Wolfgang and Sabine are both originally from Germany having  immigrated to ‘the land of the long white cloud’ in 1987.

Wolf has trained and worked as a veterinarian in Germany. In New Zealand he worked initially with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and then started his own business as a consultant for the food industry. 

Sabine has trained and worked as a secondary school teacher in Germany.  Since living and working in NZ she has been involved in many different work environments, from the tourism and hospitality industry to language teaching for adults, administrative and organisational work. Sabine has a Diploma in Facilitation, a skill which she deemed a necessary addition as she is working with many different community groups .

In 1993 and 1997 respectively Sabine and Wolf did their Permaculture Design Certificate. This course provided a clear focus for both of them, the philosophy and ethics of Permaculture: ‘Care for the people, care for the planet, reduce consumption’ became very important to them.

It had been our desire to live on and off the land for some time already and in 1995 we realized that desire by moving to Matakana. We lived right next door to Rainbow Valley Farm and became good friends with Trish Allen and the late Joe Polaischer.

In 1997 we joined the Otamatea Eco Village, fulfilling a dream we both had pursued for decades – sharing work and play with other people willing to create a community based on Permaculture principles. A place of learning and sharing the learning.

We have gained many skills over the years, which we see are all part of our path towards self sufficiency. There are the practical skills from building with mud, designing food supplying systems, home making (cheese, bread and sausage making), scything, distilling and many more. We love sharing our expertise with others and believe in educating those willing to learn.

We have found that good communication, people skills and personal development are just as important as practical skills. We are both trained as group facilitators and are committed to keep learning to build sustainable relationships.

We are passionate about papatuanuku and it’s inhabitants and work towards creating a beneficial future.

Sarah has known Sabine and Wolf for over four years and has joined the farm in April 2009.

"Spending a school year in Italy on a student exchange whet my appetite for travel and adventure, and I have been traveling on and off for the last ten years.

Sampling the delicious Thai fare, experiencing the beautiful colours of India, tramping along rice paddy fields in the Vietnamese mountains, surviving the Croatian alcohol and snowboarding in the picturesque Austrian Alps were, among others, incredible experiences.

Yet, knowing I didn’t wish to aimlessly float about the planet for the rest of my days, I felt slightly lost…

Arriving at Pukahu four years ago for German lessons on my 26th birthday was a refreshing eye-opener. Living off the land and working towards self-sufficiency, as I observed from Sabine and wolf, resonated with my heart.

Since then I have been WWOOFing periodically at the farm and have enrolled in a Permaculture course in February 2009. After the course I will be making the permanent move to Pukahu. Both of which I look forward to with delicious anticipation!"

Sarah has since arrived and is settling into her new life on the farm. The cottage has become more and more cosy as Sarah is making it her own.  Sarah has planted several trees on the land, making her mark. In April 2010  the pukahu residents have celebrated  Sarah's first year on the farm. All three are enjoying their shared lives.