For more than five years, Wholegrain Organics had a commercial kitchen, bread bakery, café, and retail outlet on The Square in Palmerston North, and its team ran food technology and hospitality classes at local schools, under the Hands-On Food banner.
It was underpinned by a big philanthropic vision of serving people and planet, but the operation had become a complex, sprawling operation. By mid-2022, it was fragmented and financially unsustainable – some hard choices were required of founders Naomi and Rob Hall.
“We had a tree with 10 branches, but it was not financially viable,” explains Naomi. “We pruned off eight of the branches and left the two that we saw as foundational, where we can make the greatest difference. The farm is our number one priority – it’s pioneering work, a research farm that shares what we learn. The online shop is the connecting link between the farm and the rest of the world.”
A year on, Live2Give Organics grows vegetables on leased farmland in Aokautere, just south of Palmerston North. Their innovative farming methods produce organic food bursting with nutrients while also improving soil. They are creating healthy, diverse ecosystems on former lifeless paddocks and documenting practices so other growers can benefit.
The relaunched online shop has steadily grown to 160 orders per week, a mixture of subscriptions and one-off orders. It sells certified organic fresh fruit and vegetables grown on the farm (and from other organic suppliers), and a wide range of dry goods from wholesalers.
Lessons hard-earned at Wholegrain Organics have informed the shape and structure of the new enterprises. “Wages are a huge thing, but so are fixed overheads,” notes Naomi. “So now we work from home, out of our garage. It’s tight but we make it work, we’ve reorganised the space four or five times! We also have two chillers, 4.8m and 2.4m long, sitting in the driveway. This way we are not duplicating overheads like rent, phone, internet, and electricity.”
The online shop shares the name and a public face with the farm but is a separate company, run by Naomi and Gosia Wiatr. Rob and Tobi Euerl (husband and fiancé respectively) are responsible for the farming operation, which is a not-for-profit enterprise [see bottom section] but each team helps the other out during peak demand, whether that’s urgent orders to pack or long rows of onions that need weeding.
Naomi and Gosia are forging relationships with other organic growers to offer diversity to their customers and support to new, small-scale growers. One of these is Crooked Vege Ōtaki, a social enterprise that operates a CSA (community-supported agriculture) intent on regenerative food production that is accessible to all.
“Crooked Vege is an absolutely beautiful start up. Sometimes they have excess produce and we can take that because we sell bigger volumes,” says Naomi. “This week
it was 70 bunches of pak choi and a crate of zucchini. I basically say yes to whatever they have. It was an $800 sale this week, that’s a big boost for them.”
The challenge for small growers is always freight, Naomi explains. Growers can’t access chilled delivery unless they have an entire pallet of produce to move. But Live2Give runs its own chilled delivery truck from Palmerston North to Wellington every week and can backload Crooked Vege’s produce to its hub. It’s a win-win-win situation for both businesses and their customers.
Selling seconds is another considered strategy that helps growers as well as households. “Last year we had crooked cucumbers and cauliflowers that were slug-damaged. We discussed it and decided to let the customer decide,” says Naomi. “We take very realistic photos so people know what they would be getting. We find lots of people don’t mind if organic [produce] doesn’t look perfect.”
They’ve found offering seconds doesn’t harm their sales of first-quality produce. “We still move the ‘firsts’. Also, what we’ve found is people will buy two or three seconds instead of one that’s top quality.”
Selling cheaper seconds is hugely beneficial for budget-conscious customers and great for growers who don’t have a market for imperfect produce. An organic avocado grower in Tauranga, for instance, could only irregularly supply export-quality fruit, but has loads of very slightly imperfect avos. Live2Give customers are loving them.
Live2Give prefers to source from certified organic growers, but make exceptions for small-scale growers they personally know are using organic methods.
While customers are welcome to just buy what they want as they need it, or customise their box subscriptions on a week-to-week basis, it is the regular orders that are incredibly valuable to an organic grower.
“You do feel vulnerable because you’re waiting to hear the dings on the phone as the orders come in,” reflects Naomi. “There’s absolutely no guarantee that people will order anything. It’s really heartwarming how order numbers have steadily increased this year.”
Gosia and Naomi knew they’d miss the personal interaction they had with customers and students through Wholegrain Organics so thought hard about how to stay connected. Gosia launched a weekly email before they had produce to sell and now their mailing list is over 5000 people. They use Shopify for ecommerce and their email campaigns. Gosia gathers a lot of insight based on what people read, what they click on, and what they buy.
She observes that some people may subscribe to the email for months before they start to order and thinks that an online retailer needs to win people’s trust and that may take time. The newsletter, website, and social media feeds are important ways to educate people about the benefits of regenerative farming, to show the passion and labour involved, and to illustrate the costs behind organic production.
Social media is a clear winner when it comes to growing their customer base with 80-90 percent of new customers acquired from advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Gosia says it is useful to be able to target very specific audiences. Their advertising highlights the freshness of their food, the way it is grown, and the benefits to the environment and those who eat it.
Everyone involved puts a lot of effort into providing the freshest possible produce: harvesting at the ideal time, immediately chilling vegetables to remove field heat, and using sturdy reusable crates to keep produce cool and undamaged in transit.
The vertical interaction of their operations starts on the farm and finishes with handing produce personally to their customers. Gosia has been at the wheel of their chilled truck all last year, dropping off boxes to customers right down to Wellington every week. They’re looking to hire a driver but want to find the right person to be the face-to-face link with customers. “It’s important to have someone who has worked on the farm, in the shop, and shares the same values around connecting with the community, working with nature, and having a healthy lifestyle,” says Gosia.
Live2Give hosts an open day once a year at the farm sites, one for customers and another for farmers interested in knowing more about the innovative regenerative agriculture techniques they are using.
Happily, the new business model hasn’t seen an end to interactions with youth. “We’re so close to Massey and IPU [universities]. We have students that seek us out; it’s great to work with young people who are interested in what we do,” says Naomi. And Gosia thinks being hands on, at the farm or in the packing room, is a more powerful learning experience than simply reading about regenerative agriculture. As well as part-time staff, there are a couple of older volunteers who like to help out because of a shared commitment to Live2Give’s goals.
“What I love about this business is we’re holding hands with our customers to get to the same goal,” says Naomi. “Us, the growers, our customers, all together we’re making it work.”
Live2Give are pioneering farm-scale regenerative horticulture in Aotearoa, building on 12 years of research and development in Germany by a farm of the same name. “Always cover, always roots” is their mantra: the soil is protected and improved by growing carbon crops in between cash crops. The roots are left to decay in the ground, improving structure and feeding the soil microbiome.
Rob and Tobi grow crops on three parcels of leased land, of which approximately four hectares is in full production. The sites have no history of chemical use and are certified with OrganicFarmNZ. In addition to the mulch, crops are fed with granulated fertiliser. Seaweed sprays, bought-in compost, and EM (effective microorganisms) sprays are currently being trialed.
Only the greenhouse crops are irrigated. It’s not a high rainfall area, about 900mm/pa. Drought years are a concern but dumping rain is just as much of a problem. The main site has a gley (sticky clay) soil, wet in winter and spring.
Detailed crop planning balances a strict seven-year crop rotation while also ensuring the farm can supply produce for 12 months of the year. Their record-keeping is exemplary and the numbers feed into farm planning and fine-tuning their methods.
About a quarter of the farm’s produce is currently sold through the Live2Give online store; the rest is sold to organic retail outlets in the major cities. Having multiple outlets creates flexibility and ensures they won’t be left with more produce than a single market can sell.
Some 70 percent of the vegetable offerings in the Live2Give shop are from its own land. It could be more says Rob, but that would limit the time he and Tobi have to devote to research, which they see as fundamental to their purpose. The farm has funding from MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures for an almost four-year proof-of-concept trial, of mulch-direct planting for commercial vegetable production in New Zealand conditions.
What’s ahead? “We are unsure of what [growth] to project for the next 12 months but our aim is food security. The Covid lockdowns highlighted that need and extreme weather events are a constant reminder of how difficult the environment can be for food production. We are caring for both the environment and the local community, connecting these things together. This needs healthy growth for ground level food producers, not skyrocketing demand because of a pandemic, or scarcity because of flooding or drought,” reflects Rob.
(Photo Credits: Rachel Rose / Live2Give)
When she returned to New Zealand in 2010, Rachel Rose retrained, studying organic horticulture, biodynamics, and permaculture. She used her knowledge to establish extensive gardens and orchards on a 1400m2 urban plot, and is now applying it to a 28-hectare farm near Whanganui.
The Japanese wineberry is a strikingly attractive bramble, with a strong upright growth habit and tall canes densely covered in bristly red hairs (phoenicolasius – from the Latin ‘with purple hairs’). The ripe fruit look like small, shiny raspberries but are a bit firmer, juicier, and tangier – not quite as sweet, but with its own unique appeal.
The plants are hardy and ornamental and the fruit, which ripens in mid-late summer, is a refreshing change and usually slightly later than the standard raspberry and, for some reason, not targeted by birds (at least with one grower I know). Flourishing in semi-shade or full sun, the Japanese wineberry thrives in a forest garden or in a berry patch with a bit of space.
There are numerous hybrids in the Rubus family and Japanese wineberries are often used as breeding stock as they carry a recessive gene which produces yellow fruit, and hence are useful for producing yellow-fruiting hybrid berries.
Given the right conditions, Japanese wineberries are potentially invasive as their long canes will droop to the ground and form roots like a blackberry does, so you’ll want to keep rampant growth in check. They prefer a slightly acidic soil pH and a well-drained loam with good water-holding capacity as the plants are thirsty, with surface roots that are not at all drought-tolerant. Mulching in summer helps keep the roots moist while fruiting. In terms of cold-hardiness, established plants will tolerate temperature drops down to about -15°C.
Allow one to two metres between plants if planting several – you may find that given the vigour, length, and height of the canes (up to four metres), one is enough in smaller gardens.
Like many brambles, Japanese wineberry fruits on one-year-old canes (wood in its second year of growth) so don’t expect a crop in the first year of growth – these canes will be vegetative, initiating flower buds in the autumn which will develop and go on to produce fruit the following year.
Because Japanese wineberry canes grow so long, in a smaller patch you might like to cut them back to a more manageable 1.5-2 metre length in year one, and anchor them to a support structure (a wooden trellis or wire framework). This also prevents them from trailing on the ground and self-rooting.
Once canes have fruited, they will look a bit old and tatty and it’s time for them to be removed at ground level. Once you’ve removed the worse-for-wear spent canes, train and tie in some new, flexible shoots ready for cropping the following year. It’s good practice to burn old canes in case pests or pathogens are lurking.
Left to their own devices, they will ramble and produce without any maintenance but choose your site carefully – Japanese wineberries have attained problem weed status in several US states.
An application of compost or sheep pellets at planting, plus a couple more in spring, will go a long way in keeping your Japanese wineberry productive. As with most fruiting plants, too much nitrogen-rich material ends up encouraging the plant to produce foliage over fruit.
Japanese wineberry fruit ripens in mid-late summer to autumn (December to April). The flower buds open November to January, revealing snowy white blooms that are enclosed by a bristly red calyx. The calyx splits open at flowering, forming an attractive star-shaped backdrop for the bright red fruit. Unlike blackberries, the fruit picks cleanly from the receptacle. Eat the fruit fresh within a couple of days – like raspberries, they don’t store well. They have a similar nutrient profile to standard raspberries and can be substituted for them in desserts and fruit salads. Enjoy fresh or they make fantastic jam, pie fillings and of course, fruit wine.
Specialist nurseries may stock plants but you may have to track down your wineberry from a friend or shout out to NZ Tree Crops members on their Facebook page – anyone with a clump will be able to pass on a rooted shoot tip or two.
(Photo Credits: Claire Flynn and Gianni Prencipe)
Anna-Marie Barnes is the New Zealand Tree Crops Association’s South Island Vice-President. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Primary Production) with a background in agroecology and entomology, and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning (Secondary). A lifelong gardener, she is a dedicated self-sufficiency enthusiast and endeavours to grow as much of her own produce as possible on a lifestyle block on the West Coast, with three unruly Orpington hens.
Governmental plans to liberalise regulation of genetic engineering in Aotearoa New Zealand has implications for consumers and our export markets.
The push for GE is part of the international industry lobbying for more technology in agriculture. GE, AI, synthetic biology, and nanotechnology are converging. Advocates for the ‘end of farming’ are even calling for cellular lab-based food to entirely replace agriculture, purportedly to save the planet.
Public concern around genetic engineering is expressed politically and in people’s preferences which have defined today’s consumer landscape.
Politicians and lobbyists who say that strict regulation of GE is preventing innovation have forgotten the role of the consumer. They repeat old hopes for GE ryegrass, even after Newsroom published a history of failed trials on its website last year, and ignore previous field trials including 4000 GM sheep which were terminated in 2003 when the company PPL went bankrupt, and AgResearch’s GE cows reported by the NZ Herald in 2010 to be suffering cruel deformities.
National Party policy is to move regulation to a new agency under The Ministry of Business Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) with automatic acceptance of GE products once approved by two OECD countries, and a much easier path to commercial release.
But what’s most important for regulation in the public interest is missing.
There is no mention of the importance of the Precautionary Principle for environmental protection. No requirement for commercial insurance or liability on users of GE that cause harm. No ethical framework to prevent cruelty to animals or guide the future. No mention of Māori or Waitangi Treaty principles.
And there is no mention of how the new regime will protect organic growers (or even industrialised growers) from GE contamination.
These missing pieces must be priorities for legislation.
Organic agriculture provides authentic sustainability and real climate action that people are looking for.
Research by Kantar Consulting shows New Zealand has what the world wants. “Consumers want more control and to reconnect with nature,” said researcher Dan Robertson-Jones.
Growth for non-GMO food is projected to reach US$144,322 million in 2031. Consumers in China and India are driving up demand for non-GMO food products.
Consumers want gene edited foods to be regulated and labelled, with 75 percent of US consumers and 80 percent of UK consumers supporting traceability for New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).
Exporters and the coalition government must take heed.
Consumer trust is vital. Leading brands have committed to avoid GE ingredients in response.
IFOAM standards exclude use of GE and build trust in the sector through certification of organics. Mandatory labelling of GE food in supermarkets has allowed consumers to influence the market.
Both major supermarkets have a GE-free policy for house-brands, including Countdown’s Own, Macro (Woolworths), and Pams (Foodstuffs).
Fonterra has a non-GMO policy but is open to GE and investing in lab-grown meat.
The EU Commission proposes deregulation of NGTs, against the wishes of consumers.
This is opposed by EU Ministers of the Environment who strongly support the Precautionary Principle and traceability.
Independent scientists with expertise in issues of GE safety and the environment have warned against deregulation.
Expert advice from scientists who are independent of the biotechnology industry is important. The commercial pressures in business and academia for Intellectual Property (IP) bring potential conflicts of interest in the debate.
In the conversation about GE we should expect more public relations hype, promises for the future, and criticism of the Precautionary Principle for ‘stopping progress’. The scientific rationale for precaution will be smeared as fearmongering. It’s already happening.
WePlanet, which campaigns for nuclear power, GE and cellular agriculture, organised an open letter signed by 34 Nobel prize winners and others.
It says the EU must “reject the darkness of anti-science fearmongering and look instead towards the light of prosperity and progress” by deregulating New Genomic Techniques.
Friends of the Earth (FOE) warn of the impending risks of commercial release of GE microbes as biotechnology companies develop GE bacteria, viruses, and fungi for use in agriculture.
Environmental groups are sounding the alarm for bees and pollinators after the US EPA approved the first sprayable pesticides using ‘RNA interference’ in the field.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says research is needed into the alleged benefits for sustainability and safety of lab-grown food which remain speculative.
We must value existing natural diversity and regenerative organic systems as real action on climate change and against biodiversity loss. The biotechnology industry should not define the future of food.
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Alan Lieftin – GE free march Auckland 2003)
Jon Carapiet is a consumer advocate, researcher, writer, and photographer who has followed the GE debate for over two decades. He regularly comments in the media about Brand New Zealand, the advantages of non-GMO and organic production, and for regulation of new technology in the public interest. Prior to the 2023 election, he published a series of blogs on GE and the future of food, available at www.TheDailyBlog.co.nz. He is a Trustee for Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility (PSGR) www.psgr.org.nz, and the national spokesman for community group GE-Free NZ www.gefree.org.nz.
Ngahuru, kura kai, kura tangata –
Harvest-time, wealth of food, the wealth of people.
At this time of year, the garden can look tired and unruly. But beneath the chaos, there’s a wealth of food. Check beneath long grass, browning vines, and wilting bushes for pumpkins, squash, and marrows (overgrown zucchini). If they’re mature, snip them off with about 4cm of stem attached, and leave them in a warm, dry spot (turning daily) for a week, to harden up their shells so that they store well for winter. Remove dead leaves from silver beet, celery, and brassica to prevent disease setting in. Hoe up around carrots and parsnip (and any potatoes you are not ready to dig) to prevent roots and tubers from turning green.
There is a whole raft of autumn and winter vegetables that can go in the ground now (see ‘sow and transplant’ suggestions below and right). If you don’t already have a garden bed established, chip off grass and weeds from a patch of healthy ground, dig and chop up the soil, add organic nutrients such as seaweed and compost, and cover in a mulch of organic pea straw or organic pine needles to prevent weeds re-establishing. This fresh, rough ground is best for seedlings, but can still be used for sowing providing you create shallow depressions of fine compost to receive the seed.
Already established gardens (and greenhouses) will have served you well over summer, but now the soil is hungry. Dig (or stir), into any spare sections of garden, mature compost, chopped seaweed, organic bone meal, and rock phosphate. Water well with liquid fertiliser before sowing seed, or transplanting seedlings. If seedlings include brassica (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale), cover with insect mesh to prevent white butterfly destroying them before they gain traction. Pick off slugs and snails after dark, using a torch to spot the pests. Your best chance of success with winter vegetables is to give them the best possible autumn start while there is still warmth in the soil.
TIP: Interplant brassicas with strong-scented companion plants such as mustard, marigolds or
pyrethrum daisy to disguise them from white butterfly.
Autumn is the season of garden protein. Those peas and beans you missed when you were harvesting back in summer are now a valuable winter food source. If the weather is fine, leave them on the vine to finish drying. If there’s dampness in the air, pick them and finish off their drying on a sunny window ledge indoors before packing into jars with sachets of food-grade desiccant. Reconstitute by soaking, then boiling or steaming, and use in winter soups and stews.
Wild weather will soon be on its way, and with it, the danger of slips and falls in the garden. Don’t leave it until winter to prepare or improve your garden paths. If using gravel or grit, make it deep so that soil and debris wash well through and doesn’t create an environment for grass and weeds to flourish. Better still, consider laying down organic, untreated sawdust over a weed-proof layer. Sawdust provides grip (except in icy conditions), and as it weathers and rots down, it can be shovelled up and placed on the compost before a new layer is added to the paths. As well as providing safe access around the garden, well-constructed paths also avoid soil compaction and help keep vegetables healthy.
TIP: Use cardboard, layers of newspaper and/or bio-degradable underlay or carpet to create weed-proof layers under paths. Check to ensure the carpet does not have a nylon weave.
Avoid food waste by harvesting any leafy herbs that are past their best or which have run to seed (think: dill, fennel, parsley, and parcel). Gather vegetables such as over-mature celery, spring onions that are running to seed, and corn which is no longer tender. Chop up your harvest finely, and dry it in a slow oven or dehydrator. Wizz the dried edibles into powder, and combine with brewers yeast and seasoning to create dried stock for winter soups and casseroles. Check the internet for recipes.
TIP: Dry herbs by hanging bunches in a well-ventilated area. They look and smell great. When dry, crumble into jars for winter use.
Autumn is clean-up time in the garden and this material can be used in a winter compost. While summer composts heat up with relative ease, cool-season composts break down more gently, and as they do, they don’t ‘cook’ the micro-organisms that are so beneficial in the garden. Just remember, however, that a cool compost is unlikely to destroy plant material completely, so keep perennial weeds out of it. And when you use it on your garden, cover it with a deep mulch to prevent the germination of composted seeds. A cool-season compost will benefit from a waterproof covering to avoid nutrients washing through over the rainy season.
TIP: Spent plants, twigs, and dead and decaying vegetable leaves provide habitat for beneficial insects, skinks, and geckos, but also for slugs and snails so hunt out the pests.
Over the summer, your greenhouse covering will have collected a decent layer of dust. As you oust the remains of your warm season plants, and before you bring in the next lot of seeds and seedlings, wash down the inner and outer sides of the greenhouse glass or polythene with warm soapy water. This will allow the maximum amount of light and heat to enter into the undercover space and promote winter growth.
Table grapes are coming on stream thick and fast – sometimes a little too fast for us to take advantage of. While the traditional way to deal with a grape glut is to juice the fruit and discard the skins and pulp, we all know that whole foods are healthy foods. This year, instead of saving only the juice of excess grapes, pick off the ‘berries’ and pop them into the freezer to use over winter. They can be added to smoothies, as a natural sweetener, along with kale and beetroot.
(In all but the coldest regions.)
Flowers: Hollyhock, nasturtium, phacelia, viola, spring bulbs.
Herbs: Coriander, chervil, rocket, chives, spring onions.
Veges: Autumn mesclun mix, Asian greens, cornsalad (Valerianella locusta), radish,
daikon radish, winter spinach, broad beans.
In warm regions only: carrot, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale.
Note: in very cold regions, sow quick-growing pea shoots and micro-greens under cover.
Flowers: Winter colour (polyanthus, primula, Iceland poppies, pansies).
Herbs: Most woody herbs including rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, and already-established potted lavender. Hardy leafy herbs including parsley, parcel, and sorrel.
Veges (by early February in cooler regions, and by March in warmer places): Brassica – especially spring cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli (including purple winter-sprouting broccoli), winter-lettuce, silverbeet, perennial beet, leeks, and celery.
Diana Noonan lives in the Catlins where she grows 70 percent of her food using a variety of methods including permaculture food forest to French intensive.
In the heart of Aotearoa’s lush landscapes lies a delicate balance between biodiversity and human activity. Our unique evolution has gifted us with a rich tapestry of native species found nowhere else on Earth. Yet, as we forge ahead with industrial agriculture, our precious flora and fauna face unprecedented threats.
The Battle for Biodiversity
The stark reality is that our current food system, dominated by industrial agriculture, is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. Shockingly, 86% of species facing extinction are directly threatened by agricultural practices. Monocultures and heavy reliance on synthetic inputs have wrought havoc on ecosystems, eradicating biodiversity at an alarming rate.
Organic Farming: A Beacon of Hope
Amidst this crisis, organic farming offers a beacon of hope. Rejecting synthetic inputs and prioritising soil health, organic practices champion ecological balance and foster a flourishing diversity of life above and below the earth’s surface. It’s not merely about growing food; it’s about cultivating a symbiotic relationship with nature.
The Power of Diversity
Enhancing biodiversity, particularly on farms, is key to creating resilient food systems capable of weathering the storms of environmental change and economic pressures. By embracing diverse ecosystems, organic farms become resilient bastions equipped to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving world.
Bridging Conservation and Resilience
Organic farming stands as a bridge between biodiversity conservation and food resilience. Through its holistic approach to sustainable agriculture, it offers a pathway towards harmony with nature. By championing organic practices that nurture biodiversity, we lay the foundation for robust food systems capable of thriving in the 21st century.
In the quest to safeguard biodiversity and ensure food security, organic farming emerges not just as a solution but as a moral imperative. It’s time to cultivate not just crops but a deeper connection with the land; Organic Week is a time to celebrate our organic sector and highlight the importance of building resilience, diversity, and abundance in our food system.
About Organic Week Aotearoa
Proudly brought to you by Soil & Health NZ and Organics Aotearoa New Zealand, Organic Week Aotearoa is a national celebration of organic agriculture taking place each year from 1 to 7 May. This year’s theme, “Where Nature Thrives,” emphasises the vital role of organic producers as guardians of biodiversity through organic regenerative farming practices.
Throughout the week, Organic Week aims to spotlight organic agriculture as a solution to our twin climate and biodiversity crisis. By gathering stories and speakers, the event will illustrate how organic farming contributes to preserving biodiversity and protecting our environment.
Organic Week seeks to spark conversations that deepen our understanding of the connection between our food choices and their impact on our health and the environment—be it biodiversity, soil health, water quality, or climate resilience.
Today, the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand announced that the next OrganicNZ Awards will take place on May 3, 2024, at the Boatshed, Wellington — as part of Organic Week Aotearoa celebrations (May 1-7).
Nominations are now open and will close on 10 March 2024. 10 award categories aim to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of Aotearoa’s organic farmers, leaders, brands, food and other products.
Categories include “people’s choice” awards such as OrganicNZ Community Garden of the Year, and judged, peer-reviewed awards such as OrganicNZ Brand of the Year, OrganicNZ Organic Farmer of the Year, and more.
Jenny Lux, Soil & Health NZ Chairperson, said, “The OrganicNZ Awards serve as a platform to honour those who have a vision for and contribute to an organic and regenerative future for our country, promoting practices that benefit the health of soil, crops, livestock, people, wildlife, and the climate’’.
Jenny announced two new award categories for 2024, the OrganicNZ Leader of the Year and OrganicNZ Exporter of the Year. ‘’These additions reflect our commitment to recognising a broader range of excellence and innovation in the organic sector, making the awards more inclusive and comprehensive.’’
An awards ceremony will be held in Wellington during Organic Week, May 1-7, 2024, and will not only celebrate the winners’ achievements but will also bring together industry leaders, organic advocates, and stakeholders to foster collaboration and share insights.
Key Dates:
• Nominations Open: January 18
• Nominations Close: March 10
• Award Finalists Announced: April 3
• Awards Ceremony: May 3
For more information on the nomination process, award categories, and event details, go to:
We are fortunate in New Zealand, as the sea is never more than a 130km away. From where I live, I can be there in an hour.
As I draw near, I am taken in by the scent of the salty sea mist. Already I am breathing deeper, for the air by the sea is higher in oxygen and cleaner than in urban environments. I also inhale negative ions. The beach has one of the highest concentrations of negative ions. This is thanks to the motion of the water and the waves, which naturally break up atoms and disperses electrons, ionising the sea mist and purifying the air. When inhaled by us, negative ions purify our bodies, relieve depression, fatigue and stress, and accelerate our absorption of oxygen.
Then I am staggered in awe by the magnificent view: that vast expanse of blue sky and blue sea, fringed by dunes and bushy green mountains. In that wide open space, I remember I am just one little creature in a great big universe. The colour blue has long been considered calming and it has been found that staring at the blue ocean can actually alter our brain wave frequencies to a more meditative state, often inspiring creativity. The sound of the ocean acts similarly on us. Its calming, unthreatening sound induces meditation, and strengthens the brain.
The sun overhead not only encourages a sunny disposition but is necessary for Vitamin D production, which is vital to bone and muscle health. As over 90% of our vitamin D production comes from UVB rays, I personally consider it important to get some sunshine directly on my skin before covering up or applying a natural sunscreen to prevent burning.
My feet hit the sand. Ah, I’m here. Our feet have more nerve endings per square centimetre than any other surface of our body, and the earth’s surface is covered in electrons. By standing or walking on the warm, soft, sand, or the cool compact shoreline, negative ions are discharged directly into our bodies, neutralising our own bioelectromagnetic field. Not only that, but standing barefoot on the sand literally grounds our own field in a closed circuit to the earth, helping to balance our nervous systems.
The smell, the sights, the sounds, the sun overhead and the sand beneath our feet, all activate our parasympathetic nervous system, the ‘rest and digest’ arm of our autonomic nervous system, responsible for lowering cortisol, regulating hormones, lowering inflammation, and increasing metabolism, cognitive clarity, immune function, mood, sleep…
And that is before we even enter the water.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, doctors recommended a holiday by the sea, with specific instructions on how long and how frequently to go swimming, as both treatment and cure for various ailments including tuberculosis, consumption, scurvy, jaundice, and chest disease.
The ocean is rich in naturally occurring minerals, including magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium, sulphur and iodine. When we go swimming in the sea, we can absorb these necessary minerals trans-dermally (similar to bathing in Epsom salts).
Seawater is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and wound-healing. It inhibits the growth of bacteria and infection, and detoxifies the body of impurities. Swimming or sitting in the shallows may help soothe, ease and/or heal arthritis, joint pain, inflammation, wounds, and skin condition such as psoriasis, contact dermatitis, and eczema. Saline water is soothing and cleansing for sinus conditions, and both flushing with it and breathing in the ocean air can help improve respiratory passages.
When you put your face underwater, you are not only immersing your face in minerals that aid in skin repair and elasticity, you are also activating the human dive reflex, which slows the heart rate and constricts certain blood vessels, redistributing blood from the limbs to the brain, heart and other central organs, in turn activating the vagal nerve, and (once again) the all-important parasympathetic nervous system.
I cringe when my fellow beachgoers pass by hooked up to their phones, ear-buds, smart watches etc. The holistic healing experience the ocean and beach supply require that you interact with all your senses. To bring technology to the beach is a multi-level distraction that not only detracts from these health benefits – but is also an often-unacknowledged cause of ill health (phones and personal devices generate positive ions that cause inflammation, disease and degeneration; plus they mess with your magnetic field and activate the sympathetic nervous system).
By leaving your technology behind, you have the opportunity to ‘detox’ and enter a state of effortless, mindful attention. I think now of my last beach visit. My gaze drifted from the gentle waves, to the light revealing patterns on a rock outcropping, and then to a lone seagull gliding through the twisting currents of air that would’ve otherwise been invisible to my eye. During my observation, my mind was completely present and my worries were irrelevant. By the time I left the beach, the tension was gone from my body, and I slept well that night.
Nature is amazing, we have only to be present with her to be reminded she’s got us, so long as we also remember and honour the fact that we have her.
Zara Adcock is a freelance writer, editor, poet and children’s author based in Northland (see zara-adcock.com). She is also co-founder of We Love Organics, a range of holistic organic personal care products handcrafted in NZ (weloveorganics.co.nz).
In the picturesque landscape of Matakana, north of Auckland, Rebecka Bjelfvenstam Keeling has sown the seeds of a quiet floral revolution. The founder of pick-your-own flower farm, Slow Blooms, Rebecka was recently elected to the National Council of Soil & Health NZ.
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Rebecka’s journey into sustainable flower options began when learning how the flowers traditionally used by florists or sold in supermarkets in the Western world, are often grown overseas in countries with poor wages and working conditions, using harsh sprays and unsustainable growing methods.
“I felt pretty bad for flying back to Sweden once a year to see my family,” she says, “so I couldn’t believe it when I realised we’re flying tons and tons of flowers across the world, packed in plastic sleeves – even though we can grow flowers year round here in New Zealand.”
Already a keen gardener of food for her family, Rebecka felt called to not only start growing seasonal flowers, but to also create a space to teach others about what flowers are in season and how anyone can grow and harvest them.
Slow Blooms proved popular right from the beginning.
“We have cultivated a space where people can slow down, and either just appreciate the beauty of local seasonal flowers, or participate through picking their own bouquet.”
It is an experience as much as a product.
This appreciation initially brought challenges which Rebecka turned into opportunities. Visitors’ appreciation, taking photographs, and desire to learn took up time, but didn’t add to the viability of the business.
“Like any gardeners, we do love talking about flowers and soil and showing off our garden, but we got to a point where we realised we actually needed to get work done.”
Having an organic garden open to the public all year takes, well, work.
So they now offer guided tours and workshops through Secret Gardens, and set up an honesty box for donations from those who are only coming to look or take photos without buying any flowers.
The Matakana community is a great place to be. In addition to selling direct from the farm, Rebecka also sells her flowers at the Matakana Village Farmers Market, which is proudly zero waste.
“I did my Permaculture Design Certificate with Trish Allen and Guenther Andraschko at Rainbow Valley Farm, which was an amazing experience,” Rebecka says. “Trish embodies the values of Matakana – the blend of community spirit and permaculture values.”
Every Friday morning, a group of Matakana locals meet up for Greenswap. “We exchange our excess homegrown or homemade produce, along with gardening tips and general catch-ups,” Rebecka says. “For someone like me, who originally learned to grow in the northern hemisphere, it’s been invaluable to get the local insight to what works here and not.”
At Slow Blooms, Rebecka is forgoing the artificial fertilisers, weed mats, and plastic netting that many growers use to create the perfect stems for maximum profit. Instead, she’s opting for organic inputs such as effective microorganisms (EM) along with using cardboard and organic matter as mulch to keep the weeds down. She’s also committed to bringing a range of different flowers of different heights to the market, from small posies to bigger bunches.
“Valentine’s Day is probably our busiest day, with a lot of loved-up couples in the rows,” Rebecka says. “We’re also hosting company Christmas parties, hen parties, and even a few DIY brides picking and arranging their own wedding flowers.
“Overall, we have been blown away by the overwhelming reception since we started. It probably also helps that we’re next door to Charlies Gelato, which has some of the best ice cream in the country,” she says.
Rebecka is looking forward to using her communications and PR background to support Soil & Health NZ with its important mission.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to be part of an organisation that shares my passion,” says Rebecka. “As a council member, I’m hoping to contribute to our advocacy work and fundraising, and also help us reach more potential members and supporters for our cause by strengthening our profile in social media as well as in traditional media.
“It’s not just about buying organic; it’s about fostering an understanding of the intricate relationship between ourselves and the land, which then guides us in making conscious choices that benefit both the environment and our own well-being.”
I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho –
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
When so many garden edibles come on stream in early to midsummer, it can feel overwhelming, especially when you want to do your best to avoid food waste. But there are ways to slow down the rate at which you need to harvest. Peas and beans don’t have to be picked fresh. In fact, left to mature on their vines, they will dry into autumn, and provide a valuable source of protein for winter storage. They will also supply you with seeds to sow next season.
Unless you require the garden space for another crop, roots such as potato, Jerusalem artichoke, yacón, and beetroot, store best when left in the ground (at least until the cold, wet weather arrives). Other than in a wet summer, where fungal disease can be a problem, alliums such as shallot, onion, and garlic, will all but dry off, in situ, so leave them where they are to get on with the job. Devote your limited harvesting and processing time to hearting brassica, leafy salad greens, squash, corn, and greenhouse produce. The rest will wait for you.
Constructing a well-made compost stack is enjoyable, but it’s no walk in the park. So, whether you’re busy with a young family, or not as energetic as you once were, a ‘green manure crop’ is an excellent alternative. And in cooler parts of the country, late summer (rather than the traditional autumn period) is the time to sow it.
A green manure crop produces plants that can be chopped down and lightly dug back into the soil in late winter or early spring. It will provide similar garden nutrients to compost, but is easy-care, and also acts as a living mulch to protect the soil in harsh weather. When choosing a green manure crop for your garden, consider what will grow best in your region, and also your crop rotation plan (don’t, for example, grow a manure crop in the brassica family if you plan to grow brassica in the same spot immediately after it). Seed for green manure crops include mustard, lupin, vetch, field peas, buckwheat, rye, and tick beans.
Let’s face it, there are only so many hours in a day, even in summer, and sometimes it’s simply not possible to attend to ousting all the weeds at once. Over summer, when weed growth is at its height, I prioritise. Anything in flower is chopped and dropped. This stops seed setting, and also provides a nitrogen-rich mulch for the soil. Weeds which smother from above, such as cleaver and Chilean flame creeper, are next on my list because they quickly shut out light and put paid to whatever is underneath. Deep-rooted weeds (think dock and buttercup) are time-consuming to dig, so they are doused in a pine needle mulch until I can attend to them. Serious invasives, such as couch and kikuyu grass, go under black plastic to be solarised. Nitrogenfixers, such as clover and vetch, stay where they are, contributing to the soil, until there’s time to dig them up and add them to the compost
In summer, our thoughts automatically turn to keeping our soil damp. But even in dry periods, there are situations where water can do more harm than good. The first is in the deep-root crop beds. Carrot, parsnip, salsify, burdock, and horse radish grow strong, straight roots only when they are required to head down deep in search of moisture. Water these roots, especially lightly, and you’ll only encourage them to head up and out to lap up the moisture. If drought conditions absolutely require you to water these crops, do so infrequently, and be generous with the moisture so it sinks down deeply.
Over summer, water can also be a danger in the greenhouse. In this hot environment, we can easily overestimate the amount of moisture plants require, and saturate the soil. This inhibits oxygen penetrating down into the root zone where it is vitally needed. I use the knuckle test to decide when my greenhouse requires water. I insert my finger into the soil to the second knuckle. If my finger comes out clean, it’s time to water. If soil adheres, I wait.
Water can also be a killer in summer, when sprayed onto crops with dense foliage (runner beans and peas are a classic example). Evaporation in these situations is slow, and before you know it, fungal disease has set in, and your plants are succumbing. I try to water all my plants at ground level to keep moisture off foliage, and I water early in the day when there are plenty of sunshine hours left to dry off any splashes
It’s sap-sucker season – in both the garden and the greenhouse! But when you’re growing organically, these pest insects don’t need to spell disaster. That’s because your aim isn’t to eliminate them entirely from your garden, but simply to keep them in balance so that they don’t overwhelm your crops.
I achieve this in several ways. First and foremost, I keep my plants in top condition, because sap-suckers are opportunistic, and prey on the weakest first. I water regularly and deeply, and mulch to lock in moisture. I feed my greenhouse plants every ten days with liquid fertiliser so that they develop strong, mandible-resistant stems. I make sure my garden beds are well-stocked with nutrients before planting, so that leafy green growth is rapid enough to out-compete attack. I allow my herbs, which are scattered throughout the garden, to flower profusely so that their blooms are a haven for the beneficial insects that devour sap-suckers. And if the battle is a tough one, I don rubber gloves, and squish pests with my fingers (my aim is to knock them back, not to get every last one). As a last resort, I treat foliage (that isn’t intended to be eaten) with a liquid soap spray*.
*Dissolve 1/4 tsp of hard bathroom soap in 1 litre of hot water. Allow to cool before spraying onto non-edible foliage every 3 to 4 days.
Flowers: Ageratum, calendula,
cleome, cornflower, cosmos,
nicotiana, nasturtium, phacelia,
sunflowers, sweet William, zinnia.
Herbs: Basil, borage, dill, chervil,
marjoram, oregano, summer savory,
tarragon.
Veges: Beetroot, broccoli, bunching
and spring onions, cabbage, carrot,
cauliflower, dwarf beans, late
potatoes, leeks, lettuce, radish.
Flowers: Asters, coreopsis, cosmos,
dwarf sunflowers, marigolds,
nasturtiums, rudbeckia.
Herbs: Basil, borage, chives,
lemongrass, marjoram, rosemary,
sage, thyme.
Veges: Broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage (in cooler regions only),
cucumber, lettuce, leeks, purple
winter-sprouting broccoli, tomato,
zucchini.
Diana Noonan lives in the Catlins where she grows 70 percent of her food using a variety of methods including permaculture food forest to French intensive.
