Volunteering is an enjoyable, educational, affordable way to explore the world. We welcome volunteers from all over the world to live and learn at the beautiful 19 acre community of Kawai Purapura. The Retreat Centre is tucked away in native bush and a real oasis close to Auckland city. You can easily reach us via bus and car.
Kawai Purapura is a Yoga Retreat Centre; there are a variety of yoga and meditation classes each week, and we run Yoga Teacher Trainings and retreats. Kawai Purapura is a great space to step into teaching as our volunteers are free to offer classes and workshops to the community.
Please let us know with your application what you would like to bring to the community. On the other hand, if you are fairly new to yoga this is a great place to tap into a yogic lifestyle and we are happy to share our passion and path with you.
Kawai Purapura is smoke, alcohol and drug free and vegetarian. By volunteering you will help us to build a conscious community, take responsibility to support our values and keep the energy of this place clear. We ask our volunteers to participate regularly in the community classes and events – check them out here: http://kawaipurapura.co.nz/weekly-classes/
As a volunteer you will do 18 hours / week of Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga is the yoga of action; it doesn’t matter what we do, we focus on how we do it: with awareness, with care & love, doing our best, not for ourselves but for the greater good!
There are different departments that will need your help such as the resident cafe, retreat accommodation, grounds / garden, retreat venues, housekeeping, maintenance, zero waste and permaculture. In your application please let us know about your areas of interest and your work experience. We are looking for long-term volunteers to stay for 2 months or more, but feel free to apply for less. Please understand that we do not accept visitors for less than 3 weeks.
Kawai Purapura provides shared accommodation for volunteers, free WiFi, a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. You are welcome to use the pool and the beautiful outdoor facilities and participate in the festivals we run. Partly paid positions (min. 3 months commitment) are entitled to their own accommodation.
Watch the video below to get an impression of what awaits you here!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Namaste
– COVID-19 Disclosure-
Due to the current situation related to the coronavirus, we are implementing measures to safeguard people and our community.
These steps are necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of anyone already living in our community and to minimise the spread of the virus.
Kawai Purapura follows NZ Ministry of health guidance and recommendations and until further notice, we will not be able to accept any new booking/application for venues, casual accommodation or volunteers in our centre.
For any additional info, please contact reception@kawaipurapura.co.nz
For long-term stay, please contact residentialaccommodation@kawaipurapura.co.nz
Semi Permanent Volunteer Positions
The Volunteer Coordinator’s responsibilities include recruiting and training new volunteers, keeping a database of volunteer information and skills, matching volunteers to opportunities that suit their skills, keeping volunteers informed, and conveying the organization’s purpose to the public.
A successful Volunteer Coordinator should be meticulous about keeping records and passionate about volunteer work. You should uphold the values of our organization while ensuring the comfort of our volunteers in their positions.
Volunteer Coordinator Responsibilities:
Recruiting, training, and supervising new volunteers.
Collecting volunteer information, availability, and skills, and maintaining an up-to-date database.
Using marketing tools such as outreach programs, e-mails, and volunteer databases.
Keeping new and existing volunteers informed about the organization and volunteer opportunities.
Matching volunteers to opportunities that suit their skill sets, and ensuring they understand their responsibilities and receive the proper training.
Organizing training and leading on-the-job training.
Keeping schedules and records of volunteers’ work.
Preparing codes of conduct and operating procedures to uphold the organization’s values.
Ensuring the organization’s purpose is coveyed to the public
Marketing Hero wanted, we’re a fun team, we do fun stuff, and we do lots of it – so if you love yoga , love marketing , love being creative then join our team
You will assist the Marketing Manager to do general marketing services work for KP
- Manage the marketing ,promotion and publicity of events that we dream up
- Manage social media presence
- Work closely with our brilliant design team to create promotional materials, consistent with the KP brand, and make them sing
- Build proactive relationships with the team leaders of Retreat and Festivals – that means talk a lot to other people doing amazing stuff to check out how we can help
- Maintain the weekly Work in Progress (WIP) schedule
- Maintain and publish KP weekly communication schedules
- Take briefs for major pieces of work from team heads, to write them into a marketing brief and to manage brief through to implementation
- Manage budgets strictly within the parameters allowed for each campaign
- Be full of ideas
Our reception area is the face of Kawai Purapura performing an important role of welcoming guests, retreat holders and retreat guests, other volunteers and some support to residents. The role is split into three people that work as a team and are rostered across the week. It is a busy one that requires a lot of trouble-shooting and administrative tasks. You need to have a great people manner, fluent English and be computer savvy (Word, Excel, etc). We are seeking individuals who can remain calm under pressure and have an infectiously positive presence to bring to this position.
Areas of responsibility are:
- Providing general information about Yoga classes and upcoming festivals
- Handling all queries coming to reception: emails, phone calls, text messages, voicemails and face to face inquiries
- Take payments, keep track of payments and money floats
- Distribute letters and parcels
- Take room bookings, do check ins and out of retreat guests
- Manage spa and sauna bookings
- Communicate with all departments at Kawai Purapura to ensure a good information flow
- Be point of contact between the Guests and Residents and the management
You will need to be:
- A great communicator
- Have a good use of English (both spoken and written skills)
- Computer Savvy (Word, Excel, WordPress)
- Great organization skills and time management
- Flexibility and the ability to problem solve
Due to the training required, we need volunteer receptionists to stay a minimum of 6 months.
This role is 18 volunteer hours per week (in exchange for twin-share accommodation), and an additional 6 paid hours each week at $17.70 per hour.
You are required to have a valid NZ work visa
18 Hours Volunteer Role
Wanted experienced blogger and writer, or a very competent wannabe.
Must have excellent english and written word skills.
If you have worked in the media, or run your own blogs this is the role for you.
Kawai Purapura is looking for a talented and well organised writer to edit and manage supplied copy and content through various social media and blog channels.
Think of the role as being like a newspaper editor mixed with an ability to write content
If you want to join the KP dynamic marketing team and lead this critical and growing stream of work – then get in touch today
This is a very important role in our Festivals. Every year Kawai Pura Pura promotes two big Festivals; those are Voices of Sacred Earth and International Yoga Festival. The Stalls Coordinator brings that extra cherry on top of the cake. Stalls improve the festival guest experience by creating energy, colour and diversity and at the same time offer a space for presenters and local business to sell their products.
There is lots of teamwork, lots of learning with wonderful contacts to gain. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, a great communicator and has solid admin skills.
Tasks include:
– Oversee stalls webpage regarding information for stall holder;
– Map stalls location around the property;
– Follow up on stall holder payments;
– Coordinate presenters’ stall;
– Coordinate stalls to set up and pack down (car transit in and out the property to set up and pack down);
– Control of supplies for each stall (e.g. amount of chairs, tables, cables), keep inventory that all supplied is returned.
This position for VOSE has been filled, but we are still looking for someone for the International Yoga Festival. You will work with the managers of the IYF (5-9 March 2020). This is a great opportunity to interact with many different people,as you get to know their needs, priorities and preferences.
We need someone from January to April 2020.
Do you have landscaping, painting, building, arborist skills, or more? Kawai Purapura Retreat Centre is looking for a fit and energetic person to maintain and co-create a beautiful peaceful and inspiring environment. A great opportunity to become part of a motivated and fun team, creating facilities for our Yoga School, Sacred Earth, Yoga Festival and Conscious Community at Kawai Purapura Retreat Centre. You will have 19 acres of bush, streams, gardens and retreat facilities to oversee, with the assistance of other volunteers.
Due to the continuity of the work we ask you to stay a minimum of 6 month
18 volunteers hours per week