Pricing up organics

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When it comes to groceries, many of us want to shop organic, but can’t afford the higher price tag. So why is organic food more expensive, and when you add up environmental and health factors, does it really cost us more?

By Bonnie Flaws
Illustrations by Vasanti Unka 
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Everyone deserves to be able to eat a nutritious diet free of nasty chemicals and spray residues, but for almost all of us, it’s out of reach. Even dedicated organic shoppers in New Zealand have to make compromises, either because of the cost or availability of organic foods. Given affordable options and ready access, I believe most of us would probably favour organic foods all of the time.  

But cost more they do, and with rising inflation and geopolitical conflicts impacting on supply chains and energy prices, they are only going to get more expensive. Despite this, there are very good reasons to purchase organic foods whenever your budget can stretch for it. 

The case for eating organic

Jodie Bruning, a sociologist with expertise in the public health impacts of pesticides, and a Soil & Health National Council member, says while it can’t be claimed that organics are more nutritious than conventional produce (there is too much variability in soil type, climate and farming practices to make this claim), what is known is that eating organic food dramatically reduces exposure to synthetic, exogenous chemicals. And the risks to health are clear.  

“Whether it’s an insecticide, fungicide or herbicide, we’re seeing inflammatory markers worsened. We see neurodevelopmental impacts right through the food chain from the smallest insects to humans in the in vivo studies. One of the biggest costs of pesticides is endocrine (hormonal) disruption.”  

 

In fact, scientists are seeing worrying associations between pesticide exposure – particularly organophosphates – on learning, IQ and behaviour. A major factor driving parents to purchase organic produce in New Zealand today will be to protect their children’s brain health, she says. 

“However it’s not just pesticides. Ultra-processed foods, low in nutrition and fibre and high in additive chemicals can also contribute to health problems and degrade the microbiome, leading to neurological issues, including depression. Organic diets help people move away from these food types.” 

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Paying not to pollute

Another reason to buy organic is to protect the environment and biodiversity. And interestingly, this point illuminates something that goes more or less unacknowledged: that when we buy conventional food, in effect, we end up paying more. 

We might pay less at the checkout, but over the long term and in other ways, we still end up paying the price for polluting. Noel Josephson, chairman of Ceres Organics, the country’s oldest organic retailer, explains: “The price on the supermarket shelf is not the true cost of the product – it’s only the economic cost. It doesn’t account for the cost to your health or the damage to the environment – all of those are passed on to the future. That is the key to understanding what it is you’re buying and if it’s good value. If you apply ‘true cost accounting’, organics comes out cheaper than conventional.”  

True cost accounting factors in the externalised costs of conventional food production. One example, says Noel, is the amount councils pay to remove agricultural chemicals from the water supply. Another is the cost of health care to treat diseases resulting from toxic exposures. The cost is socialised, or delayed, but we still end up paying. 

However, Geoff Kira, a senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences at Massey University, says food insecurity affects one in five Kiwi families, and many people are paying up to 50 percent of their weekly budget on the rent alone. Such abstract calculations are not realistically going to be a factor in the weekly food shop for many. 

“If you apply ‘true cost accounting’, organics comes out cheaper than conventional.”

NOEL JOSEPHSON, CHAIRPERSON, CERES ORGANICS

*Correction: the price quoted above for tinned tomatoes from Commonsense Organics should read $0.57 for 100g. We incorrectly listed the 400g price.

Why organics cost more 

Teva Stewart, retail manager at Commonsense, says price generally comes down to the cost of production.  Organic production doesn’t rely on chemicals to take care of weeds, so labour costs are higher. They’re also not intensively planted or stocked, so overall yields are lower. These, along with certification, add costs right off the bat. However, organic production is generally just more expensive in New Zealand. 

“It can cost more to eat an organic product produced here than one produced overseas and shipped in,” he says. Case in point: a 500ml bottle of imported Spanish extra virgin olive oil costs $7 less than a locally produced one at my local organic shop. Teva also notes that distribution is more costly because we don’t have a rail network, instead relying on trucks, while the volumes of organic products being distributed are vastly smaller than conventional in New Zealand.  

Countdown’s assistant manager of organic produce Savilla Manuel says while demand for organic products is growing – sales grew 24 percent year-on-year in the period ending June 2021 – the scale of domestic production is comparatively tiny. Supermarkets are largely reliant on local suppliers, so things like adverse weather events, labour shortages and import restrictions have a significant impact on supply. Compounding the problem, organic land conversion takes about three years, a time commitment many growers are hesitant to make, she says. “This effectively reduces the number of larger growers within the industry from making the move to convert to organic, which otherwise would help to improve overall supply and reduce prices.” 

How low can they go?

Organic retailers will tell you that they already do all they can to offer organic goods at the lowest price. Due to bulk importation, certain items, such as tinned tomatoes, can be offered on special regularly. However, other types of food, such as root vegetables, will generally always be the same price, Teva says. “Things like carrots, beetroot and potatoes, which are in the ground for a long time and require a lot of weeding, they are always going to be $8 per kg in an organic store because those labour costs are there.” 

Noel Josephson says the market conditions that apply to conventional usually apply to organic. For example, New Zealand is competitive at producing wine, apples and kiwifruit. Organic production of these goods can also be done competitively and at scale, he says. “The point I’m making is that there is not much that is going to change from market to market, which isn’t already there, which is really caused by other factors such as the growing environment, the trading environment or the government regulations,” he says. But that doesn’t mean the conditions for lower prices can’t be brought about. This is happening now in the European Union where 25 percent of all agriculture is set to go organic by 2030, he says.  

BioGro chief executive Donald Nordeng agrees, and says if the country could get over the idea that government shouldn’t support farmers directly, there would be more likelihood prices could come down. “We could do something amazing, but currently we don’t have price support, which I think is a misnomer,” he says. The EU is subsidising half the cost of certification and providing crop insurance for organic farmers, incentivising organic conversion. There is also money available for farming infrastructure, such as fencing, riparian planting and tree planting. “[There are] all sorts of improvements. Billions and billions of dollars that are being earmarked for [organic] agricultural production. Here we don’t have any regulation yet so the government really can’t take action.” The Organic Products Bill is currently making its way through the house, and when the regulation is in place, it will bring greater investment and funding to grow the sector, he says. 

Noel says it’s something the country should aspire to. “It’s definitely in New Zealand’s interest. If we went organic, we would get a greater return for the same amount of land, we would have a less polluted environment, and it could support the regions.”   

Bonnie Flaws is a freelance journalist and writer based in Napier. She grows an organic vegetable garden and shops organic wherever her budget allows. 

To GE or not to GE: Organic growers consider Pfizer

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Organic NZ asked four organic growers to share their stories of how they navigated ethical considerations regarding the Pfizer vaccine. 

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Renewed focus on nutrition and health 

Everyone we spoke to is hopeful we emerge from the pandemic with a new commitment to local healthy food production. Dom Ferretti, of Ferretti Growers near Nelson, says their vegetable box deliveries are doing very well: “More people are taking the plunge into organics who may have been on the fence before. We are struggling to meet demand.” This growth in sales is also true for Untamed Earth Organic Farm in Christchurch. Co-owner Penny Platt told Organic NZ the pandemic has been a mixed bag:  
“In some ways it’s been challenging. Managing staff interactions to stop the spread, and with the markets closed, we’ve had to change how we work. But we’ve also benefitted. Vege box sales have gone up. People are thinking more about local food and eating at home. We’ve built our profile and connected with more people who are coming to us instead of buying from supermarkets.” 

When it comes to staying healthy, a focus on good nutrition and active stress management have been key planks for Dom Ferretti. “We’ve been mindful of the extra stress and hard work as a result of the pandemic. Our focus has been on eating well and ensuring we get enough zinc and vitamins C and D. These are efforts to keep all viruses at bay. Relaxation and stress release through yoga have also been important for us, and we’ve been doing a lot of cold-water therapy, which has some great benefits.” 

“In general, there is not enough focus on empowerment of the people to take their health into their own hands. It’s a tragedy to have to rely solely on outside help when there is so much opportunity for self-sustainability, and endless available resources out there to get people started!”

KELLY DIGGLE, ĀRĀMA GARDENS & NURSERY
Dom Ferretti and Jeaneatte Ida from Ferretti Growers, near Nelson, which delivers vege boxes, runs a farm shop and offers gardening workshops. 

What about the vaccine? 

The importance of people having the right to make their own personal decision about vaccination was common to everyone we spoke to. Penny Platt’s view is that GE technology has been used recklessly, but that in the pandemic we have to look at a wider set of concerns. “Not being an expert on the science, I defer to people who are. I am trusting of the public health response, and that it’s been conducted with peoples’ needs in mind. I don’t feel concerned about that. 

“Regarding our organic philosophy – the core of it is about health and well-being and fairness. The thing I  
am prioritising is the vulnerable and their health and wellbeing. The vaccination programme helps us to support other people as well as ourselves.” 

Penny is still opposed to the use of GE in foods. “I am opposed to GE because it enables patenting tech that disempowers local food growers and indigenous communities, and takes ownership away from the people and gives it to corporates. What gets lost when we replace heirloom seeds and the natural varieties through GE? This is not the same for the vaccine. The use of GE tech has often been reckless, and unjustified, which is the problem. It doesn’t mean there aren’t justified ways of using it.” 

“The GE technology isn’t GMO or anything like that. Yes, it uses GE technology and that is hard to square with organics but this is such a unique and hopefully very rare situation.”

TIM GOW, MANGAPIRI DOWNS

Dom Ferretti draws a parallel with the chemical revolution in agriculture and the mistakes that were made around chemical safety. “Our gut feeling was that this was not right. We have spent so many years being very aware and careful of what we put into our bodies. Then when we looked into it, we found plenty of evidence which caused concern. Lots of evidence suggested more caution needed to be taken with the vaccine than people were taking. My observation has been that these industrial products are always presented as safe and effective at the outset. Then only later do we realise the harmful effects. This is true of the chemical revolution in farming. My grandfather moved out from Italy and became a market gardener in the early 20th century. He and his family got swept up in the chemical revolution. In the end, my father told me that organics is the only way for the long term. We ended up with a lot of cancer in the family from chemical exposure.” 

Kelly Diggle of Ārāma Gardens & Nursery near Kaitaia, says a GE vaccine doesn’t sit well with her growing philosophy. “There’s a deep connection to the food sustaining me because I have participated in the growth and health of that plant before it essentially transforms into the very cells living in this body! The likes of a GE vaccine – which does not require the time, effort and commitment that is needed for a rich interpersonal relationship to develop – in its very nature goes against the flow of life.” 

Southland organic farmer Tim Gow says he wrestled with the decision for a long time. “We haven’t vaccinated our sheep stock in nearly 20 years and haven’t needed to. But then I looked at how this is a bit of a unique situation, being a global pandemic with essentially a completely new virus. So that was the deciding factor for me. The GE technology isn’t GMO or anything like that. Yes, it uses GE technology and that is hard to square with organics but this is such a unique and hopefully very rare situation. I’m also in that category of people more at risk due to my age.” 

Penny Platt co-owns Untamed Earth Organic Farm in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, which provides vege boxes for the local community. 

Getting back to a new normal 

Regardless of opinions, everyone is hopeful we can build better connections with food as we emerge from the pandemic. Kelly Diggle wants to see more encouragement towards things like organic gardening, food security, community building and food sustainability. “In general, there is not enough focus on empowerment of the people to take their health into their own hands. It’s a tragedy to have to rely solely on outside help when there is so much opportunity for self-sustainability, and endless available resources out there to get people started!”  

Dom Ferretti agrees: “We hope that people take more charge of their immune system; and that they utilise nutrition and other health practices to protect themselves. We also hope that mandates are dropped and never used again, and that we accept that this virus needs to run its course as nature intends.” 

Penny Platt hopes that the high vaccination rate will enable us to move through this pandemic safely. “The location of our farm means we work around vulnerable people – a residential care facility for people with disabilities. So we take extra care. But I am also looking forward to returning to more of a balanced life. I hope we can have less heated conversations once the direct effects are not so acute.”  

Remix Plastics spins material right round

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Anthea Madill is the owner of Remix Plastic, which sells jewellery and other products made from plastic waste as part of her kaupapa to educate people about sustainability. We talked to her about this mahi, and why  
we need to think beyond recycling as the main solution.

Photography: Juliet Nicholas
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Puro, Australasia’s organic-certified medical cannabis operation

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Perseverance, dedication and learning by doing has paved the pathway to organic certification for Puro, Australasia’s only organic-certified medical cannabis operation. Rebecca Reider visits its Marlborough farm. 

Photography: Puro
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10 natural health boosters

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With seasonal flu, colds and Covid-19 circulating, maintaining optimum health for you and your family is more important than ever.  Natural health practitioners gave us their top tips on getting organised, staying well and looking after yourself if you do get sick. 

1. Be prepared

Rongoā Māori healer Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) says that preparation is key right now. “When we look at the Māori way of living in harmony with our environment, it’s really important that we’re not just thinking about now but we’re doing what is required for three months’ time.” She advises doing practical things like making sure firewood is chopped and ready so people’s houses can be drier and warmer when illness is circulating and it’s cold, and airing bedding while it’s sunny. “Some of the best sanitisers in the world are the wind and the sun. Air your blankets so you’re clearing out the dust and sanitise the things you don’t wash every week.” She also recommends taking advantage of the season’s bounty by preserving food, making stocks out of fish remnants and freezing them, and harvesting herbal medicines. “By preserving the excess that we have available to us now we can build immunity and have nourishing options when we least feel like cooking because we’re unwell.”

“Preserve the excess now, so we have nourishing options available when we’re unwell ”, says Donna Kerridge, Rongoā Māori healer
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2. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food

Hippocrates’ words still ring true today. Eating a well-balanced nutritious diet is one of the best things you can do for your health. Wanaka Health Bridge (wanakahealthbridge.co.nz) is a website created by a collective of health practitioners in Wānaka to meet the needs of the local community during Covid. Various early action protocols covered on the site provide information on the stages of the virus, hygiene and immune-supporting minerals and vitamins.

When it comes to kai, naturopath, herbalist and nutritionist Kaz von Heraud-Parker, who led the initiative says, “If you can eat organic, where possible, you’re going to reduce the strain on your system,” but generally she advises eating a diet that targets core nutrients. This includes vitamin C-rich foods like blackcurrants, red peppers, kiwifruit, oranges, broccoli and parsley; foods rich in zinc such as meat, seafood, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils and cashew nuts (it’s best to soak plant-based sources of zinc prior to eating to remove acids that can block absorption); and also probiotic foods like natural yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, miso and tempeh. Don’t forget about foods rich in quercetin either. This natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory may  also act as a ‘zinc ionophore’ (helping zinc to get into your cells where it works best). It’s abundant in red onions, red grapes, honey, citrus fruits and capers. 

3. Lower your viral load

“Reducing your viral load is a key thing to be doing now that the virus is out and about in the community,” says Kaz. “If you’ve been around areas where you know the virus has been, you can either do a nasal spray, a gargle, or suck on a propolis or mānuka lozenge.”
Donna says the best way to irrigate your nasal passages and make oxygen absorption more efficient is to swim in the sea. If  taking a dip is out of the question, she recommends buying a ready-made nasal rinse rather than making your own as people sometimes burn their sinuses with overly salty homemade rinses. 

4. Stay active

Science has shown us for some time now that people who are aerobically active are less likely to get sick from colds or infections and that they recover more quickly. A 2021 study of 50,000 Californians who were infected with Covid found that those who were the most active before they were ill were the least likely to be hospitalised or die of the illness. Try and do 150–300 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise per week (or 30 minutes a day). As well as formal exercise, remember that activities like cleaning and gardening also count and will help you move more and sit less.  

5. Stock your cupboards

Wanaka Health Bridge recommends adding these foods to your shopping list:

Herbs  

  • Fresh ginger root  
  • Fresh garlic bulbs  
  • Thyme 
  • Elderberries 
  • Echinacea  
  • Turmeric root  

Key nutrients  

  • Shiitake mushrooms  
  • Reishi mushrooms  
  • Lemons  
  • Kiwi fruit 
  • Berries  
  • Leafy greens  
  • Broccoli  
  • Sardines  
  • Pumpkin seeds  
  • Flax seeds  
  • In-season fresh fruit and vegetables  
  • Miso  
  • Organic vegetable broth 

6. DIY natural remedies

We’ve been using our gardens and pantries to heal ourselves since forever. Try some of these to boost your immunity and soothe mild illness.

Onions and honey 

Chop up an onion and put it in a jar with a tablespoon of honey. Leave overnight, then take spoonfuls of the liquid a couple of times a day. Donna says she also likes to add angiangi (the green woolly lichen from the uznea species, which you often find on old stonefruit trees). Or skip the onion and take 1 teaspoon of honey a day for gut health.

Herbal infusions and decoctions 

To make an infusion, which is like a herbal tea, simply pour boiling water over the dried leaves, steep for five minutes then drink. To make a decoction, which is the best way to access the properties of woody plants with thick leaves, gently simmer the plant material in water before cooling and drinking. Herb specialist Minette Tonoli (meadowsweet.co.nz) recommends good old lemon, ginger and honey tea, but also makes a tea out of 1 teaspoon each of dried yarrow, peppermint and elderflowers to bring down fevers. Donna’s top three plants for decoctions, which can be harvested and dried now, are kūmarahou and kānuka leaves and the leaves and flowers of mullein. 

Tomato tea 

Or try Minette’s tomato tea. Combine 1 litre of tomato juice (juice your own or buy it ready-made), 4–6 cloves of garlic, the juice of 2 lemons and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a saucepan, bring to the boil then drink it as hot as you can manage. She advises drinking another cup four to six hours later. 

Sage gargle 

Make a sage tea by pouring boiling water over 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves. Steep for about 10 minutes, add a teaspoon of honey or cider vinegar, then once it’s cool enough, use it as  
a gargle. The good thing about this tea is that you can also drink the leftovers. 

Herbal inhaler 

Instead of buying a nasal decongestant, Donna says it’s easy to make your own. Put cotton buds inside an empty medicine bottle, add 20 drops of eucalyptus or kānuka oil and sniff as needed to clear your sinuses. 

7. Let nature nurture you

Any gardener will tell you how good being outdoors makes them feel. But visiting a beach or even a local park will improve your sense of well-being. Being in natural spaces also significantly decreases our stress levels, which in turn reduces blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones. Plus being outdoors is a fantastic way to stay connected with people while reducing the chances of transmitting the virus.

8. Get a decent night’s sleep

“There isn’t one facet of our mental or physical performance that isn’t affected by the quality of your sleep,” says sleep specialist Jane Wrigglesworth (howtosleepwell.org). She recommends seven to eight hours of sleep a night. And says if you’re having trouble sleeping, you should find out why. “A cup of chamomile tea using a standard tea bag is unlikely to help, for example, if your problem with sleep is caused by a thyroid imbalance. Combined valerian and passiflora is a time-honoured treatment for insomnia, but it depends on the individual.” 

9. Grow fast food

It doesn’t get fresher and more convenient than being able to eat food you’ve grown yourself, especially if you’re isolating at home. Sow or plant salad greens every couple of weeks so you’ve always got fresh veges ready to harvest. Or for really speedy fare, sow microgreens. Simply press seed into a container of moist potting mix, lightly cover with soil and spritz daily. They’ll be ready to harvest in as little as a week. Or sow bean sprouts in a jar. Place a couple of tablespoons of your favourite sprout seeds in a jar, cover with 5cm water, leave to sit overnight, then cover with muslin or a mesh lid (available at garden centres or health stores), rinse out the excess water, then rinse and drain again. Repeat this a couple of times a day for several days, by which time your sprouts will have tails and be ready to eat.

10. Monitor your health if you do get sick

If you do get sick, make sure you get tested. Have a thermometer handy so you can take your temperature (normal is around 36.5–37.5oC) and record it along with your other symptoms.

Donna advises, “If you have other conditions like asthma or diabetes or take more than three types of medications, get a second opinion about whether you should be isolating at home or whether you should see a doctor face to face.” 

The advice in this story is in addition to the government’s advice and isn’t intended to replace standard medical treatment for Covid-19. Visit covid19.govt.nz for the government’s latest health advice.  

Nurturing resilience at Awatea Organics

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Awatea Organics is a research and training farm in Whangārei specialising in heritage organic food, seed and medicine. Its founder, Tui Shortland, talked to us about food sovereignty, saving heritage seed and her work supporting indigenous communities internationally. 

Photography: Jacob Leaf

Video: Tui Shortland spoke to Organic NZ about the kaupapa of Awatea Organics

Tui Shortland spoke to Organic NZ about the kaupapa of Awatea Organics

I’ve been gardening here at Te Rewarewa for four years now, opening up the māra as a way to reconnect our whānau back to the land and writing our food sovereignty kaupapa. Our business, Awatea Organics, specialises in growing heritage organic food, seed, and medicine, as well as cultivating farmers. We believe that sharing knowledge about growing heritage food is going to help our people to reclaim our culture, reconnect to the land and be healthy.  

Te Rewarewa was the traditional area of our tūpuna, but after colonisation, most of the land was confiscated. So pretty much, we’ve been squeezed down to this 165 acre block. A lot of things have happened in terms of illegal use of the land, pushing the family off and alienation but we’ve been fortunate to have a legal incorporation for a long time, so we have meetings – and every year more families come back and talk about our vision for the land.  

  • Tui has installed a solar-powered cabin at the māra, which provides a place to relax and is a retreat from the sun and rain.
  • Mānuka stakes provide support for plants to climb up.

My father ran a traditional medicine clinic in Whangārei. He taught me how to harvest and prepare plant medicines. I get my love of the forest from him. 

At Awatea Organics, we believe the future of food is culture. We follow the ancient principles of mimicking nature, establishing biodiverse resilient ecosystems of nutritious food. Hand-raised and hand-harvested heritage produce reconnects people to their ancestors and follows indigenous practices with an intergenerational focus. Traditional superfoods we grow here include Māori potatoes like kōwinini as well as taro, kūmara and pūha, the native brassica – ruruhau, and we also grow medicinal plants like kūmarahou and karamū. 

There’s a famine when it comes to Māori seed, so growing out seed is really important. Sometimes we’ll get given a little handful of old seed and we grow the crop until we get to a point that we have enough to eat and also some seed to save. We’re constantly looking at how we can improve the resilience of our seed. We grew some plants through the seven-year drought in 2020 and it’s our favourite seed because it’s so hardy. Once we’ve grown a crop for 20 cycles, the seed has adapted to our microclimate and soil. 

We plant using indigenous methodologies. Our water conservation, terracing, companion planting, all of it is very much about tried and true ways of growing our food according to principles of our ancestors – principles around biodiversity, understanding your microclimate and fostering soil. As soon as we cleared the tobacco weed, privet and kikuyu away and opened up the māra, straight away we had birds coming in like riroriro (grey warbler) and tūi, and there’s a resident ruru here and a resident kāhu (hawk).  

Soil health is very important to us. Our indigenous ways of growing food are very much around soil regeneration and the ethics of returning life to that which gives you life. It’s about putting the breath or the mauri back into the plants because they’ve given it to us. We have some big old critters here – there’s a huge centipede that we try not to think about too much because otherwise you get put off putting your hands in the soil. But all of the life that is in the soil is supporting all of the plants that we’re bringing through. We try not to let the soil get too dry or too bare. We believe that if we follow our principles of fostering the soil, then we can grow food here for the next 100 years. We eat seafood regularly so use the leftovers as fertiliser.  

Kōwiniwini are a favourite heritage crop

This is an educational māra at the moment. We grow plants that generally you might not find in a cultivation in a traditional mara, like tī kōuka (cabbage trees). We are trialling species that are generally found in the forest, and native flowers that are vulnerable or threatened. There’s a yellow daisy that the caterpillar of the kahukura (red admiral) butterfly eats. We observe it here and collect the seed and distribute it, and are about to launch a range of seed we’ve gathered from native flowering plants. 

Food is related to land, and rights to land is an issue. I’ve been working in biodiversity for 25 years now.  It’s something I wanted to do since I was very young. There are many barriers to going back to land and growing food. I was generating a database of sacred places and cultural water indicators for my father’s people – Ngāti Hine – and back then there wasn’t a lot of traditional-knowledge work going on. We were all trying to be pseudoscientists and went around measuring faecal coliforms and e. coli. But when you go to court and you try to oppose a big discharge into a river, the developer always has a better scientist and so we decided that we would come from a strength-based approach and put forward our traditional knowledge around issues.  

Our elders said, “Go overseas and talk to other indigenous peoples and see how they are doing it.” We raised funds and went to India and then stopped in Malaysia on the way back and worked with the Orang Asli people there, and ever since then I have worked overseas teaching governments about what traditional knowledge is because there are UN treaties that require protection of traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use of biodiversity.  We also write reports on the state of biodiversity and climate, from Pasifika peoples’ perspectives, and find them partners to help with things like technological transfer, or investing in more monitoring. So a lot of the work that Awatea does is bridging and connecting and translating and mentoring. 

  • A large part of Awatea Organics’ work is saving indigenous seed.
  • Awatea Organics is collecting the seed of a yellow daisy in the garden that is a host plant for the kahukura (red admiral butterfly) caterpillar.

After the COP26 climate summit, we saw that there was more of a global commitment to changing the way that we live. We saw a lot of the private sector and some governments wanting to change, which gave us a lot of hope. But in the transition to achieve net-zero emissions, we need to ensure there are safeguards in place so indigenous peoples and vulnerable communities are not impacted by the new developments and new technologies. So that’s a big thing we’re doing at the moment – working with industries on shaping their sustainability frameworks to include indigenous safeguards. 

We’ve been part of the GE-free movement in the north since the beginning. A regional policy statement that came out said that GE was a major issue for the tangata whenua of Te Tai Tokerau. Because of that we ended up in the high court with Federated Farmers. All we were saying in the policy was that we wanted Northlanders to have a right to say around GE, but Federated Farmers said that they thought it should be the EPA instead of Northlanders. They lost but we’re back in it now because there’s new language around synthetic biology and things like that. So for me, organics is not only about following the principles of our ancestors in terms of how we grow and how we manaaki people, but it’s also about the political side of it and ensuring that these big industries and also industrial agriculture are ramped down. I believe we need to come together a lot more too. The organics community has so much to give to the industrial agriculture community – they need to open up because everybody needs to change within the next 10 years we’ve got – or less now we’ve been told by the scientists 

Kahu Armstrong (left), one of the Awatea Organics team, waters the garden while Tui’s daughter Hinetaekura (centre) plants orange cosmos in the garden to attract pollinators. Tui (right) has found pampas grass to be an effective mulch during Northland’s hot, dry summers.

We see ourselves as guardians of the community and have plans to open up parts of the māra. The garden teaches us so many things: about abundance and community, and we hope that in the future people will eventually come and experience it and be inspired by it.    

Find out more about Awatea Organics, their indigenous consultancy work, heritage native plants and the maramataka on their website: awateaorganics.nz. They also sell a range of products including a harvest-succession calendar. 

Blooming beautiful flowers with Organic Blooms

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Flower farming wasn’t in the plan for Craig and Mandy Purvis, but grew out of a shift away from the corporate world and towards organics. 
Theresa Sjöquist traces the couple’s journey to becoming one of the few certified organic flower growers in New Zealand. 

Photography: Tony Brownjohn and Theresa Sjöquist
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Growing together with Common Unity

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Common Unity’s roots are deeply set in its community in the Hutt Valley,
25 km north of Wellington. In 2018, ONZ visited and marvelled at everything
this not-for-profit organisation was achieving: growing and distributing food,
sharing knowledge and building its own solutions to the challenges faced in its community. Rachel Rose takes another look at what’s happening now.

Photography: Kristi Scott
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Organics around the world

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The demand for New Zealand organic produce is growing, reflecting the global trend. Local experts share their thoughts with Melissa Reid on how the sector can scale up to meet domestic and export demands. 

There is an ever-increasing number of people who are becoming more attuned to where their food comes from. The demand for products that meet the health, environmental and ethical demands of conscious consumers is on the rise. Nowhere is this better reflected than in the global increase in demand for organic produce. 

With a focus on protecting waterways, biodiversity, communities and helping to fight climate change, organic regenerative agriculture is recognised as a way of farming that offers solutions to these problems, and meets consumer demand for more environmentally friendly practices. 

The growing global organics market

For over a decade, global sales of organic products have shown consistent year-on-year growth. In 2019, global sales of certified organic products reached €106.4 billion (NZ$187.26 billion). 

Around the world, just 1.5 percent of all farmland is certified organic, but the total area looks set to increase because of government policies in a number of countries. Japan, for example, has a target of 25% of agricultural land to be organic by 2050 and some states in India are aiming to be 100% organic in the coming years. 

In 2019, 72.3 million hectares globally were organically managed, up 1.6 percent or 1.1 million ha from 2018. New Zealand’s 5849 ha under organic certification is down 3.41% (3029 hectares) since 2017, but is set to increase again with approximately 6000 ha in conversion to organic. 

Taking our products to the world

Aotearoa New Zealand is in a different situation from most other countries in terms of our agricultural focus.  

“The New Zealand organic sector is targeted and designed for export, just like the rest of the agricultural sector,” said Rick Carmont, executive director of the Organic Exporters Association. “At 58%, New Zealand is the only country that exports most of its organic production. By contrast, Australia exports 26%, Denmark 19%, Sweden 10%, and the US less than 2%.” 

The 2020/21 Organic Sector Market Report commissioned by Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ), shows that our organic agriculture sector’s value has increased by 20% since 2017 to $723 million, with market value split between exports at 58% ($421 million) and domestic market at 42% ($302 million).  

There is significant demand for New Zealand’s organic products worldwide, with 81% sold into five markets in 2020: USA, China, Europe, Australia and Japan (see graph).  

Top 3 countries (number of hectares)
  1. Australia: 35.7 million
  2. Argentina: 3.7 million
  3. Spain: 2.4 million

The global total is 72.3 million hectares, and New Zealand currently has 85,849 hectares.

Top 3 countries (organic producers)
  1. India: 1.3 million
  2. Uganda: 210,000
  3. Ethiopia: 204,000
Top 3 countries
(% of organic land)
  1. Lichtenstein: 41%
  2. Austria: 26.1%
  3. São Tomé and Príncipe: 24.9%

Top 3 regions
  1. Oceania: 36 million ha
  2. Europe: 16.5 million ha
  3. Latin America: 8.3 million ha

Half the world’s organic agricultural land is in Oceania due to Australia’s large area of organic pastoral farmland.

Supporting the growth of organics in Aotearoa 

Meeting an ever-increasing demand for both domestic and export markets will require government support and a robust action plan.  

Fortunately, two pieces of work can help make this happen: the Organic Products Bill and the Organic Sector Strategy Taking Action for a Better New Zealand. 

Viv Williams, chief executive of OANZ, spearheaded the Organic Sector Strategy with input from a wider sector leadership group, stakeholders from across the local organic sector, and the assistance of MPI funding. 

The sector strategy’s vision is to enable producers, communities and the environment to thrive through organics. The strategy outlines a roadmap that will contribute a cumulative $4.7 billion to New Zealand’s GDP by 2030 while reducing climate change and environmental pollution. 

“Organics provides an established international market and brand,” said Williams. “When combined with the energy and vitality coming from the regenerative agriculture movement, organic regenerative can make a strong contribution to the future of farming as outlined in the government’s Fit for a Better World strategy. A future that is better for our environment, our farmers, and our communities.” 

Pete Huggins, general manager of the Soil & Health Association, agrees that placing organics within government strategies would be a good start to strengthening the sector. 

“Government acknowledgment of organics, like we’ve seen overseas, can open up new possibilities,” said Huggins. “Hopefully, a positive outcome of the Organic Products Bill process will be increased awareness and understanding of organics amongst decision-makers.” 

Similarly, Rick Carmont wants to ensure the Bill is an advantage and not an obstacle for market growth. 

“It will be an important instrument in continuing to grow and maintain our organic trade arrangements, and the Organic Exporters Association is a big supporter of it,” said Carmont. 

Top 5 organic export markets

USACHINAEUROPE (EXCL UK)AUSTRALIAJAPAN
Value $86.8 MILLION $81.8 MILLION $73.4 MILLION 66.4 MILLION $31.5 MILLION
% of NZ organic exports 20.6% 19.5% 17.5% 15.8% 7.5%

At over USD55.1 billion, the US organic market is the largest destination (both current and potential) for NZ organics.

Hua Parakore: indigenous organics 

Active support for indigenous food and growing knowledge is also key to sector growth. Aotearoa’s unique indigenous verification and validation system for food production – the National Māori Organics Authority of Aotearoa (Te Waka Kai Ora) – supports Māori organic growers and protects Māori food sovereignty. Te Waka Kai Ora has developed and implemented the Hua Parakore system, an indigenous validation and verification system for kai atua (Māori organic products).  

“Māori food sovereignty is about returning to eat our cultural landscapes as food producers, kaitiaki and mana whenua,” said Dr Jessica Hutchings, Te Waka Kai Ora member and part of the Sector Strategy Leadership Team.  

“It is imperative that Māori communities grow Māori food producers and food farmers to not only increase organic food production by Māori, but to place Māori at the centre of the food system as producers.” 

Encouraging a clean, green future

Consumers around the world want to know where their food comes from are increasingly looking for cleaner and greener products. Converting more farms to organic is desirable from both a sustainability and financial perspective. But with the EU’s target of 30% of agricultural farmland organic by 2030, New Zealand exporters should expect increasing competition in organic supply. 

“The key for New Zealand exporters will be to differentiate and create value through innovation and leveraging our premium ‘pure NZ’ brand position,” said Andrew Henderson, general manager of Fonterra Organic. “Having the infrastructure, legislation and incentives in place will also be critical to ensure the simplicity and efficiency needed to be competitive globally, and to incentivise more farmers to convert to organic.” 

More info

Download these reports from Organics Aotearoa New Zealand: oanz.org  

  • Time for Action: The New Zealand Organic Sector Market Report 2020/21 
  • Taking Action for a Better New Zealand: 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Sector Strategy 

Read the Organic Products Bill on the parliament.nz website, or via bit.ly/31fpuTa.  

A path forward for farmers 

Organic regenerative agriculture is both an important pillar to Aotearoa’s sustainability story and, importantly, can provide a path forward for farmers. According to the OANZ market report, there are approximately 6000 hectares in conversion to organic. 

“Some farmers are moving towards regenerative practice by themselves, but to get a step change we need to see national leadership,” said Pete Huggins. 

“Government funding for extension services which support a shift to organics would help, especially if joined with transition support for farmers undertaking the three-year switch to organic certification. Underwriting this transition would reduce the risk for farmers and show that the government means business.” 

The sector strategy focuses on extension services to support more growers to innovate on-farm and convert to organic farm practices, alongside collaboration with regenerative growers and scientists to deliver the best of both worlds.  

“This strategy, built by the organics sector, provides valuable information on how we can address current challenges and tap into opportunities,” Williams concluded. “It’s a pathway forward for the growth of the sector.” 

Viv Williams
Pete Huggins
Dr Jessica Hutchings
Andrew Henderson

Melissa Reid is a freelance writer who lives in Auckland, and works for OANZ.

Meet our new editor: Rachel Clare

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A warm welcome to the new editor of Organic NZ, Rachel Clare, who brings 20 years of magazine and book publishing experience to the role. 

A passionate gardener, she is the former deputy editor of NZ Gardener magazine and former editor of its weekly digital magazine Get Growing. She has written articles on all aspects of gardening, from kōwhai to community gardens and composting.  

“I care deeply about systems that benefit the planet and people and am thrilled to be joining an organisation that has been championing oranga nuku, oranga kai, oranga tāngata (healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people) for 80 years.”  

Rachel has taught gardening through the Garden to Table programme, where school children learn how to grow, cook and harvest their own kai. “Everyone should have the opportunity to learn these essential life skills, and getting our hands in the dirt is so important for our physical and mental wellbeing.”  

As our new editor, Rachel is looking forward to investigating ways to make organics more affordable and will continue to showcase the diverse range of organic businesses in Aoteaora.  

“I grew up in Napier where Chantal Organics is an institution. I loved going in there – just the smell of it was exciting – but I enjoyed browsing through the bins of dried goods, and if I was lucky my mum would buy me a bag of squirrel mix – Chantal’s cute name for scroggin.”  

Rachel lives with her partner, Jacob, and two sons in West Auckland where they keep bees, harvest rainwater, grow flowers and vegetables and raise seedlings in a glasshouse made from upcycled windows.  

“Philippa has done a wonderful job as editor over the last 13 years, and I’m looking forward to continuing her great work, connecting with readers and keeping up Organic NZ’s commitment to thoroughly researched journalism that celebrates our organic community and sustainable living, and is filled with practical ideas to inspire positive change. See you in 2022!”