As you may know, requests to run courses and retreats at the Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre have been steadily increasing over the last five years. At the 2016 annual general meeting the Wangapeka Programmes Committee (Mark Schrader and Jane Hobday), with endorsement from the Wangapeka Board, presented an outline for an annual programme at the Centre. This took into consideration the aims, objectives and vision of the Wangapeka as well as the existing programme that has developed over many years (a copy of this outline is included at the end of this letter).
The outline was presented and supported at the AGM in 2016 and an article explaining the suggested programme, and some of the thinking behind it, was published in enews in the later part of that year. The document was also sent to the Wangapeka Elders for comments (Keith Rowan, Mary Jenkins, Tarchin Hearn and Bonni Ross.) This document has guided the programming decisions for both 2017 and 2018.
We are now approaching the stage where we are unable to accommodate everyone who would like to use Wangapeka and we need to examine what process and guidelines are necessary when making decisions about which retreats and courses are included in the annual Wangapeka Programme.
In order to achieve an equitable, diverse and balanced programme that fits with the Wangapeka aims and objectives, and meet the needs of members and the community, we have decided to pilot a new booking process rather than operate under a “first come first served” basis.
We are therefore inviting people to submit their expressions of interest (now) for the 2019 Wangapeka programme. This means that if you would like to run a retreat/course at the Centre during 2019 you will need to do the following:
- Provide an outline of the broad theme / title and the suggested length of your course/retreat, and if important – the ideal time of year that you would like (if you have specific dates please mention these – N.B. priority is given to our Senior Teachers from mid-January to mid-May).
- Send your request to the Wangapeka Retreat Centre (either by email to: wangapekacentre@gmail.com or by letter to: Wangapeka Study & Retreat Centre, 355 Wangapeka River Rd, RD2, Wakefield 7096) for the attention of the Programmes Committee before 31 May 2018.
In early June, an expanded programmes committee will convene to look over all the “expressions of interest” received and will do its best to try and accommodate these into the 2019 programme. For some of you the course dates may need to be renegotiated however more importantly you need to know that it may not be possible to accommodate all the requests that are received. In this regard the “Annual Wangapeka Programme Outline” will be used to guide decisions.
If after the initial programming choices are made there is still space in the programme then this will probably be made available, subject to programming committee review and board approval, and allocated on a “first come, first served” basis.
With all good wishes and looking forward to hearing from you,
Mark Schrader, Faith Downey and Jane Hobday
(Wangapeka Programmes Committee)
30 April 2018
Components of the Annual Wangapeka Programme Outline presented to the AGM (2016):
- At least one in depth meditation retreat (1 – 3 months)
- A body/movement retreat
- A family/community focused retreat
- 2 Introductory meditation Retreats
- Retreats and workshops run by experienced sangha members
- An experimental or new retreat/course
- A young adults course
- Time for Centre maintenance
- Space for ‘regular’ groups to hire the Centre as a venue (2 – 3 months)
- The Wangapeka AGM weekend
- Working bee weekends and hui
- Solo retreats in the WET huts
- The annual Board and caretakers retreat
- An open day for locals
- “Miscellaneous” courses