MyWWOOF” Introduction, WWOOFing History, Skills etc. This allows hosts to learn… Read More

New Staff - July 16, 2008

Hi, many of you may have heard from me, my name’s Morganne, I’m a new team member here at WWOOF NZ. My role in the office involves signing up new WWOOFers and hosts, answering all your questions, keeping track of what’s going on in the world of organics and generally maintaining order about the place! I grew up with WWOOFers in the family home, have traveled extensively through NZ and overseas and have WWOOFed a bit too. Besides WWOOF I also have a wee baby to keep me occupied and an ever increasing organic vege garden on my small rural home patch. Currently my partner and I are having a… Read More

Update from WWOOF Headquarters - July 9, 2008

Farm Safety and Insurance We often get asked about these topics. The first consideration is for the safety and well-being of everyone on the farm. Some pro-active steps to achieve this could include: 1. Ensure WWOOFers are not involved in typically dangerous activities e.g. machinery, tractors, ATV bikes. 2. Explain and demonstrate jobs thoroughly. Ask WWOOFers to explain their understanding of how to do different jobs (sometimes WWOOFers may say “Yes, I understand” to try and be helpful). WWOOFers may be willing but they often do not have the experience or expertise to use them safely. While ACC WILL cover travelers in the event of an accident (there is usually… Read More

2008 WWOOF FESTIVAL REPORT - May 14, 2008

written by Elena from Austria. “Compost tea” … … Is a wonderful drink. Naturally, it depends on who you prepare it for. Take freshly dug and weeded soil, for example. The bacteria and fungi in it will love it … Such was the demonstration of “brewing tea” this afternoon as part of the 2008 WWOOF Festival hosted by Honey Anderson at her wonderful property in Dunsandel, 40 minutes south of Christchurch. Rather than “organic compost tea”, however, woofers and hosts went in favour of the delicious international lunch arrangements and Nicola Gallaway’s fantastic Slow Food creations, all of which were brought together as part of a truly unique day on… Read More

EduWWOOF Proposal - May 13, 2008

For over 30 years WWOOFing has contributed to the knowledge and understanding of biological farming methods on an informal basis. EduWWOOF is a way of giving this informal learning some structure, without interfering with the fundamental objective of WWOOF, which is to get people involved in organic production. Thanks to Holger Kahl from OANZ, Jim “The Dirt Doctor” O’Gorman and Seager Mason from Bio-Gro for their continuing help and support. Please add any feedback and ideas as a “comment” below. The Aims of EduWWOOF are to: Provide a direct link between WWOOFers with a true interest in organic training, such as NZ and overseas tertiary students fulfilling practical work requirements… Read More

Suggested “Arrival Form” sent in by a WWOOF Host - March 1, 2008

Below is a form that one host gives to WWOOFers when they arrive. The intention is to make the expectations clear and to record a few details in case they are needed later. Some hosts may like to modify this to suit themselves, other hosts may well choose not use a form at all – it’s simply a case of having something that works for you. Another good idea that we have seen working well is to have a “scrap book” where WWOOFers can paste photos, write comments and reflections, sketch pictures etc. This makes a great archive – especially for those hosts who have had 400+ WWOOFers over a… Read More

Where would we be without WWOOFers? - February 26, 2008

We have been hosting wwoofers for about ten years and have enjoyed  all that the wwoofers have done for us both in terms of work and added richness to our lives.  I would say 99 per cent of our wwoofers have been top quality workers and persons of excellent character.  So few wwoofers have been unsatisfactory that the numbers would be almost neglible. Our current wwoofer is from Switzerland and has been that type of wwoofer who not only does what she is asked but goes that extra mile. This is because she has a genuine interest in our farm and organics. She has also taught us about fitness which she studied at… Read More

Richard the WWOOFer -

Richard, an excellent English WWOOFer who enjoys WWOOFing so much he’s gone as far as getting the license plates to prove it! Richard started his New Zealand adventures in a Volvo but this car didn’t survive after hitting a rock near to Akaroa. Bit of a waste of a nice car but it had served well by running faultlessly through most of the South Island for many months. Luckily the plates survived to live another day so are now fixed onto this Landcruiser. Richard is now travelling through the North Island, and has clocked up 16 WWOOF stays since November 2006. Richard says, “Most of the last 5 months have… Read More