Commune: Chasing a Utopian Dream in Aotearoa

by Olive Jones

In 1979, teenager Olive Jones was one of a group of hippies, idealists, and subsistence farmers that set up an alternative community on a farm in the Motueka Valley near Nelson. Influenced by the countercultural movement sweeping the country during the 1970s and 80s, they were part of a widespread interest in communal living, a generation of young people inspired to reject mainstream culture. These experiments in communal living were an attempt to achieve social, sexual and physical liberation from the ‘uptight’ world they grew up in. Commune documents the rise and fall of Olive Jones’ community, Graham Downs. Achieving self-sufficiency was a hugely rewarding experience, using draft horses to carry out old-world methods of farming, building shelters by hand and growing enough food to support a fluctuating population of assorted hippies, nutters, spiritual seekers and dreamers, who all arrived eager to participate in the dream. Ultimately, however, this unstructured community, without rules and membership, failed to fulfil the early vision. Olive Jones’ memoir recalls the dreams, the madness, the humour and hard work of living an alternative lifestyle, a wonderfully insightful and fascinating account of a very influential period in New Zealand’s social history.

202 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. In fact I finished the last page and turned straight back to the first page and read it again. If you've ever lived in any kind of intentional community, it's a must-read. If you've ever been curious about living intensely communally, it's highly recommended

[McKenzie Millican · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in a bookstore in Hokitika, New Zealand and read this out loud to my partner on our road trip from Golden Bay to Wanaka, Wanaka to Christchurch, Christchurch to Hunterville, and Wellington back down south again (I can’t drive the van so I’m in charge of entertainment and personality). We are guilty of having heaps of modern day hippie friends who insist after a weekend camping “we should totally start a commune”, half joking, half not. Olive’s deep dive into the full breadth of the history of Graham Downs, from its smaller scale predecessor in Nelson to its ultimate fragmentation and dissolution (spoiler, sorry) is funny, thoughtful, fascinating, vivid, and impeccably researched. Getting to explore this corner of NZ history was such a treat while exploring the country itself, even if my Kiwi partner laughed at the words and slang I struggled to pronounce. We will be passing this book along to our friends and telling them that we will only be joining their commune after they write some watertight bylaws and establish a central system of governance.

[Simone B · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Commune' is the fascinating story of the Graham Downs community in Aotearoa, from hopeful beginnings to its eventual downward spiral. It's also a story of the author's personal growth and change, and a reflection on the nature of humans building community together.

I've always had an interest in intentional communities - what makes them work or not - and while this book doesn't try to answer that question, it provides and interesting and honest case study. Having visited Graham Downs briefly in my youth, I was always curious about what happened to it, so I appreciate having my curiosity sated! I think this book will appeal to anyone who has ever been drawn to living in community - It is well-written and engaging and offers and insightful look into an interesting time in Aotearoa's history.

[Gemma Crouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up from the library in NZ - certainly may not have come across it otherwise so very thankful for local selection!
Thought this was a really interesting personal account of Olives life living in a commune. The writing flowed fairly well and the constant shifting and changing throughout her years really kept me intrigued. It was so interesting to see how Tahuna/Graham Downs evolved over the years with almost no leader of any sort.

After this read I’m definitely keen to seek out some other books on this topic!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to dislike this book.
Knowing someone mentioned in the book and the issues it stirred up.
But it was a interesting read, often humorous. I found myself identifying with the ideals of sustainability and shunning the commercial excess most people live with these days.
But also a sadness of what Graham Downs became.

The thing that did bother me though is that the children were named. They were born into the farm and did not choose the lifestyle for themselves.

[Caitlin Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A treat. I found myself laughing often, showing the beautiful pictures to friends and retelling the stories. It felt very honest. It gave me an idea of what anarchy can look like, and raised fascinating ideas around social and class dynamics.

[pattan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(review tbw)

[Zoe]

what a joy & a heartache!

[Annie Wrigley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating glimpse into NZ’s new age scene in the early 80s. The desire for utopia seems to be present in every generation lol.