Membership

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Membership

A key concept from the beginning has been the balancing of the needs of the individual and the community to enable both to flourish. This has been incorporated in all aspects of the project, from design to ownership structure and decision-making.

Robust social infrastructure, though less visible than the green architecture, site design and permaculture for which Earthsong is more widely known, continues to underpin the neighbourhood. Alignment to a strong shared vision and clear group agreements have been key elements in achieving the development of Earthsong, and continue to provide the bedrock of our ongoing community life.

Membership of Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood

Having clarity around membership has been an important part of that social infrastructure. Especially during the establishment phase, it was crucially important to know that those participating in consensus decision-making were aligned with the vision and committed to the project's success.

Our membership process is designed to ensure that an individual fully understands the vision and agreements of the group before choosing to become a member. It includes being assigned a "buddy" to answer their many questions, attending two or more Full Group meetings as an observer, doing some reading of Earthsong agreements and the Cohousing book, and attending social events and common dinners to meet other members.

A key step in this process is to sign our membership document. In Earthsong’s establishment phase, this was the Initial Organising Agreement. A succinct, clear and easily understood legal document, the IOA defined the key elements of membership of the group, including the group's purpose, membership rights and responsibilities, and basic agreements about money and decision-making.

Having fulfilled the pre-requisites to membership, paid the $100 Associate membership fee and signed the IOA, a new member became a full and equal participant in consensus decision-making at Earthsong.

Full membership, achieved by paying a $2000 Full Membership contribution, denoted a higher level of commitment to Earthsong and was a pre-requisite to buying a house.

Earthsong revised its membership process and membership agreement in 2016, and removed the previous distinction between associate and full members. All adult residents are now expected to become members. After completing the pre-requisites, new members now pay a $100 membership contribution and sign Earthsong’s revised membership agreement, and are formally welcomed into the community at a full group meeting. This process is explained in more detail on the Buying and Renting page.

A significant aspect of our membership system is that we have never "selected" members; it is the individual's choice, not the group's, whether they become a member or not. Instead we have concentrated on building a robust culture and processes that can cope with a wide diversity of people and worldviews.

Earthsong Official Entities:

While our key membership and decision-making entity is the unincorporated body Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, we also have a number of official entities that handle various aspects of our internal system and manage our relationships with the outside world.

Cohousing New Zealand Ltd

The official development entity, formed in 1999 specifically to undertake the development of Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, was a non-profit company called Cohousing New Zealand Ltd (CNZL). Shareholders were all full members of Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood. Cohousing Agreement. CNZL was wound up in 2014 after the community was fully established.

Earthsong Body Corporate

Ownership of units within Earthsong is by Unit Title. Owners have individual unit title to their house and private yard, and shared ownership of the common house, common land and other shared facilities. All unit proprietors belong to the Earthsong Body Corporate, and pay annual Body Corporate levies to cover agreed common expenses. Body Corporate rules

Earthsong Centre Trust

The ongoing educational objectives are managed by the Earthsong Centre Trust, a charitable trust established in 2004, with trustees drawn from both unit owners of Earthsong and the wider community. The trust is co-owner of the common house with Earthsong unit owners.