Not a weekend hobbyist…
Hi! I’m Kirsteen, co-founder of Okiwi Market Gardens. While our business store front lives on a different website, this is behind the scenes of my daily reality…building an off-grid life from scratch and the chaos of modern homesteading, homeschooling and raising kids. I know the steep learning curve of self-sufficiency and the hustle of keeping your sanity intact!
Twelve years ago, my husband and I stood on a patch of untamed native bush in the Marlborough Sounds with a toddler, a caravan, and a vision for self-reliance. Today, that wild hillside is a productive homestead and a permanent family home we built with our own hands. My work isn’t just online; it’s rooted in the soil of the market garden business we built from the ground up.
Design Thinking For Off-Grid Living
I am not a weekend hobbyist or a lifestyle influencer sharing filtered highlights. I am a mother of two, who has spent over a decade in the ‘trenches’ of modern homesteading. My background in Industrial Design and Management means I look at off-grid life through the lens of a creative problem-solver. I’ve navigated the learning of solar power, generators, off-grid building, the complexities of remote business operations and the daily rhythm of homeschooling on the forest floor.
Twelve years in, and I’m still learning!
This isn’t a polished guide to perfection. It’s a decade of authentic trial and error experiences to help you navigate your own journey toward self-sufficiency. I know your time is precious, so I’m here to share encouragement and what actually works – no fluff, just the grit and creativity it takes to build a life from scratch.
The Off Grid Canvas is my ‘experience storehouse’ – a collection of hard-won insights for those of us doing this for real.
The mess is part of the process 😉