Welcome to Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood

Welcome to Earthsong, which we are proud to say is New Zealand's first and (at present) only cohousing community. It is an urban eco-neighbourhood, located in Waitakere City, West Auckland.

Right from the start (in 1995) we committed to building a neighbourhood that was as socially and environmentally sustainable as possible, with a vision statement which began:

In response to this vision statement, Graham Meltzer kindly wrote:

"Of all the communities included in this series of case studies, Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood has perhaps the most ambitious vision. The simple, pithy statement above encompasses ... a hugely rich and complex social and envionmental agenda. ....The environmentally sustainable technologies of this project are amongst the most comprehensive in cohousing and undoubtedly the best documented."
(From: Sustainable Community: Learning from the Cohousing Model, 2005, Trafford Publishing, Cheshire, p.85)

We continue to implement the aims included in our vision statement:

• Design and construct a cohesive neighbourhood whose layout, buildings and services demonstrate the highest practical standards of sustainable human settlement
• Develop and foster a living environment which uses clear communication, decision-making and conflict resolution guidelines that promote tolerance, safety, respect and co-operation
• Assist in education and public awareness of sustainability by demonstrating and promoting innovative community design and environmentally responsible construction.

Earthsong is richly diverse in age, occupations and cultural backgrounds, which adds breadth and depth to the social life of the community here.