Wilderland is an ever changing enigma that takes grounding in its awesome past, the people here and now and its limitless future potential
Dan and Edith Hansen first started cultivating Wilderland in 1964 as a place to practice growing organic food - now one of Aotearoas first and longest serving organic farms! The opportunity to learn about ourselves through relationship with each other and humble occupation through living was another key factor in the development of Wilderland, Krishnamutri's philosophies and teachings had a big influence on Dan from a young age and and contributed to Wilderland being a non-intentional community. It is also the connecting point that bought Dan and Edith together. In a note from 1994, Dan wrote "My part in bringing about the development which has come to be known as Wilderland has lain in attempt to live in a manner which is not constrained by any limiting concept or determined by any particular tradition, ideology or goal... my underlying concern is to simply live intelligently; to learn from whatever occurs, to be open to experimentation and exploration and in a way that is not bound by a conclusion... a particular concern of mine has been the needs of children and developing young adults"
Wilderland has been the home and suedo university to many people throughout the world seeking a "whole education" to enrich their knowledge through understandings of what community "am" and themselves in it, deepening authenticity while cultivating skills in the garden or through a craft, watching things grow, pioneering projects that strengthen qualities such as leadership and humility, exploring ideas openly and participating a legacy of abundance for the generations of people that are yet to step on the land.
Here at Wilderland we offer a unique experiance of learning by living; through relationship with each other and our selves, for everything is relationship. Initiative and creativity go a long in this environment. self reliance was one of Dans core beliefs and by the sounds he was a teriffic example of that.
We are so grateful for this gesture of longevity that Dan and Edith left behind for all who are looking to learn benefit from, we are glad to see its continuity flourishing as an educational trust.
Widerland through the years
Wilderland was never intended to be a commune though it has come to be recognised as one. The cycles this place has seen are many; from the early days modifying machinery and utalising creativity as a means of accesibility but also strength in a gardening culture that saw a lot of nudity and freedom, to pulling in the riens and setting boundaries, to the many children who were born here and grew up on these hillsides, to all the loving mahi planting trees and seeds with wishes of growth and abundance, to enthusiasm and devotion - learning to hold such an mighty yet humble thing, to times of growth and times of hardship and navigating tricky circumstances. Wilderland and its transient Wilderfolk pillars have worlded an emense amount of resiliance and adaptability throughout the years; there are lots of notable bookmarks in the 60 years of history this place has fostered.
Some people come for a short time to learn something that sparks curiosity or to cultivate a skill, others stay for years, becoming pillars for a time and contributing to the longevity, shaping the culture, guiding the experiance. There are many thesis', stories and articles published on Wilderland that give unique time snippits, however there are 3 (in a present wilderfolk's humble opinion) of semi recent times that have made big ripples which contribute to the development of culture here and now,
In 1999 Dan and Edith gave up private ownership of Wilderland and handed it onto the Wilderland Trust, setting Wilderland into a motion of its own but first being sculpted and guided by sensible principals of inclusive learning. Since then Wilderland has functioned as a democracy, seeing many cycles of different groups and people - all leaving a unique mark and legacy for the next group to behold and sometimes unravel. Learning to share and compassionately govern such an awesome thing lends an incredibly rich education into what community "am" and how to do it together through the ups and downs.
In 2006 Dan passed, followed by Edith. This was a difficult point of time, for when something looses it founding pillars it takes a long time to re-balance and find its self again, just as one grieving would do, as is nature. Wilderland has never quite been the same without Dan but his legacy lives on and continues to flourish. His memory lives on through story and quirky inventions still found on the land and at the roadside shop.
2017 saw the destruction of fire which ripped through the hills either side of the central community - luckily only a few buildings were lost - but in reality the devastation was wicked and many people left. Wilderland has taken a long time to recover from this however the horizons are optimistic and the energy of rejuvination is collective.
Wilderfolk here and now
The work at Wilderland is ever changing and ultimately seasonal, guided and prompted by the people who are on the land here and now.
In the midsts of change and cycles, the summer of 2023/2024 saw the complete reset of energy through outgoing / incoming residents which allowed a unique oppertunity for a fairly new and passionate team of Wilderfolk to learn to hold the responsibiltiy of Wilderland through connecting with its prinicipals as outlined by Dan and Edith in the Wilderland trust deed. It has been an amazing navigational journey, a year of great team work and resiliance. We are a small team of around 9, with 4 young children in the mix.
We have cultivated strength as a new resident group and set our attention on rejuvinating the land, working with what is here and tending to its needs to help it thrive, impletementing more gardens, diversifying our ecology to increase biodiversity and work with our natural resources to rebuild what was lost in the fire all whilst upholding the seasonal year to year on going jobs lovingly.
