Homefullness

Zola Rose
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

Change-making conversations on housing for people and planet. Enabling more affordable, connected, and regenerative places to live.

  1. Home as relationship with community, land, soil, tradition: Zola Ndimande on building her own home in ancestral Zululand

    27 JAN

    Home as relationship with community, land, soil, tradition: Zola Ndimande on building her own home in ancestral Zululand

    In this episode, host Zola Rose interviews Zola Ndimande, a Zulu woman from KwaZulu Natal South Africa about her return to her ancestral land to build her own home using traditional earth building methods, and integrating into that community-focused way of living in relationship with people and relationship with the elements. The discussion covers a range of topics such as traditional housing construction methods, indigenous community living, tribal land stewardship and right to occupy vs ownership, tribal authority vs regulatory governance, traditional ceremonies for returning to occupy land, and the balance between modern and indigenous ways of building and living. Zola provides insights into the communal support systems prevalent in Zulu communities, the challenges of integrating modern aspirations with traditional values, and the importance of maintaining cultural rituals and land stewardship.  The conversation also touches on the parallels between Zulu and Maori cultures, highlighting the universal human need for community and connection to land. Zola Rose refers to another episode (May 2025) where she interviews her daughter Oriah about growing up, learning, and creating a home in a similar way when they lived near a Zulu community in KwaZulu Natal South Africa. 02:18 Land Rights and Ancestral Connections 03:36 Community and Tribal Land Systems 10:07 Ceremonies and Traditions in Zululand 17:44 Building with Natural Materials 21:12 Community-Based Tourism and Integration 30:48 Learning the Basics of Cob Building 31:38 Building a Home While Pregnant 32:06 Construction Timeline and Techniques 33:35 Inspiration to Build My Own House 35:29 Exploring the Land and Community 37:07 Traditional vs. Modern Building Materials 39:01 The Importance of Community Support 41:43 Challenges and Legislation in Building 43:16 Sustainable Living Practices 57:42 Cultural Reflections and Language Your reflections are welcome--we'd love to hear from you.  Email to zola@commonground.net.nz

    1 hr
  2. From Straw to Structure: Re-creating housing in a warming, wasteful world

    22/12/2025

    From Straw to Structure: Re-creating housing in a warming, wasteful world

    Zola Rose interviews Magda Garbarczyk from Fine Line Architecture about the 'Straw Lines' project, a modular housing system using low carbon materials like straw and timber to address New Zealand's housing crisis, climate change, unhealthy and expensive building materials, and waste from the agricultural sector. The project aims to reconnect traditional building methods with modern practices, promote community involvement, and reduce environmental impact. Magda, alongside collaborator Min Hall, discusses their design competition entry focused on carbon-negative construction that uses locally sourced materials and prefabricated straw panels, making housing construction faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, they explore the potential for community-led and neighbourhood-scale building initiatives to enhance affordability and sustainability. Links:  https://www.finelinearchitecture.co.nz/projects/strawlines https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/   00:49 The Relevance of Sustainable Building Materials 02:10 Magda Gik's Architectural Journey 03:09 Project Collaboration and Research 06:26 Historical Context of Building Traditions in Aotearoa 07:44 Straw Lines: Design and Implementation 10:24 Research and Development of Prefabricated Panels 17:57 Community Involvement and Future Vision 21:52 Q&A Session: Addressing Audience Queries

    35 min
  3. Intergenerational Community and Affordability: Peterborough Housing Cooperative's Winning Combination

    09/12/2025

    Intergenerational Community and Affordability: Peterborough Housing Cooperative's Winning Combination

    Host Zola Rose interviews Trystan and Stephanie from the Peterborough Housing Cooperative to discuss this housing model that is a rarity in Aotearoa NZ (a more common model in Europe). They explore how the cooperative structure, owned by a Trust, keeps rents affordable and fosters a close-knit community of families, young professionals, and the elderly. They talk about the cooperative's guiding principles and their commitment to maintaining affordability for future generations by capping rents and resale prices. The episode also details the process of joining the cooperative, the benefits of living in such a community, and the challenges that other groups will face if trying to start their own cooperative housing--challenges due to the dominant systems that make land expensive and finance hard to obtain. They speak about their conflict resolution process that is built into the guiding document but that people who are accepted to be members already have a willingness to be cooperative. Because of the complexity, they do offer mentorship and guidance for groups wishing to create their own cohousing or cooperative housing. Zola shares updates on the Women Revolutionising Housing hui and network, how listeners can support the podcast through the Homefullness Patreon community, and her Earth Fellows fellowship for regenerative housing. Zola thanks the show sponsor, Home Foundation.  https://homefoundation.org.nz/ To learn about the legal routes to unlock cooperative housing in Aotearoa NZ, check out the Homefullness episode of 28 March 2025 and the Common Ground YouTube channel. Links mentioned in the show:  https://peterborough.nz/ https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://thehousinginnovationsociety.com/ https://www.earthsong.org.nz/ https://www.cohousingco.com/charles-durrett   09:39 Living in Peterborough Housing Cooperative 16:55 Challenges and Benefits of Cooperative Living 34:31 Future Projects and Community Expansion 48:53 Final Thoughts and Invitation to Visit

    49 min
  4. Recipes for Baking Belonging into Housing: Zola’s journey from Homelessness to Homefullness

    27/10/2025

    Recipes for Baking Belonging into Housing: Zola’s journey from Homelessness to Homefullness

    Show host Zola shares her personal experience with housing instability through a creative reading of her unpublished article titled 'Homefullness: Recipes for Baking, Belonging, Connection, and Resilience into Housing Futures.' Zola details her struggles with feelings of homelessness due to the challenge of finding available, affordable accommodation and precarious short-term house and room rentals, despite her professional background and stable income.  She highlights the systemic issues in housing policies and market forces that creates housing insecurity for many working people in our society as well as for single mothers and older women. She explores how collective housing can offer homefullness but that these models are in short supply due to many factors such as inhospitable legislation, lack of developer interest, and unavailable bank lending or funding.  Zola offers practical 'recipes' for creating more connected and resilient communities for people "in situ" or creating from scratch. The episode serves as both a personal testimony and a call to action for systemic change in housing development, funding, and legislation. Timestamps: 00:43 Zola’s Personal Story: A Recipe for Homelessness 03:45 Her Struggles with Housing Instability 17:38 The Broken Housing System 25:10 Collective Housing Solutions 30:22 Homefullness Recipes for Transformation: In Situ and Collective Housing 38:19 Call to Action: Creating Homefullness—what you can do no matter where or who you are.   Show Links: Common Ground website &  newsletter sign up:https://www.commonground.net.nz/ Become part of the Homefullness Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/commonground_zola The article and companion document of resources is not yet ready for release.  Sign up to the Common Ground newsletter to get alerted when I’ve made this available.

    42 min
  5. Rethinking Rural Development: How Alignment of Planning Policy Enables Sustainable Hamlets

    25/09/2025

    Rethinking Rural Development: How Alignment of Planning Policy Enables Sustainable Hamlets

    In this episode Zola interviews Steven Liaros to discuss the importance and the roadmap to create a network of Circular Economy Villages (CEV). These villages aim to integrate private housing development with public infrastructure to alleviate stress on local governments and create sustainable, regenerative rural and peri-urban communities. Steven delves into the critical barriers that traditional eco-village projects face, such as local area planning policies, financing, and necessary infrastructure. The CEV model addresses these issues by incorporating principles of the circular economy, emphasizing reduced waste and enhanced efficiency in energy and water usage, and fostering climate resilience. The episode highlights the benefits of this model for rural areas and its role in enabling local governments to collaborate efficiently. The discussion also covers the strategic planning and financial strategies that are key to making these villages a reality. And, Steven envisions it being a really great place to live where people know their neighbours and share resources and activities and where folks who are a bit nomadic yet with a desire for belonging can find a community within a CEV. 05:36 Vision of Circular Economy Villages 06:32 Daily Life in a Circular Economy Village 10:20 Community Governance and Infrastructure 14:15 Planning and Financing Challenges 17:22 Engaging Local Governments and Investors 25:31 Personal Journey and Motivation 51:24 Final Thoughts and Call to Action Find two explanatory videos on the CEV on Steven's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@steven_liaros?si=_Av-PyiCkOSA2NbJ Circular Economy Village website: https://www.cevco.life/ Common Ground: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ Women Revolutionising Housing: https://www.commonground.net.nz/women-revolutionising-housing-hui-2025 Join the Homefullness Community: https://www.patreon.com/commonground_zola

    53 min
  6. Empowering Women to End Homelessness

    09/09/2025

    Empowering Women to End Homelessness

    In this episode of the Homefullness Show, Dionne Payne, founder of Women for Homes, discusses her ambitious mission to inspire 1 million women to invest $5,000 each to end homelessness by 2030.  She is inviting women to contribute to an ethical investment fund that will, when a substantial amount is accumulated, will develop affordable housing projects.   We discuss what "affordable" means in this context, which is 30% of a homeowner or renter's income, and how to create perpetual, retained, intergenerational affordability.   Dionne shares her journey from a scientist to a real estate developer, impact investor for affordable housing, and financial educator for women, driven by her concern for the growing numbers of older women becoming homeless due to unforeseen circumstances (such as relationship break-up or low savings due to under-earning over a lifetime.)   She speaks of her development of affordable units in Australia, which worked with a tenure-blind model (where residents don't know who has subsidised housing).    She is inspired by the One Planet Living framework which guides sustainable housing and neighbourhood development.   Dionne provides insights into financial empowerment, including the importance of community and diverse investment strategies, and offers her Amazon bestseller book, 'Ethical Property Investing', for free download to interested listeners.   Visit WomenForHomes.com and connect with Dionne on LinkedIn. Tune in for a conversation filled with actionable steps towards creating more inclusive and affordable housing solutions.   RELEVANT LINKS: Common Ground Women Revolution in Housing   BOOKS MENTIONED ON THE EPISODE: Ethical Property Investing   TIME STAMPS:   00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:10 Understanding Homefullness 01:54 Exploring Regenerative Housing 07:00 Affordable Housing Challenges 11:58 Community Engagement in Development 25:16 Personal Journey into Property Development 31:30 The Beginning of a Journey 32:31 Understanding Women's Financial Challenges 33:41 The Financially Empowered Women Podcast 35:06 Building the Women for Homes Fund 38:37 Personal Reflections on Homelessness 45:38 The Importance of Community and Support 51:55 Creative Outlets and Personal Growth 54:33 Final Thoughts and Resources

    51 min
  7. Building Resilient Futures: Insights on Ecovillages

    06/08/2025

    Building Resilient Futures: Insights on Ecovillages

    In this episode, host Zola interviews Zahra Lightway about her tour of eco villages across Australia, India, and Europe. The conversation explore what made the ecovillages she visited successful, mainly a robust governance system, income-earning programmes and opportunities, a shared worldview (values and beliefs), and mission-driven activities. They cover sociocracy as a governance model, the difference between eco estates and eco villages, and innovative financial models like Les Pas Sages for start-up ecovillages, and the significance of a well-structured internal economic system. The episode concludes with a conversation about the future of ecovillages.   Related links: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahralightway/   Global EcoVillage Network (GEN) Main Website: https://ecovillage.org/ Global Ecovillage Network Additional regional sites: GEN Europe: https://gen-europe.org/ GEN United States: https://www.gen-us.net/ GEN Oceania & Asia: https://genoaecovillage.org/   Gaia Education Main Website: https://www.gaiaeducation.org/ Sustainable Education Courses | Gaia Education - Transforming Communities   Foundation for Intentional Community Main Website: https://www.ic.org/ Foundation for Intentional Community   EcoVillage Tours Main Website: https://www.ecovillagetours.com/ Ecovillage Tours | Visit Intentional Communities around the world — Ecovillage Tours   Time stamps: 04:18 Zahra's Eco Village Exploration Tour 06:12 Insights and Best Practices from Eco Villages 19:33 Economic Models and Sustainability in Eco Villages 25:29 Challenges and Solutions in Eco Villages 43:52 Learning Opportunities and Resources 47:35 Conclusion and Contact Information

    51 min
  8. Hemp Homes: A home-grown building material that saves the earth.

    21/07/2025

    Hemp Homes: A home-grown building material that saves the earth.

    In this episode of the Homefulness Show, host Zola Rose engages  with Jo, the chair of the Hemp Builders Association in New Zealand, and Barbara, a resident of a hempcrete home, to explore the benefits and potential of hempcrete as a sustainable building material. Jo discusses hempcrete's ability to sequester carbon, its role in mitigating the housing crisis, and its use in community-driven, regenerative housing models. Barbara shares her personal experience of building and living in a hempcrete home, highlighting its thermal and acoustic properties. The episode also covers exciting updates, including the support from the Home Foundation, the introduction of an assistant producer, and the launch of a Patreon page for community support. Additionally, Zola Rose provides information about upcoming events organized by the Women Revolutionizing Housing Network and the Common Ground consultancy. Related links: https://www.commonground.net.nz/ https://hba.nz/   Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction to Hempcrete and Its Benefits 01:47 Welcome to the Homefullness Show 02:35 Exciting Announcements and Sponsorships 04:54 The Impact of Recent Weather Events 06:03 Introduction to Hemp Homes with Joe and Barbara 07:16 The Climate Crisis and Construction Industry 10:50 Hempcrete: A Sustainable Building Solution 16:10 The Process of Building with Hempcrete 22:01 Innovative Uses and Future of Hempcrete 23:58 Introduction to Hempcrete Blocks 24:21 Carbon Sequestration Benefits of Hempcrete 25:58 Thermal and Environmental Advantages 27:45 Fire Resistance and Building Code Compliance 28:30 Personal Experience with Hempcrete Homes 32:41 Challenges and Solutions in Hempcrete Construction 38:07 Community and Environmental Impact 44:44 Future of Hempcrete and Final Thoughts

    51 min
See All (24)

About

Change-making conversations on housing for people and planet. Enabling more affordable, connected, and regenerative places to live.

Information

  • Creator
    Zola Rose
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Homefullness