Biochar Big Day Out 2025

Char curious? Keen gardener? Orchardist? Lifestyler? Climate Champion? BBQ enthusiast? 

Come one, come all to this one-off opportunity to spend a day making biochar in a magical orchard, forest and garden. Thank you Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) and Paekākāriki Orchards and Gardens (POG) for sponsoring this event so we can offer subsidised tickets as part of Sustainable Spring!

You will:

Morning sessions (9.30-12)...

• Sipping coffee and learning the basics of Biochar. 

• Getting hands-on exploring the property and learning to source good burn material (stuff you can find in your own backyard or lifestyle block).

• Building a char toilet - great skills for civil defence emergencies, or just camping!

• Ignite the Char-B-Que and BIG 600l kiln, learn how to feed the flames and trap the carbon.

• Cooking using char!

At lunchtime (12-1)...

• Enjoy a BBQ lunch cooked on the Char-B-Que. 

• Learn all about the magic of biochar and how to use it to fight climate change, feed your garden. 

After lunch sessions (1-3)...

• Quenching (pour cold water on) a kiln and processing char by drying and crushing it.

• Making a home fireplace mini kiln using a biscuit tin (please bring a tin if you have one or koha for some extra we will source and bring from op shops).

• Making a char water filter.

At the end of the day (3 pm)

• Grab some biochar to take home (BYO container e.g. ice-cream tub or a small bucket

• The big kiln will be quenched later in the day (around 4pm). For those keen to level up their learning on the kind of kilns used for large lifestyle blocks and small farms you are welcome to stay on and participate in a small advanced group dicussion and actvities between 3 and 4.30pm. 

Important things to note: 

Sustainability: 

We encourage carpooling to the event. Please bring your own reusable cup for hot drinks

Health and Safety:

 Please note there will be tree nuts and hazards onsite such as hot kilns and flames. So please take the necessary precautions by wearing non-flammable (cotton, wool, natural) materials and bring any personal medication that you need. We will have a health and safety volunteer onsite.

Family Friendly:

 It is a family-friendly event (kids under 18 are free) but they must be supervised by their parent or guardian at all times due to the hazards on site. 

Workshop Leaders 

John Wraight - CharPae 

Our CharPae Operations manager and ‘inhouse’ Biochar subject matter expert John Wraight has been making and using Biochar for many years and has delivered a number of successful workshops using these kilns. He is a BioChar Network member. He leads local CharPae burns, Char-B-Ques and kiln hire.

Holly Norton - CharPae 

Our CharPae Project manager has been making and using Biochar for the past 2 years. She co-leads these workshops and has additionally been exploring char use in sustainable construction and civil defence. She is currently on a mission to use Biochar to transform a tennis court into a thriving kai production space. She is this event's coordinator should you have any questions.