Permaculture Design Certificate 2024

Canterbury Permaculture Institute offers education through a range of hands-on sessions, presentations, theory-based learning and site visits.  Our PDC course is a 10 module program held one weekend a month.

This course covers  permaculture philosophy, ethics and designprossess. There is a great group of facilitators and tutors lined-up who will share their passions, experiences and wisdom.

Below are the dates and topics that we will cover in this design course, information on course logistics & payment options,

During the course you will be learning design concepts, living systems and solutions that can be adopted into your life to help make choices and changes to improve the quality of your life and the environment you live in. You will work through a design process to generate a concept design for your property, business, community group, or social system.

By the end of the year you will have a kete full of ideas, skills, connections, outcomes, and resources to continue your permaculture journey.

A folder is provided for the course handouts, and access to all the extended course materials is through an online 2024 PDC Group page, accessed on our website or an app on your phone. This is also a great place to communicate with each other, share info, events, photos.

On completing the course you will receive a PDC certificate endorsed by Permaculture in New Zealand organisation and a years’ membership to PiNZ.

You will also be added to the PDC graduates group chat to connect with others permaculturalists in Canterbury.

March 3-4 M1: Philosophy, Culture, Design 

1. Intro the course and each other, learning expectations, tools
2. Why Permaculture
3. Ethics & Principles
4. Culture
5. Ecosystems
6. Design Process
7. #1 Define & #2 Survey
8. Design Project Directive at home

April 7-8 M2: Natural and Built Environment 

1. Patterns in Nature
2. Macroclimates & Weather Patterns
3. Microclimates & Micrometeorology
4. Hardiness Zones, Biomes & Biome Shifting
5. Patterns of Natural Building Design
6. Appropriate Technology
7. Energy Efficiency
8. Building Activity

May 5-6 M3: Design for Regeneration

1. Design Principles & #3 Analysis
2. Ecological Restoration 
3. Ribbonwood, Little River
4. Hinewai Reserve, Akaroa
5. Koru Kai Herb Farm, Port Levy

June 1-2 M4: Invisible Structures

1. What is Social Permaculture
2. Belief Systems
3. Health and Well-being
4. Personal/Groups/Community Efficiency
5. Non Violent Communication
6. Economic Spectrum
7. Legalese and Land Ownership
8. Community Eco-Village

June 29-30 M5: Cultural Strengthening

1. Cultural Patterns
2. Te Tiriti o Waitangi
3. Seasonal Living
4. Time & Goal Planning
5. Tool Maintenance
6. Social Design Activity
7. #4 Planning

August 3-4 M6: Soil & Water

1. The Soil Food Web
2. Soil Cycles
3. Soil Chemistry
4. The Journey of Water
5. The Nature of Water
6. Earthworks

Aug 31st-Sept 1st M7: Growing Soil and Food

1. Growing Soil
2. Wormaries
3. No-Dig-Beds
4. Inoculates
5. Plant Antimony
6. Nursery Activities
7. Pests & Diseases

September 29-30 M8: Integrated Growing Systems

1. Edible Gardens/Landscapes
2. Agriculture
3. Food Forest
4. Agroforestry
5. Mushroom Inoculation
6. Wild Harvest
7. #5 Design Concepts
8. Design Activities: Guild, planting plan

November 2-3 M9: Design Project Wkd

Project Brief, Presentation Logistics & Design Process:

• Define
• Survey
• Analysis
• Planning
• Concepts
• Implementation & Maintenance
• Evaluation  & Tweaking

Nov 30-1st December M10: Presentation, Certificates, Celebration

Hosting the course over a year allows us the time to see permaculture through the seasons and to absorb the knowledge fully at an easier speed. We have choosen to step away from the usual consecutive 16 to 20-day residential course model, to make accessing permaculture information and certification easier for those who have full-time work and family life.

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​Our aim is to share valuable design systems, and tools that can be used to help our community transition into a future with clean water, safe and abundant food, renewable energy and resources, healthy watersheds, and prosperous people and ecosystems.

​Permaculture is the harmonious integration of landscape and people — providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable and regenerative way.

Join us...

Course fee $2500

If you would like to spread the payments we have a few options to help

• 5-monthly payments $440 - offer expires 30.09.23
• 4-monthly payments $625 - offer expires 30.11.23
• 20-weekly payments - $110 - offer expires 28.12.23
• 10-weekly payments $220 - offer expires 06.12.23

We are offering a discount on the course fee for early payments received in full. This is a thank you for helping us guarantee participant numbers early allowing us to finalise the booking of the tutors and site visits.

• $300 off - payments completed by 21st December 2023
• $150 off - payments completed by 19th January 2024

We have limited numbers of this offer available, get in touch asap to sign up for this deal

Please let us know if you would like to talk over the payment process or offers.

1st instalment or full payment received will complete your registration and place on the course.

Payments can be made to

Canterbury Permaculture Institute

Kiwi Bank - Account #38-9023-0112188-01

Particular: 24PDC

Reference: (Your Surname) & (payment number i.e. 1 /10)

For more information or to talk over payment options email Lillee Star

info@canterburypermacultureinstitute.co.nz

Transport: 

We encourage carpooling for our site visits around Canterbury, we will facilitate this closer to the time.

Food: 

We will provide morning and afternoon teas and snacks .

Lunches are generally potluck style, provided and shared by participants, though you are not expected to share food, especially those with specific food requirements. We do cater for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets. Please let us know your requirements.

Refund Policy:

• If you are unable to attend any of the module weekends on the PDC course, you can transfer your attendance to a future weekend on the following years’ course for no extra cost. Please give as much notice as possible, so we can offer your spot on the module to someone to a guest participant. 
• Non attendance or notices** given after 48 hrs prior to each module event starting, will need to pay an admin fee to the transfer their registration to the following year's session.
• If you can't attend the full PDC course, please get in touch to let us know, and a full refund will be given*** or transfered to a future course.

* There is a maximum 18 participants per weekend, booking is essential.

** Some exceptions apply, please explain in writing if you wish to waive this charge. Decisions are given at the discretion of the course director.

*** No full ticket refunds can be given after 10th February 2024, though the ticket can be transferred onto a future course, a small fee is charged to cover the admin costs.