Kete Ora Trust supported Gui Barreto Dib to complete a research thesis “A New Beginning: The establishment of the Biodynamic Movement in New Zealand 1930 - 1950.” in partial fulfilment of his MA in History, from Massey University.
“I was curious about the emergence of the biodynamic movement in New Zealand: how did it get here? When? What was the background of the people involved? I also wanted to know what challenges they faced, the historical context in which they lived, and how the Biodynamic Association was established. My thesis was called ‘A New Beginning: The Establishment of the Biodynamic Movement in New Zealand 1930/50’. The Biodynamic Association kindly allowed me to research relevant information in their archives. I also received some support from Kete Ora Trust towards the course fees.”
Gui was born in Brazil and as a child lived on a biodynamic farm in Botucatu where he attended a Waldorf school. He came to New Zealand for a holiday in 2007 where he re-connected with biodynamics and worked at Hohepa farms for 9 years, growing vegetables, milking cows and assisting with farm work. He studied the Biodynamic course at Taruna in 2010 and in 2016 he began delivering courses on sustainable horticulture and farm machinery.
Gui’s thesis, ‘A new beginning: The Establishment of the Biodynamic Movement in New Zealand 1930/50’ is available to download here (PDF, 0.96 MB).
Posted: 18 July 2022
