Kaimanga Kowai: De-stress Re-dress - Andrew Limbe

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Design Vision: At the site formerly known as Kowai Pastures, the plain’s gridded mosaic of rectangular paddocks dissolves and blurs as nature worms its way back in. For more than a century Papatuanuku’s self-expression has been suppressed by the unbending rigid lines of industrial farming, but with the pressure lifting, she can rise once again and a healing can begin. The cows are gone, but stand still, and you can hear life at work, scratching and rustling, chirping and fluttering, indigenous critters doing their business. As a farmscape, Kowai Pastures has become less orderly as land use has been linked to soil characteristics and microclimatic conditions, rather than a grid. Accommodation sites overlook the river with expansive views into the mountains, yet are invisible from the road, nestled in native bush patches. The old dairy shed and elevated yards with stunning mountain views are now used for hemp processing into fibre, which is bagged, ready to mix with lime to make hempcrete. Staff are bright and enthusiastic, proud to work in a business that is enhancing environmental and community health. Kowai Pastures is now known as Kowai Kaimanga (Maori word for vegan). Health is being restored to the land and adjacent waterway by large-scale restoration planting. Health is being restored to people by provisioning of healthy food, meaningful, well-paid employment and ecosystem services. We have transitioned from problem to solution.