Char Chit Chat2 Nov 2025

CCC S1E17 with Trevor Richards

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...

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Avsnitt(28)

CCC S2E8 with John Valentine

Episode 8 with John explores his recent discovery of biochar for his compost and his method of making it in a stainless steel bucket. This takes some work to do, but in a social context such as hangin...

14 Maj 30min

CCC S2E7 with Stephen Newman

Episode 7 features Stephen who lives just north of Auckland on 23 acres. He is one of the farmers who receives food waste from the City To Farm project featured in Season 1 Episode 6. We talk about ho...

27 Apr 38min

CCC S2E6 with James McNally

Episode 6 featured James from the Hawkes Bay. We talk about his current role as a tutor at Land Based Training where he hopes to incorporate biochar into the horticulture courses.James' passion for bi...

20 Apr 34min

CCC S2E5 with Anni Kurze (Soil Stewards)

Anni talks to Dylan about her life journey from Germany to Portugal to settling in New Zealand in 2012. She and husband Ron homestead on 50 acres in Maheno in North Otago and besides homeschooling 3 c...

27 Mars 52min

CCC S2E4 with Katerina Seligman

Katerina has been involved in biochar in New Zealand since the 'early days' - one of the pioneers who saw it as a practical way to sequester carbon in response to excess carbon in the air. She talks a...

8 Mars 36min

CCC S2E3 - Dylan interviewed by Conan Moynihan (Force of Nature podcast)

The Force of Nature Podcast is where regenerative thinking meets high-performance farming. Hosted by farm consultant Conan Moynihan, this show dives deep into the future of food, farming, and human he...

28 Jan 1h 3min

CCC S2E2 with Gerard Anselmi (Kaipara Coast Farm)

Gerard turned 65 and then bought a 550ha farm for his retirement! Together with his son Jake, they are exploring more regenerative ways of farming livestock while also looking after the land. Biochar ...

24 Jan 30min

CCC S2E1 with Megan and Daniel Schutt (Above & Below Collective)

Great to get dairy farmers on the Char Chit Chat who actively use and promote biochar in many aspects of their farming operation. We delve into their farming journey and reveal many very sensible aspe...

10 Jan 40min