Hi everyone,
I’ve been trying to find pockets of Integral (and adjacent, Metamodern, etc.) culture in New Zealand but haven’t had much luck. I’m wondering if anyone is aware of any efforts in the country. If not, I’m also curious if anyone lives in New Zealand and is interested in starting a conversation around this.
Hi Tomlyons, good look in your quest. You can always use this platform to make connections. I am relatively new and have, for the most part, found people respectful and easy to discuss points I have needed to clarify.
Hi @Tomlyons,
I’m from Aotearoa and living in Canada, I’d love to chat about all things integral if you’re up for it!
This is an old post so I’m curious if you have opened up pockets in the interim.
With joy,
Michelle
Hi @Tomlyons I live in NZ and I’ve manage to connect with Integrally informed people here over the years, tho they are only in small numbers. I’d be happy to converse on Integrally related topics and depending on where you live could potentially steer you towards some other people. Let me know if that’d be helpful.
Hi Michelle, thanks for checking in about this. I’ve discovered a few individuals who are oriented in this direction, and some projects that could be loosely considered integral, but nothing that resonates with an explicitly integral/metamodern orientation.
I appreciate your offer to chat. Would you be interested in supporting an effort to get something going in Aotearoa? I’m quite connected to these kinds of people online, but would like to see more of this energy grounded into local contexts near me.
Thank you,
Tom.
Hi Imago, that would be excellent, thank you!. I live in Auckland.
I’m curious if you have any insights into why there isn’t a more prominent presence here. I assume it’s simply because New Zealand suffers from a cultural lag due its population size. But I also wonder if the unique cultural substrate of NZ, as a landmass and nation, hasn’t yet undergone certain developments that would prime it to receive an integral view.
I think the natural and communal roots of NZ are a firm foundation, but perhaps we haven’t been exposed to a high enough intensity of modernity to catalyse the integral perspective.
Thanks for responding to this thread,
Tom.
Hi Tom
I’ll be in Auckl for a month from early May, we could catch up. There was an Integral salon in both Auckl and Wgtn in the past but the facilitators of the Auckl salon went on to run a Generating Transformative Change training program and Wgtn just kind of lost momentum. I know a few people who did the GTC programme both here and in Aussie, we tried to pull a group together out of the multiple cohorts of that and once again came up against busy lives and an inability to commit. A few of us still meet online and when I’m in Auckl we try to have a get together. It has been tough and seemingly for very concrete reasons like lack of space to fit in that extra commitment. I live in KeriKeri so I knew I wasn’t in the position to rally the mostly Auckl troops so mainly get my Integral connections on line with friends in the US and Europe.
I think you’re right about NZ suffering a cultural lag and I’d be curious to discuss what else might be going on; I know there was a collective sadness that arose when we couldn’t get something communal going. Let’s see if we can find a way forward. I know from my early days learning Integral Theory it was pretty lonely and there’s no doubt in my mind that we’d benefit culturally from more people have an Integrally informed perspective or three to help make change.
I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts. Email me direct if you like, sussarava@gmail.com
Cheers
Imago
Hi Michelle, welcome to the community. Glad to have to have you with us. I’m currently in Sri Lanka but will return back to the US soon. Am open to chat about all things Integral.
Thanks Imago this is all really helpful! I will send you an email as I’d love to catch up and discuss this further.