Kris
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Nicole, “Problems which occurred under previous management are not the fault of the current trustees…”. Actually, unbeknown to you, the problems which occurred under previous management are absolutely the fault of the current trustees and one other, and so will inevitably perpetuate until that is acknowledged and rectified. This denial of responsibility is the biggest problem now. There is no clean slate while there are still victims.
Jack, “Others left feeling bitter because Atamai didn’t meet their personal expectations.” This is true, but personal expectations of being treated honestly and fairly are not unrealistic. An expectation that Atamai, perhaps more than anywhere else given it’s lofty ideals, would not practice hypocrisy is not unrealistic. There are a lot of people who have put much effort into Atamai (as Nicole is now) with very realistic expectations which Atamai failed to meet. In fact, it’s not even meeting yours really, is it? But you are too heavily invested in every way to get out now.
And yes, direct contact would be a good idea. There are still several people seriously out of pocket as a result of their trust in Atamai’s trustees, and others just sad and disappointed, and still none of this is being addressed. The trustees know exactly who these aggrieved parties are and could easily make direct contact to resolve these issues with integrity, not with the goal of silencing or discrediting critics but of creating goodwill in their community by converting the critics back into fans. Probably some of them would even go back there, with their vision, their enthusiasm and their long list of skills, if they could trust the project, the process and the trustees. If the management really changed.The dinner invitation is in your inbox, Nicole, at least it should have materialized by now.
You’re correct that the communication didn’t happen as effectively as it could have done, but it still doesn’t. “Disparities of expectations and some hard feelings” is a major understatement. Nowhere near enough effort has been devoted to addressing concerns; a lot more effort has been put into passing the buck. There was always an emphasis on process and consensus among the villagers but the trustees apparently seem to consider themselves separate from it, accidentally (or not) creating tiers of authority. They have also condoned and supported the actions of the ex-trustee (who, of course, is still there). It’s not enough to say that things are different now if things are still a lot worse for the victims of the previous regime and the project is still scraping around for buyers. Proactively choosing to repair all the damage already done would go quite some way towards improving Atamai’s lot as well as other people’s, by improving its reputation and credibility in its own community. They too need to start where they are, not where they’d like to be.Yes, I and many other people are embittered by our experiences of Atamai. And I mean many!
If you’d really like to hear more about it you’re invited to dinner on Sunday night. I’ll let you know where if you’re keen to attend.Yes, Nicole, I’m very familiar with ‘the story’. But as you probably know, the management is certainly not entirely new, just a variation on a theme. The “significant problems” you mention are not in the distant past, they are recent and were supported by the current trustees. The repercussions are still rippling into the future, and will continue to until they’re addressed by the current trustees, who have so far refused. And many other people have been EXACTLY where you are, and not stayed there, for unpleasant reasons. And yes, the houses are very well built because they’ve had lots of money spent on them, mostly by wealthy immigrants. And yes, many other people also once thought the trustees had integrity, and were sadly disappointed. If the trustees attempted to repair the damage done in the past rather than ignoring it or blaming the many other parties it might go some way to healing the woes, including some of their own. You’ve only heard one side of the story so far, the side you were supposed to hear.
“The village is looking for more inhabitants as well” – it has been desperately looking for more inhabitants for several years now! The village has a very poor reputation in New Zealand largely due to the actions of just a few of its members. There have been many broken promises of employment, ‘sweat equity’, business opportunities and dodgy property deals, and these have left a lot of people financially or emotionally damaged by their involvement in the project. I’m surprised and disappointed that Nicole has not yet seen through the sheen, given that she’s normally so good at doing just that.
Yes, it’s a great project and it could have been wonderful. Instead it’s become a bunch of wealthy immigrants (mostly) setting up an expensive gated community and deliberately trying to attract other wealthy immigrants, and unfortunately Nicole is being very skilfully used to promote and further that goal. The development is almost entirely advertised overseas because a) most of the locals know what, how, and who it really is, and b) only immigrants can afford those land prices, with the help of exchange rates.
Almost all of the 21 skills in the list above have been filled at various times over the last few years by people who’ve gone to Atamai with the same dream and been burnt by false promises of “set up this business (or orchard, or Institute, or… ) in exchange for your section” and left in disgust and disillusionment after a few months or years. Trust me, there is no way in without at least half a million dollars!
My worry is that Atamai has lowered the tone of eco-villages in general and tarnished the vision. The place itself has already gone from being a beautiful hillside meadow and ridge to a series of large quarry-like building sites with all the natural beauty of the place modified to incorporate an upmarket housing development. It’s certainly not “ecological” or treading lightly on the Earth by any stretch of the imagination, and neither does it adhere to the Permaculture ethics or principles – that’s just another delusion that prospective buyers are fed.
Yes, we need to be more community focussed, and yes, we need to make a lot of changes to create sustainable lifestyles in a hopefully sustainable world. But Atamai is NOT the way to do it. Ethics and integrity are at least as important as sustainability and resilience, and without them this village is continuing to fail to realize its potential.
Please start where you are!
