Trevor is one of the founding members of Biochar Network New Zealand (BNNZ) and the secretary since its inception in 2019. He joined me for a chat and talked about his journey with biochar and many insights into its prevalence in SouthEast Asia and New Zealand.
Another flame cap method using Warm Heart kilns, that I hadn't heard of before, was described in detail and the Warm Heart organisation is doing superb work in promoting biochar in Thailand and in some countries in Africa. Their resource bank is superb. They have provided a way for small holders to earn carbon credits as well through their http://biochar.life/ program which offers a way for individuals or businesses anywhere in the world to offset their carbon emissions by supporting these people on the land to make biochar from ag wastes instead of open burning it.
Trevor also talked about the history of research into biochar in New Zealand and how the The New Zealand Biochar Research Centre came about - it lasted around 10 years. He reflected on 'kicking the tyres' of the pyrolysis machine built at Massey Uni:
Here is the thesis about the machine above: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/5864/02_whole.pdf and more biochar related dissertations from Massey: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/browse/subject?value=Biochar&bbm.return=1 - there is not much left online about the The New Zealand Biochar Research Centre. Auckland and Lincoln universities also do biochar research, but it is difficult to find info on their websites.
Trevor outlines many areas of society where biochar could complement - a long list - and where BNNZ could engage if it had more resources (both people and funds).
I enjoyed Trevor's obvious passion, dedication, and simple tips such as matching the char method to the biomass resource at hand...
In this episode Dylan reads the article now on the BNNZ website that outlines the benefits of adding biochar into any composting system. Dylan was paid by BNNZ to create the article and a couple of versions of it to help promote biochar being used in composting. It outlines 10+ ways that biochar benefits composting. Aeration, nutrient adsorption, biology habitat promotion, pH improvement, carbon sequestration, less smells, quicker completion, and so on. Every benefit is backed up with links to academic research! 2-10% by weight and high temperature (above 600° C) best so that the biochar has high surface area.
Here are some great supporting resources:
USBI brochure on composting with biochar (pdf)
Video featuring biochar made at a composting facility in Spain: https://youtu.be/oHbdtJxb6ZE?si=ckop5L8FBJg0OURr (4.5 mins)
Thorough and referenced blog post: https://www.compostmagazine.com/biochar-in-compost
Extremely well referenced white paper by Pacific Biochar: https://pacificbiochar.com/wp-content/uploads/Pacific-Biochar_Biochar-Compost_white-paper.pdf
Excited to release this chat with Huhana so you too can enjoy her passion for biochar and growing good food. Huhana is an artist, university professor, farmer, kaitiaki, biochar enthusiast, and more...
We explore a recent stream rehabilitation project made into an art project that has probably exposed thousands of people to biochar with an exhibition in Wellington.
We go into some detail on making biochar paint and how it was applied to the hemp and wool roll with a design inspired by pukeko footprints... Supporting blog post: https://passionatepermies.wordpress.com/2025/09/24/podcast-with-huhana-smith
Loads more detail of the Kuku Biochar Project: https://www.drawingopen.com/blog/2024/3/3/the-kuku-biochar-project-2021-2024
Listen to Huhana on RNZ: https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/countrylife/2025/huhana-smith-artist-scholar-activist-and-farmer
Follow Huhana on instagram @dooze69High and her property website: https://www.waikokopuoil.co.nz
Episode 14 featured Cameron who lives on a lifestyle block near Pukekohe in the Auckland region of New Zealand.
I liked Cameron's answer to what is biochar: "I like the coral reef analogy - I think it's something people understand. They have a strong visual image of what a coral reef is... and full of life, a structure, a habitat..."
Cameron is super passionate about biochar because of the results he gets after adding it to his growing areas.
We talk about the practicalities of making biochar and how his methods have adapted over time to suit his context. Retorts at community gardens, TLUDs for corn cobs, pits for home biomass, to old dairy vat for prunings and sawmill waste...
We also talk about feeding biochar to various animals and using it successfully in a deep litter sytem for chickens.
We hear about Cameron's optimism for making serious inroads into predator control with the confluence of intelligent, resetting, and dynamic traps that hopefully will become low cost enough to be deployed throughout all of New Zealand.
The chat gets into permaculture near the end and you can also read more on Cameron's blog: https://onionroadfarm.com/ including some posts about biochar :)
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biocharThe national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz/ (BNNZ)https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749/
John is a researcher and academic so it was great to hear his perspective and explanations of biochar knowledge that he has gained from doing a PhD tackling 3 aspects of biochar; investigating how biochar changes on a molecular level at different carbonisation temperatures, quality testing protocol development, and composite materials innovation.
Ket takeaways for me:
1. Higher temperature pyrolysis (600-800 degrees C) gives higher surface area biochar which is better for soil.
2. Biology influences biochar on the microscale and chemistry influences biochar on the nanoscale.
3. Higher temperature pyrolysis (above 620 degrees C) gives biochar that is electrically conductive (for use in EMF blocking composites)
John is now a free lance consultant helping people and companies in biochar production development and improvement. He also has been a BNNZ committee member since its inception and offers his scientific knowledge to the organisation free of charge.
Episode 12 was an inspiring chat with Simon from Waiuku (40km south west of Auckland city) who uses biochar to enhance his pastures as well as feeds it to cattle to improve their health.
The success is evident in the increased pasture regrowth times and animals not needing drenching, having high fertility rates, and growing faster.
Yes, it is work to make biochar, but the benefits are obvious to Simon and this recording advocates for more people to try it out.
Livestock are also excellent distributors of char to the landscape negating the need for any kind of spreading machine.
To see some photos from Simon's farm, see the accompanying blog post here.
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biocharThe national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz/ (BNNZ)https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749
Episode 11 of Char Chit Chat features a chat with Dale from the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. Dale is an ecologist with a strong interest in tree systems and biochar. We delve into his hands-on, low budget methods of making biochar from tree branches on the family farm. Dale has started his own business called Rivendale Wood where he sells products from the treed landscape of the farm.
We also talk about Hazelnut tree production that his Dad has been doing since the 1980s, Dale's favourite and efficient way of making biochar, and his thinking behind people taking action to mitigate climate change.
Episode 10 (into the double digits!) is with John from Paekākāriki on the Kāpiti Coast. We chat about his discovery and immediate fixation with biochar around 2020 and then the formation of a local char group as an offshoot of the community gardens. CharPae applied for grants from local council to get the gear to go and demonstrate and educate about biochar in the community. Something all councils should be doing in my opinion. John talks about their Char-B-Que as an intergral part of the educational workshops, along with their 600 litre kontiki kiln for making large amounts of high quality char. John was pumped about his recent participation at the Biochar Network New Zealand stand at Fieldays in Hamilton where members came together to cook sausages on the Char-B-Que and promote biochar to anyone with a nose for barbecued venison sausages!
Dylan chats with Helen Dew (now 87) who featured in the documentary called Being the Change at 85. Helen speaks with conviction about how important healthy soil is, and how biochar, bokashi, compost, and mulch in combination all help soil health. We talk about her upcoming autobiography and her plan for a natural burial as well as an alternative to the current, but unnecessary economic growth paradigm -> Savings pools as an example of interest free debt (Living Economies). I hope you will be inspired by the admirable life Helen leads..
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biocharThe national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz (BNNZ)
Intro music:https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749
Klaus and his family run PermaDynamics Farm and Education up in Northland and we chat about his long history with biochar and agroforestry. Permaculture comes up too. I really recommend having a look through their website after the podcast and also seeing what is on offer on their youtube channel. They offer a paid educational service helping people to learn about Syntropics as well as a planning tool called SAPP.
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biocharThe national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz (BNNZ)Intro sound: https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749Support/donate: https://checkya.com/char_chit_chat
Cornelia (and Kai) run KoruKai Herb Farm in Banks Peninsular, near Christchurch. We had an excellent chat about how they make and use biochar for their animals, compost toilet, worm product, and composting in general. Also, about their homesteading and small home business selling herb related products as well as live compost worms!
Resources mentioned:
Phyto Farm: bringing plant medicine back to its rightful place in garden plots and promoting the kitchen as a pharmacy (Little River)
Crafty Gatherer: Designing and producing artisanal tools.
Southern Humates: Shallow humate mine in Southland.
Biochar Network New Zealand: National biochar organisation.
Wow - what a great project Betsy has going on - City to Farm is all about collecting food resources in the city and using it to build soil on a banana farm! The project is on a mission to see if Terra Preta can be created and how it long it will take as well as educating primary school students about biochar and composting food scraps.
The episode features the excellent video by Nicholas Monk called Soil Revival - The Terra Preta Research Project.
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biocharThe national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz/ (BNNZ)Intro sound:https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749
Ben is known as Dr Compost and works in education, landscape design, permaculture, and with biochar. He is also treasurer for Biochar Network New Zealand.
We chat about who Ben is, what he does, and heaps about his biochar passion. Links to topics mentioned:
Ring of Fire kiln by Kelpie Wilson
Joany is one of the founders of The Good Carbon Farm and we chat about how she got into biochar, the work her charity is involved in, and what she looks forward to for the future.
The Good Carbon Farm on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Projects mentioned in the chat:
Oke school gardens (https://oke.org.nz/)
Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (https://www.rth.org.nz/)
Slash for Cash, Tolaga Bay (https://www.slashforcash.co.nz/)
Enviroschools (https://enviroschools.org.nz/)
Upper Hutt community gardens (https://www.upperhutt.govt.nz/Community/Community-Gardens)
Victoria University Wellington industry Alliance Programme (https://www.linkedin.com/company/indallpro/posts/)
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar
The national biochar association in NZ: https://biochar.net.nz/ (BNNZ)
Intro sounds:
https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250749
Dennis Enright is Managing Director of New Zealand Biochar Ltd and promotes organic and sustainable growing practices, and the role that biochar can play in such systems.
He has over 40 years of experience in agriculture and horticulture that ranges from researcher to commercial producer. In addition, he has sat on the committees of various local and national organic organisations in NZ as well as Biochar Network New Zealand and ANZBIG.
Dennis mentions Paul Taylor and the Good Carbon Farm in our interview.
This episode with Phil covers where he is from, how he got into char, his favourite method of making it, what he uses char for on his lifestyle block, benefits of char, interesting new research about decontamination of pfas using char and iron, what he thinks is needed for biochar to go mainstream, and his role with Biochar Network New Zealand.
Support/donate: https://checkya.com/char_chit_chat
A short introduction to the host of Char Chit Chat - Passionate Permie DylanOur website: https://passionatepermies.wordpress.com/
Listen to more from Dylan:
31 July 2024 Reskillience: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/retire-by-35-with-dylan-graves/id1723090226?i=1000663884860
9 May 2024 Quorum Sense: https://www.quorumsense.org.nz/content/podcast/38-transforming-waste-into-biochar-with-dylan-graves
Support/donate: https://checkya.com/char_chit_chat
