Do you like the idea of living at the beautiful and peaceful Wangapeka – serving retreats and caring for the land; sharing in the Dharma and comradery; having access to retreat teachings and being part of a broad caring community?
Do you like solving practical problems? Do you have excellent communication skills, and love working with others as well as on your own?
Are you motivated to contribute something genuinely wholesome and beneficial to the world?
Would you appreciate the opportunity to deepen the spiritual aspirations you have in your own life, while supporting the aspirations of others?
If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!
The Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre has been a dedicated place of spiritual enquiry for 50 years. It has continued to operate due to the generosity, energy, and commitment of countless hearts and hands over all these years.
Our current Centre Caretaker Tracy will be moving on from her role, after 2 years. We are now looking for a new Centre Caretaker, ideally a motivated practitioner, to take their place in this ‘lineage’ and fill the role required for the ongoing functioning of the Wangapeka.
The Position
The perfect Caretaker would be a mature person, ideally with a meditation background, who would welcome the opportunity for service in this beautiful and peaceful place. Caretakers are an integral part of the functioning and culture of the Wangapeka, and play an important role as representatives of the values and aspirations of the Centre. The role is varied and interesting, with the opportunity to bring your unique skills and gifts to the centre and community.
It is important that applicants have some understanding of the principle of service as a path of unfolding, or have a genuine interest in exploring this. Supporting oneself and others in spiritual enquiry should be the primary motivation for taking on this role.
Centre Caretaker responsibilities include : caring for the beautiful land, kitchen management, preparing for and supporting retreats to run smoothly, volunteer support and oversight, health and safety, general centre maintenance and upkeep, and communications with sub-committees and the Board of Trustees about what is happening and needed on the ground, and more. Practical skills and a can-do attitude are a must, as well as the ability to meet with and support the many people who visit and volunteer at the centre with kindness, clarity, and wholesome intent.
The position is offered as a part-time 30 hour per week role, for an initial period of 6 months, with the option to extend.
There is also scope for the partner or friend/s of someone applying for Caretaker to come on board as a long-term volunteer, with free food and accommodation. We are open to creative possibilities that would suit both the Centre and interested applicants.
The board is open to receiving applications from:
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Individuals who apply for this role, or who are interested in being part of a collective of caretakers
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2 or more people wanting to apply together – wanting to job share & volunteer on the land. If you fall into this category, please provide a proposal of how you could see this working.
Full training and support are provided, and you have the opportunity to participate in all courses and retreats that run at the Centre, should you wish.
We are looking for someone to start training as early as October.
With the 50th anniversary of Wangapeka coming up in 2025, and new community-led evolutions of how the centre operates underway, it is a wonderful time to be part of this community and contribute to its evolution.
If you tick some of these boxes, have a commitment to the Wangapeka, want to try something new and can devote 6 months (or more) to the centre please get in touch with the Wangapeka Board Coordinator Louise Petzold ordinatcoor@wangapeka.org for a full job description plus details on contract terms and conditions.
