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The history of GE in New Zealand

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Bonnie Flaws investigates New Zealand’s ongoing debate on the regulation of genetic modification

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The question of whether we should allow genetic engineering in New Zealand has been raging for almost as long as the technology has been around – since the 1970s. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the sentiment among the public was decidedly anti-GMO, with protest a regular feature of the political landscape, including famous hīkoi that travelled from Northland to Wellington. Now the topic is in the headlines again after the Productivity Commission recommended in its 2021 report that New Zealand’s strict laws regulating genetic engineering ought to be reviewed, in part because the techniques used have evolved.

GM, GMO, GE, GEd – what exactly does it all mean?

  • New Zealand law defines a genetically modified organism (GMO) as any organism in which any of the genes or other genetic material have been modified by, inherited or otherwise derived through any number of replications, by in vitro techniques.
  • Genetic engineering (GE) is the use of in vitro techniques to make genetically modified organisms.
  • Genetic modification (GM) is used interchangeably with the term genetic engineering by experts in the field.
  • Transgenic techniques, what we traditionally think of as genetic engineering, use a foreign “gene of interest” that has been cultured and inserted into a cell of the host organism. Today, it’s more common to hear about gene editing (GEd) techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs and ZFNs.
  • Gene editing (GEd) techniques have been around since the late 70s, but some tools (nucleases) like CRISPRCas9, TALENs and ZFNs are new.

The use of language in the GM debate 

The language used to describe genetic engineering has often been contested by those who would like to see it deregulated. For example, it’s been argued that conventional and selective breeding of plants is a form of genetic engineering. More recently, it has been argued that the biochemical processes of gene editing are similar to those that cause natural mutations.  

Jack Heinemann, a professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury, who promotes regulation, says the “equivalence to nature” argument is a semantic obfuscation, but a High Court ruling in 2014 made it unambiguous. New Zealand became the first country to make it explicit in law that gene editing is a technique of genetic modification, meaning it must be regulated. Heinemann was the expert witness in this case. This ruling hinged on the ability of the technique to make changes at scale that wouldn’t happen in nature, he says. 

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A potted history 

This tension between those for and against regulation has been a continuous thread in the national discourse, with the public generally wanting controls, and industry and parts of academia wanting more freedom to experiment. 

After a field trial moratorium was lifted in 1987, the public became increasingly agitated about GE experimentation, particularly around the issue of contamination of agricultural crops, and demand for tighter regulation grew. The first big breakthrough for activists came with the 1996 Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, leading to the creation of the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA). This was the body responsible for overseeing importation, development, field trials and releases of GMOs. The act allowed scientists to experiment with GM techniques in the lab and in contained field trials. 

But GE experiments began to cross lines that many people found distasteful and unethical. The worry that GMOs might escape from the lab and contaminate and self-propagate in the environment, or that food with foreign genes inserted might end up on their plate kept activists like Zelka Grammer motivated.  

“You have this whole nefarious history of incompetence and slackness, and then even worse, MAF and MPI not adequately monitoring to catch significant breaches of ERMA’s rules of approval,” says the chair of GE-free Tai Tokerau. “People like Stefan Browning from the Green party and local orchardists had to go and find secret field trial locations, take photographic evidence, march down to MAF and MPI and say, ‘WTF! Why are these brassicas flowering out of doors when it’s not allowed under the conditions of approval?’ It was shut down in disgrace over and over and over.” 

There was a strong feeling that regulators were not adequately monitoring trials, and the rapid development of the biotech industry was seen as a threat to New Zealand’s agricultural sector. Despite this, industry and academic voices were keen to see the technology liberated for use in both the biomedical and agricultural spheres. Without deregulation, New Zealand would be left behind in the technological and economic race. 

Organisations such as the Royal Society Te Apārangi, Plant & Food Research, Scion, NZBio, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Agcarm (New Zealand Association for Animal Health and Crop Protection) and Federated Farmers have all advocated for greater deregulation of genetic engineering over the years. 

A petition signed by 92,000 Kiwis called for a Royal Commission to investigate and establish a way forward for the controversial technology. This was done, and in 2000 the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification validated many of the concerns voices by activists. The overall recommendation was to “proceed with caution”, while also rejecting the unrestricted use of genetic engineering. Within a year, a voluntary moratorium was put in place – all in all a landmark year for people power.  

Several memorable hīkoi in 2001 and 2003 followed the Commission’s findings. Māori played a big part in their organisation but the movement was broad-based and many New Zealanders took part. Groups like GE-Free New Zealand and Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (MAdGE) had a prominent public voice. In 2015 the Northland and Hastings regions were successful in asserting their own “GE free” status in their district plans. 

It is clear that everyone is in it for the money. The risks can be dismissed by appealing to the benefits, and when the benefits are not forthcoming, the promises have to be kept alive. Biotechnology is the south sea bubble at the end of the millennium.

A quote from “The Biotechnology Bubble”, an article by Mae-Wan Ho, Hartmut Meyer and Joe Cummins, originally published in The Ecologist and reprinted in the July 1999 issue of Organic NZ.

However in 2012, CRISPR, a new gene editing tool, had been discovered. Proponents argued it was more precise than transgenics, and led to changes similar to what might happen naturally. Proponents said the technology should be set free to fulfil its potential. It could be applied not only in food production, but also in medical research, pest control and even to tackle climate change. 

At the same time, a growing body of scientific literature showed that gene editing gave rise to numerous unintended genetic mutations, and was not as precise as claimed. The Sustainability Council of New Zealand took the Environmental Protection Authority (formerly ERMA) to court to challenge industry claims that gene editing was not genetic engineering. 

The 2014 High Court ruling, which determined gene editing was legally a form of genetic modification, also established that the rate and specificity of change was what made the technology risky. 

Key dates in the history of GE

1973First recombinant bacteria is developed in the US.
1978The New Zealand government places a moratorium on field releases that remains in place for 10 years.
1980sThe early 1980s sees GE technologies begin to be applied in laboratories in New Zealand, largely for biological and medical research purposes.
1988The moratorium on field release is lifted and an Interim Assessment Group (IAG) is established for the field testing and release of genetically modified organisms.
1996Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 passes in law, which leads to the establishment of the Environmental Risk Management Authority New Zealand (ERMA).
1999The Independent Biotechnology Advisory Committee is established to assess and provide independent advice on the use of GE technology.
2000The Royal Commission on Genetic Modification is established and a voluntary moratorium put in place.
2008Activists chop down GE pine trees at a Scion forestry research site near Rotorua in 2008 and 2012. 
2011ERMA becomes the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
2012CRISPR is invented, adding a new tool to the GE toolbox. 
2014The High Court rules that gene editing is a form of genetic modification.
2015Both the Hastings and Northland regions become GE free. 
2016Auckland becomes GE free.
2021Productivity Commission report recommends a full review of HSNO.

The Māori world view

Māori have largely been vocal opponents of GE from the beginning. “The issue is that using GE will have an impact on the mauri of our food and the soil,” says Lahni Wharerau, kaiwhakahaere of Te Waka Kai Ora, the National Māori Organics Authority. “Mauri is what gives us life force and underpins wellbeing. GE interferes with that.”  

Wider news reporting since the Productivity Commission’s report shows that attitudes aren’t set in stone. Maui Hudson, associate professor at the University of Waikato, said a national survey of Māori on the issue of genetic modification and gene editing was done last year, showing a wide variety of perspectives were held. “For some people it’s all the same, whether it’s genetic modification or gene editing, while for others they get that there is a difference and that may change the way you think about it.” However, a “proceed with caution” approach was still valued. “In the context of the conversations we’ve had, there is no appetite for a totally unregulated environment for gene editing.” 

The Productivity Commission and the global push for GE deregulation 

The New Zealand Productivity Commission last year called for a complete review of HSNO, as well as the legislative framework and institutional arrangements governing genetic engineering, suggesting separate legislation or a standalone regulator. 

“Technologies have moved on significantly over the last 20 years. In particular, advances in gene editing have produced technologies such as CRISPR, which enable much faster and more precise modification than earlier tools,” it says in its 2021 report. 

Once again, proponents have seized the opportunity to promote deregulation. Jack Heinemann says the push for deregulation is happening globally. Pulling no punches,  
he calls it an orchestrated campaign by vested interests – industry and those parts of academia aligned with industry outcomes – that follows the same pattern everywhere, drowning out voices of scientific doubt. 

As a geneticist, he is immensely positive about the benefit to society of regulated genetic engineering in the lab, but says both the utopian promise of genetic engineering – how it’s promoted to the public and the regulators – and the risk profile remain unchanged since regulations were put in place. What gene editing does is change the scale and speed at which interventions can be made in nature, he says. “That is precisely what makes a technology risky.” 

President of GE-Free New Zealand Claire Bleakley says the HSNO regulations follow a clear pathway to ensure products are safe. “Because GMOs are living organisms they might contaminate the indigenous flora and fauna, the economic crops, or have serious health effects. Our biggest concern is that the Productivity Commission report was basically minimising the dangers of GMOs and highlighting the simplicity of them.” 

Sociologist Jodie Bruning agrees the report obfuscates risk, and doesn’t represent what the bulk of submissions had been asking for – just two out of 80 submissions (both from the medical industry) that fed into the Productivity Commission’s 2021 report argued that HSNO should be opened up. 

The main fear Jack Heinemann, Claire Bleakley and Jodie Bruning convey is that without the appropriate checks and balances, and careful scientific oversight, niche experimentation with the ability to change organisms at pace and scale would proliferate, and with them, unintended consequences. 

“Regulation is not a ban. It isn’t stopping anything. Good science is like good democracy – it needs accountability and transparency. No dark corners,” Bruning says.  

Horopito: how to use our hottest native herb

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Herbalist Sara Mertens celebrates our hottest native herb and peppers us with ideas on how to use it in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. 

If you are unfamiliar with the native flora of Aotearoa’s bush and go walking with somebody who wants to treat you to a “taste of the bush” sensation, they will undoubtedly invite you to nibble on a leaf from an attractively coloured shrub. A nibble is all it takes! It will be an unforgettable moment as your taste buds encounter a peppery punch not unlike chilli spice.

Horopito, our native pepper tree boasts an ancient endemic New Zealand genus, Pseudowintera, and a primitive flower structure originating from the Winteraceae plant family. Unsurprisingly, introduced animals, such as wild deer find the hot-tasting leaves unpalatable,  a quality that has nurtured its longevity in our forests. Similarly, it is fungi resistant and insects are not attracted to it.  

There are four endemic horopito species. Pseudowintera colorata (pictured above) is a shrub variety that grows up to 3.5m tall and has distinctly identifiable foliage of red splotches on the topside of the pale green leaf, with a blue-grey underside. P. axillaris is not as peppery,  has no colourful markings and grows 7m tall. P. colorata and P. axillaris are often found growing in the same regions but in different parts of the bush due to P. colorata thriving in areas of adequate light to enhance its highly coloured leaves, and P. axillaris preferring cold, damp conditions. The other two horopito species are harder to find. P inseparata is critically endangered and only grows in Northland and P. traversii is found on the West Coast of the South Island and near Nelson. 

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Apothecary 

P. colorata is known for its medicinal uses, and forms an important part of rongoā Māori. The fresh leaves can be chewed or simmered in water to make a medicinal decoction drink for tooth and stomach aches. Circulatory and respiratory conditions, such as coughs, colds and asthma, were once managed with this warming herb. It can also be used topically to treat skin diseases. The leaves and tender branches were steeped in water and used in a lotion for ringworm, and the bruised foliage was applied as a warming poultice to wounds and joint injuries.  

In the early 1980s, University of Canterbury research isolated the active constituent polygodial, which gives the distinct peppery taste to the foliage and has strong anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. It compares favourably to pharmaceutically compounded antifungal medicine, and can be used to treat  Candida albicans, which causes infections such as thrush. Horopito has also been effective against other fungal organisms, such as Trichophyton, which causes ringworm, athlete’s foot and fungal nails.  The pain killing action, analgesic, of the leaves is attributed to one of their 29 essential oils, called eugenol. 

Marlborough-based company Kolorex use horopito as their hero herb ingredient, and grow it to use in a range of efficacious antifungal products. 

Garden to pantry 

Grow horopito in your garden and the birds will love you when it bears its dark red to black berries in autumn. Meanwhile, you can be adventurous with the leaves in your kitchen. The peppery action of our native bush spice has found its way into the condiment range of chefs – what better way to “let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food” in the words of the great Hippocrates. You can dry them at home and grind them to use as a substitute for ground black pepper. It will take meat-rub seasoning to another level, and refreshingly uplift your favourite hummus For a ready-to-use horopito supply, visit Forest Gourmet’s website.  

Horopito is a botanical example of the land’s way of caring for us and providing a resource for health in life. Let it be reciprocal where we acknowledge how te whenua (the land) and ourselves are interconnected – if we care for the land, the land provides in return. 

Sara Mertens is a registered medical herbalist living in Rangiora (symphonyofherbs.nz). 

Investigating Aotearoa’s e-waste footprint

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Electronic waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream, and in Aotearoa most of it ends up in landfill where it can leach toxins into soil and waterways. The good news is that we are taking steps to reduce our e-waste footprint. Bonnie Flaws investigates. 

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Mobile phones, old computers, toasters and jugs, whiteware, batteries, televisions, gadgets, even children’s toys. We’ve probably all gone through numerous editions of each of these products in our lifetime. I run a little inventory and establish that I am on my fifth mobile phone, my fifth computer, and probably my fourth television. I’m only on my second GHD though after 20 years of hair straightening – pretty good, I reckon. My 30-year-old dishwasher is working but it’s falling apart, and it won’t be long before I’ll be replacing it. 

Electronic waste is increasing globally, and here in New Zealand it’s estimated we produce about 80,000 tonnes a year, of which only 2000 tonnes is recycled. “It’s a significant problem,” says AUT senior lecturer in the School of Future Environments, Jeff Seadon. And it’s everyone’s problem – it’s estimated each person produces about 21 kg every year, he tells me. 

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What is it and why is there so much of it? 

E-waste comprises “anything with a plug or battery” that has reached the end of its life, Jeff explains. As the world has become increasingly digitised, the amount of e-waste continues to pile up and it has become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Another culprit is ‘planned obsolescence’,  a business strategy with an ethics problem.  

Manufacturers want repeat customers and so longevity is not a priority. It costs manufacturers money to repair products, and it’s often cheaper to simply replace broken items. It’s also profitable to dictate who can do repairs, sometimes under threat of nullifying the warranty if something is repaired by an unauthorised party. 

“There is now a backlash occurring, and as a result, manufacturers are having to change their products so that there is a ‘right to repair’,” Jeff says. The ‘right to repair’ concept is becoming more widespread. Consumer NZ says it’s going mainstream, with companies like Apple making supportive noises, and legislators in Australia and the United Kingdom forcing manufacturers to repair cars through independent garages and supply spare parts for gadgets. Minister for the Environment David Parker is a fan and Kiwi businesses could soon be legally bound to ensure old devices can be repaired too. 

Jeff says this policy may force a rethink. “Producers are thinking, ‘If we have to repair it, that will cost us a fortune and that will come back on us. So, therefore we need to make things that are more useable’.” 

Environmental and health impacts 

E-waste contains a variety of minerals and elements, including precious metals and heavy metals. Many of these are contaminants, says University of Canterbury professor of environmental chemistry Brett Robinson. Elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and copper bind very strongly to soils where they stay forever or are taken up by plants. 

But Brett says there are many other chemical elements that are not well understood – such as gallium and indium, which are used in the manufacture of flat panel displays. It is not known just how mobile they are in soil or how harmful they can be. At some level, all of these contaminants are toxic to microbes and plants, he says. 

Some types of flame retardants that are used in plastics on electronic devices are also extremely toxic and very mobile, so can leach into groundwater. Air pollution can also be a problem. “If e-waste is burned, you get chemicals called dioxins forming – the same chemical that caused environmental damage in Vietnam with Agent Orange.” 

Brett says most of what is collected at recycling centres usually goes overseas to places like Japan, Singapore and South Korea, where it can be recycled more cost-effectively.  

Sadly, in New Zealand most e-waste ends up in landfill. There are upsides and downsides to this, he adds. On the downside, resources are being lost – there is far more gold, silver and palladium in landfills than there is in virgin mines, such as the one in Waihi. On the upside, since the 1990s, landfills have been required to be sealed, so the e-waste doesn’t leach out, although some of it ends up as leachate which is collected and reprocessed by the operator, he says. 

Farm dumps 

The biggest problem in Aoteroa is the amount of e-waste illegally disposed of on farm dumps, of which there are estimated to be about 30,000 around the country, Jeff tells me. “It’s very hard to regulate because if you have a little valley in the back of beyond, who is going to be there to check it?”  

Unlike landfills, these dumps do leach. As water passes through valleys, decaying metals pass into the water system and into vegetable and animal life, where it accumulates. Some elements can also get into groundwater, he says. Their accumulation in humans and animals via water and food can lead to side effects including kidney and bone disease, central nervous system damage and elevated blood pressure. 

Product stewardship for e-waste will become mandatory 

Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees have a recycling programme for phones called Re:Mobile, and there are collection points for e-waste recycling in many places that you can find out about through your local council or at ewaste.org.nz. However, options for responsible disposal of electronic waste are still limited. But this is set to change. 

The Ministry for the Environment is currently in the process of setting up a product stewardship scheme under the Waste Minimisation Act, and e-waste is one of the priority waste streams. Once in place, it will oblige producers to recover e-waste at the end of life and recycle it. There is no date set yet for its implementation. 

What we do know is that it will be a user-pays system. “When you go and purchase a piece of electronic equipment covered under the scheme, you’ll pay an extra amount that will pay for its recovery at the end. The scheme will build up money to capture goods at the end and it should be self-supporting,” Brett says.    

Not-for-profit TechCollect NZ was established by a group of global technology companies to support the development of a regulated product stewardship scheme in New Zealand, and is working with the government on delivering the scheme at present.  

Auckland based company Computer Recycling will likely to be collecting much of this waste once the scheme is up and running.  Director Patrick Moynahan has imported a high-tech piece of kit called Blue Box. One of only eight in the world, this machine will increase the amount of e-waste the country currently recycles to 5000 tonnes per year, he says. “That will go quite a long way to recycle the ‘hard to recycle’ material – things like flat screens, small electronics, laptops. We’ll be able to handle the vast majority of what New Zealand produces,” he says. Hard-to-recycle material is anything that can’t be disassembled by hand,  
he explains. 

The $3 million machine, a 40 foot container-sized shredding unit, operates in a negative vacuum environment, meaning nasties like mercury and cadmium will be contained and the recycling process won’t contribute to the contamination of the workers or the land. The metals will be exported as commodities, where they will be reused in manufactured goods. It also separates out the precious metals into pure commodity streams that can be sold back to refineries. 

Computer Recycling collects e-waste from all over the country at one-day-events via business networks and a fleet of trucks and vans that collect waste. “We also work with general waste companies to encourage the collection of e-waste at the point of landfill,” Patrick says. The company will be working with TechCollect and companies implementing the mandatory product stewardship programmes when the time comes.  

But Patrick doesn’t think it will be realistically operational for two to three years. Once the regulation is in place, the e-waste recycling sector will expand significantly especially with the help of Blue Box, he says. 

“We are hoping to import a few more machines [for other e-waste streams] in a couple of years. If stewardship is introduced and there is a conscious effort to educate the public then there is no reason why we can’t hit 50–60 per cent recycling of waste. Right now, we’re are at about 2 per cent,” Patrick says. 

Keep your garden growing

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Tips and tasks for the March/April māra,
by Diana Noonan

In the cooler months it’s tempting to wind down the edible beds, but try sowing and growing all over again for months of bountiful harvest at a time when store-bought veges command a premium price.  

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Ki te hāmama popora te tangata e kore e mau te ika!  
He who yawns, catches no fish! 

Starting all over again

The summer māra can be disappointing, especially if you’ve been away from home over the holidays and your edible beds have suffered from a lack of attention. But the good news is you can put the past behind you and start growing all over again with cool-season veges – some of which will be ready to harvest in just three to four weeks (see our suggestions below). If you live in a warm region, sow some baby root crops too, as they will keep growing, albeit slowly, almost right through the year. 

Undercover agents

Greenhouses provide a whole new cool-season growing space once summer crops have been harvested. Make the most of this by replenishing the greenhouse soil with organic compost and manures, and sowing quick-turnover greens such as ‘Fiji Feathers’ peas. A semi-leafless pea with crisp feathered shoots and tasty tendrils, it is ready to snip and use just two to three weeks from sowing. Mesclun seed mixes will also come away quickly when sown undercover, and you can double their value by teasing out individual seedlings and planting them into their own spot in the greenhouse where they can grow on to maturity. In very cool regions, where the summer undercover harvest can linger on until mid-autumn, sow and plant into containers which can be placed under cloches until there is space available for them in the greenhouse.

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Extend the season

In order for autumn-sown seeds and cool-season seedlings to be strong, healthy, and potentially productive throughout the winter and early spring months, it’s important to give them a quick start now, in warm beds. If autumns are damp in your part of the country, and you are not already growing in raised beds, mound up your soil by 10–20 cm. This will keep the ground temperature sufficiently damp but not wet, and therefore increase its temperature. If autumn conditions are warm, or if you live in a drought-prone region, use a mulch to lock in moisture and control weeds. If your autumns are on the cool side, skip the mulch (which shuts out the sun’s warmth) and weed by hand. 

Use cloches to harvest the autumn sun. While they can be store-bought, you can also make your own by bending over hoops of supple willow or number eight wire, and pushing the ends into the ground. Cover with recycled clear plastic (check out furniture stores for this valuable resource), and hold it in place with rocks. Prop the cloche open with a forked stick on very warm days so your plants don’t overheat. To make a mini cloche, cut the base off a PET bottle, and push the cut end into the ground. Remove the top to allow for ventilation, so your young plants don’t cook, or leave it on in cold weather to increase the heat. 

Sow me now

In all but the coldest regions, sow the following:
Veges: Radish, daikon radish, autumn mesclun mix, Asian greens, winter spinach, broad beans. In warm regions only: Carrot, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale.
Herbs: Chervil, chives, coriander, rocket, spring onions.
Flowers: Hollyhock, nasturtium, phacelia, spring bulbs, viola.
Note: In very cold regions, sow quick-growing pea shoots and microgreens under cover.

Transplant me now

Veges (by February in cooler regions and March in warmer regions): Brassicas – especially spring cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli (including purple winter-sprouting broccoli), celery, celeriac, leeks, perennial beet, silver beet, winter lettuce.
Herbs: Most woody herbs including rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, and already-established potted lavender. Hardy leafy herbs including parsley, parcel and sorrel.
Flowers: Winter colour (polyanthus, primula, Iceland poppies, pansies) spring bulbs. 

Compost clean-up

Anyone who has ever painted or wallpapered knows that nine-tenths of the mahi goes into preparation – and it’s the same with making the perfect compost. In autumn, especially, it’s important to hot-compost because so much of the material cleared from the māra contains weed seeds that require significant heat in order to be destroyed. 

Composting instructions are easy to access, but the subject of assembling the necessary ingredients is seldom discussed. When building a hot compost, it’s essential to gather all your materials ahead of time, and to restrict the gathering of high-nitrogen materials to just two or three consecutive days before building the pile (any more and this nitrogen-rich material will begin to decay before you want it to). 

Assemble the materials in their different piles: browns (carbon-rich materials such as dead leaves, mulched branches and twigs, and organic straw), greens (nitrogen-rich materials such as green manure crops, lawn clippings, freshly cut long grass, mulched green leaves, seaweeds and kitchen scraps), and very high-nitrogen ingredients (if using), such as fresh and aged animal manures. Although it’s not essential to be totally accurate, a compost heats up best when the ratio of carbon to nitrogen materials is 30:1. You will also need on hand a good supply of water, and material to cover the pile (hessian sacks are ideal). Once you’re ready to begin, following the instructions will be fun and easy. 

Fill the larder

Your winter keep-crops have taken four to six months to grow to maturity. Don’t waste them through poor storage. Dry your alliums (onions, shallots and garlics) until there is no sign of moisture left in their tops (especially around their ‘necks’. Allow kūmara, yams (oca), mashua and ulluco (earth gems) to quick-dry in warm shade, turning them to hurry the process. Dry potatoes in a warm, dark, dry place to prevent greening. Sort crops thoroughly so that any that are damaged are separated out and used quickly. Be aware that different keep-crops require different temperatures and humidity levels to keep well, and do your research. Note that some root crops, such as Jerusalem artichokes and yacon, should be left in the ground until required (in very cold regions, cover the ground above the tubers with a layer of straw to prevent freezing). 

Close to home 

Think ahead to frequently used winter flavour boosters, and pot up rooted pieces of herbs that can be moved close to the door for easy access on wet, cold days. Give the rooted pieces a good start by growing them under cloches through autumn.   

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. 

Sanctity of the soil with Maanu Paul

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Maanu Paul has been a kaitiaki of organic practices his entire life discovers Sue Allison in her new book on inspiring gardeners and gardens of Aotearoa. 

Photography: Juliet Nicholas
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Maanu Paul feels two responsibilities keenly and they are intertwined: to provide food for his whānau, and to do it with the utmost respect for Papatūānuku, Mother Earth. 

In a garden by Ōhope Beach, near Whakatāne, he grows vegetables and fruit using organic methods rooted in mātauranga (Māori knowledge), being mindful of his human role as a kaitiaki (guardian). 

Maanu is a community leader and strong advocate for his people. He has chaired the New Zealand Māori Council and supported Waitangi Tribunal claims relating to indigenous flora and fauna, the land and the seabed. He has taught in schools and tertiary institutions, has tohunga status in education, and wrote the constitution for Te Waka Kai Ora, the Māori National Organics Authority. In 2019, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Māori. But Maanu’s thoughts are never far from the land, and his hands are happiest when covered in soil. 

“My father told me that it was the role of our ancestor, Moewhare, to provide food and sustenance for the tribe,” he says. A carving in the Apa-hāpai-taketake wharenui on the Ngāti Manawa marae in Murupara depicts Moewhare with a large-eyed dog. “It’s a hunting dog, and it’s got big eyes because it is always looking for food.” 

Maanu’s father grew vegetables in a 16-ha community garden beside his hapū’s Moewhare wharenui at Waiohau. “My father and his family would prepare the ground and the people would come and plant their potatoes and other vegetables. He would look after them, and at harvest time they would come with their sleds and carts and take their crops away.” 

Maanu grew up in Murupara, one of 10 children. After his mother died in childbirth when he was seven, he went to live with his paternal grandmother. “My father’s mother taught me how to grow things. She taught me that the soil is like a mother. You must feed and respect her, and she will feed the family.” He learned how to plant and harvest according to the maramataka (lunar calendar) and how to read the land’s signs. 

“I have memories of my father hopping on his horse and riding around the farm looking for the right valley to grow our vegetables. He told me that where the fern is as high as a horse, the land is fat. Ki te tipu rarauhe kia orite ki te hōiho he momona te whenua.  

“When he found a good spot, we would cut a fire break around it, then burn it, disc and harrow it, and plant pumpkins, potatoes, watermelon and kamokamo. The fern would come up at same time as our veges, letting in the light and rain and keeping the ground cool.” 

“My father’s mother taught me how to grow things. She taught me that the soil is like a mother. You must feed and respect her, and she will feed the family.” 

When Maanu was sent to live with his mother’s family in Whakatāne for his high school years, his horticultural education was broadened by his other tupuna. “My maternal grandmother taught me how to grow food on the coast where there is a different lunar calendar,” he says. The maramataka is interwoven with influences from the sea and wind and seasonal reminders for food gathering from endemic trees. The locals knew that when the kōwhai trees started flowering, it was time to harvest mussels. 

In 1962, Maanu married Gwenda, a teacher and social scientist who had also grown up in Murupara. The couple spent most of their working life and raised their four children in Hamilton, but Whakatāne always felt like home. In 1975, they had bought a 2-ha piece of family land at Ōhope Beach that was otherwise going to be taken over by the district council. 

“We are the tāngata whenua, the people of the land. We are the land, and the land is us,” says Pembroke Bird, kaumātua at Maanu’s tribal Rangitahi marae in Murupara. It is telling that the same word, ‘whenua’, means both land and placenta. “After a baby is born, we put the afterbirth back into the land and plant a tree on top. Respect and reverence for the whenua and Papatūānuku is everything. Everyone suffers when there is a disconnection.” 

With the wider family numbering in the hundreds, ownership and rates payment had been complex. Maanu’s solution was to take it over, but in his eyes it still belongs to whānau and he sees his role as growing for them just as his father did so many decades earlier at Waiohau. 

In 1990, Maanu and Gwenda moved permanently to Ōhope Beach. They bought an abandoned kiwifruit orchard that had been wrecked in the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake, and, with the help of horticulturalist Sandy Scarrow, converted it to an organic venture. Maanu attended field days and listened to other orchardists, but he also applied his own thinking. 

After discovering that leaf-roller caterpillars, a bane of orchardists, were breeding in the shelter belts, he cut down the willows despite being advised not to do so. They never had a problem with the grubs again. To protect the kiwifruit vines from wind damage, Maanu pegged them to the ground, emulating their natural growth habit. 

While orchardists all around were netting their vines and setting off cannons, the Pauls left the birds alone. “The finches nip off some buds, but not all of them. They literally prune the vines and also eat insect pests,” says Gwenda. “Nature has its own way of balancing everything out.” 

They also introduced pigs to the orchard, as Maanu’s father had always done, to clean the land. The animals both rid the soil of the debilitating fungal root disease armillaria and fertilised the vines. 

Not only did the Pauls win the prize for the longest-keeping fruit every year, but their orchard was never affected by the Psa bacterial disease that decimated the industry. “When the disease came, we didn’t get it because our plants weren’t stressed,” says Maanu.  

When Maanu started to prepare the land at Ōhope Beach to grow vegetables, he found the remains of old kūmara pits and large shellfish middens left by his forebears. But the soil was dry, sandy and deficient in potassium. Over the years, he has enriched it with composted green waste and homemade liquid fertiliser. Fish guts, seaweed and potassium-rich kina are the key ingredients of Maanu’s potent brew, which ferments in a 44-gallon drum by the garden. 

Each vegetable plant is individually cared for. It has its own hole, dug into a small mound with a moat around it. Before planting, the hole is filled with rotted lawn clippings and a bucket of liquid fertiliser. There are no hoses in the garden. Every third day, Maanu carts buckets of fresh water down from the house on the back of his old Massey Ferguson tractor, and each plant gets a 10-litre drink. “Bucket-watering gives me a chance to look at the plants.”  

They thrive under his scrutiny. Colossal red onions, enormous pumpkins and rhubarb with leaves the size of gunnera grow among lettuces, cucumbers, chillies and tomatoes. Beetroot, kūmara and other root crops grow fat in the well-fed soils, while beans clamber over teepees made using bamboo poles grown on the property.  

All around are native trees. Pōhutukawa, kahikatea, karaka and kawakawa, which they use to make tea, grow among banana palms, oranges, avocado and fig trees. Apples, persimmons and peaches are abundant, and there’s not a curly leaf in sight. Flowering penstemon bring the bees, while detrimental insects and caterpillars are deterred with spray made from boiled rhubarb leaves. 

In winter, Maanu covers the beds with a thick layer of lawn clippings, suppressing any weeds and ready to mulch the following year’s crops. Gwenda and Maanu have 18 mokopuna, an ever-increasing brood of great-grandchildren and large extended families on both sides. Whānau are free to help themselves to the bounty of the garden. 

But Maanu’s concern is for more than providing food for his family. It is for future generations. At the heart of mātauranga are the principles of tikanga, the physical and metaphysical values brought by the ancestors who island-hopped across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean), adopting and adapting the ways of the people with whom they interacted. “When the Pākehā came, we adopted too many of their ways,” he says. 

Tikanga literally means ‘right practices’, and it is humans’ responsibility as kaitiaki to ensure they are maintained. “The kaitiaki role is a dynamic one which requires constant monitoring” says Maanu, who decries the economic forces that put ‘money-whenua’ ahead of mana whenua. “We are paying the price for putting chemicals on our land. Surely we will learn some lessons? We now need to reimpose our way of doing things. We need to go back to the organic way of growing, the Māori way of growing that respects the sanctity of the soil.”  

This is an edited extract from In the Company of Gardeners by Sue Allison, photography by Juliet Nicholas (Penguin Random House, $55). 

Raw blackcurrant & vanilla cheesecake recipe

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Recipe by Harriet Meyer-Knight

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For the crust 

½ cup raw cashews  
½ cup activated almonds  
½ cup pitted dates  
2 T  coconut oil  
1 tsp  vanilla bean powder  
¼ tsp  kosher salt  

For the cheesecake 

2 cups  cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight  
½ cup  coconut cream  
¼ cup  coconut oil  
⅓ cup  maple syrup  
2 T  fresh lemon juice  
1 T  vanilla bean powder  
¼ cup freeze-dried blackcurrant powder  

For the berry layer 

1 cup  fresh or frozen ViBERi Blackcurrants or ViBERi SuperBeri Mix (thawed, if frozen)  
1 T  fresh lemon juice 
1 T  chia seeds 

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  1. Place the crust ingredients into a high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small nut bits remaining. Don’t over process. Press evenly on the bottom of a bottomless cake tin (roughly 20 cm). 
  1. In a high-powered blender, combine all filling ingredients except the freeze-dried blackcurrants. Blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides, as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered. Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness and tartness levels by adding more maple syrup, vanilla or lemon juice, if desired.  
  1. Pour two-thirds of the filling into the prepared pan over the crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer. Add the freeze-dried blackcurrants to the remaining batter and blend to incorporate. Spread over the plain layer. Return to the freezer.  
  1. Rinse out the blender and add the fresh or thawed blackcurrants, lemon juice and chia seeds to it. Blend until smooth, then pour over the other layers.  
  1. Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm before slicing and serving. Run your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife. You can let it thaw for about 20 minutes from frozen at room temperature, or for the best texture, transfer to the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.  
  1. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh or freeze-dried berries and edible flowers like pansies if you have them. 

Taking the plunge into cold-water immersion

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Immersing yourself in cold water has many health benefits, as Anne Gastinger discovers. 

 

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My grandfather first introduced me to the sea when I was a toddler. I remember him holding me steady as we braced against the surf’s edge on Hokitika Beach, foam-flecked water swirling around our feet. It was all good fun until the ebb of the Tasman Sea gouged the sand from under our soles, leaving me petrified and my grandfather having to deal with the tears.  

This childhood memory periodically returns when I’m swimming in the sea or inland in lakes and rivers. The mercurial temperaments of these environments demand our vigilance and respect. Even so, Aotearoa’s raw nature abounds in swimming spots ideal for an invigorating dip on fair weather days. As well as the exhilarating thrill, swimming in cold wild water is of great benefit to our wellbeing. 

Relief for migraines

Migraines have plagued me since adulthood. In the first years when the pain would begin I’d hunker under the bed covers in a quiet darkened room with a cold flannel over my forehead. Taking a soothing shower also brought momentary relief but there seemed no avoiding the long, gruelling hours ahead until the episode passed. Or so I thought, until I was caught out with a migraine during a long car trip with my older brother. Pulling the car into a clearing by the Motueka River, my brother suggested I rest in the river shallows. The cool water flowing over me did help. The pain eased and we were able to travel on.  

I now swim regularly through the spring, summer and autumn months at my local beach. During winter my attendance rate is poor but I’m working on that, because bathing in nature’s cold waters alleviates the frequency and intensity of my migraines.  

Tips for cold dips 

When swimming in water 16ºC or colder, take note of the following.  If you have an underlying health condition, first seek medical advice. 

  • Check weather conditions and ensure the location and water quality are suitable for swimming. 
  • Start with short dips and wade in slowly. It feels painful, but the body adjusts. Learn your limits, and swim with others.  
  • Head under or not? Keep your face above water until breathing is under control. Cold water frequently entering the ear canal can cause an abnormal bone growth commonly known as surfer’s ear. Protect your ears by wearing a silicone swimming hat and/or ear plugs. 
  • Beware of hypothermia, which occurs when body temperature falls below 35ºC. If you slow down or shiver, get out and warm up. The length of time you can swim in cold water without hypothermia depends on body size and shape, experience and training. 
  • When to get out? Practice caution. Experienced swimmers: 10 minutes for health benefits. 

The feel-good factor

In recent years the time-honoured practice of swimming in cold wild waters has gained momentum as word spreads about its energising, stress-relieving and mood-enhancing benefits.  

Kerry Newton is the founder of Ōtautahi-based Scarborough Dippers. She started her group in 2017 with four members, aiming to complete the Wet July daily sea-swim challenge as a fundraiser for charity. The experience proved so successful that membership now tops 30, with ages ranging from 20 to 80 plus.  

The Scarborough Dippers swim year-round, even through winter months in Canterbury when water temperatures hover around 9ºC. Kerry believes the popularity of the Scarborough Dippers is due to “the social contact, the feel-good factor and the improved immunity against getting colds”. 

When stress can strengthen

The health claims of cold-water dipping have garnered attention in the scientific community. While there are serious risks if one does not adhere to safety guidelines, the evidence emerging about the adaptions our body undergoes when stressed by cold water is compelling. So much so that Grant Schofield, a professor of public health at Auckland University of Technology and himself a daily cold-water dipper, describes the practice as “effectively upgrading your brain”.  

“Cold water is stressful on the body. Under stress we build back even better than we started,” Professor Schofield said on Radio NZ in August 2021, and confirmed his comments when contacted by Organic NZ. 

“Some of these beneficial adaptions include the conversion of white fat to beneficial more metabolically active brown fat, and increased secretion of the hormone irisine from the muscles which aids glucose and fat metabolism. These changes are adaptations to the stress of the cold and they help the mind and body be a more efficient version of itself.” 

The Scarborough dippers braving the cold water on a Canterbury winter’s day at Te Onepoto – Taylors Mistake Bay

Mental health gains 

There are also mental health gains from cold-water swimming, Professor Schofield says. “Cold-water immersion helps remove and regulate a neurotransmitter, glutamate, that is implicated in depression and anxiety and up-regulates GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter), so you have a feeling of calmness.”  

Researchers in the UK showcased this effect by helping a woman suffering from long-term severe depression to manage her health medication-free just by taking weekly cold-water swims. When immersed in chilly water at temperatures of 14ºC, the body creates over five times its normal level of noradrenaline (a neurotransmitter that prepares the body for action) and more than doubles levels of the feelgood neurotransmitter dopamine, Czech researchers discovered. This increase in chemicals crucial for healthy brain function might explain the post-cold-swim euphoria many swimmers feel. 

Depression, arthritis, dementia 

Not only can cold-water exposure combat depression, it has also been shown to boost energy, aid cognition and relieve arthritis. One study found that regular winter dippers in Finland reported experiencing less tension and fatigue, improved mood and memory, and less arthritic pain. Another study of cold-water swimmers in Germany found they contracted significantly fewer respiratory infections than the general population. 

At a time when dementia in Western societies is on the increase, cold-water bathing may yet prove a means of delaying or even preventing its onset. In 2018 researchers in the UK found cold-water swimmers who regularly lower their body temperatures to 35ºC produce a ‘cold-shock’ protein, known as RNA-binding protein 3 (RBM3). This protein has been shown not only to slow the onset of dementia in mice, but even repair some of the damage caused by the disease. 

Double dip with forest bathing

The Southern Pacific waters surrounding our shoreline are ideal for cold-water bathing. Inland we have many rivers and lakes lined with native bush, some still in pristine condition. Bathing in these wild waters is in a sense double-dipping in terms of health rewards.  

Peter Wohlleben, German forester and bestselling author, explains why in his latest book The Heartbeat of Trees. Trees, he tells us, release compounds into the air in order to communicate among themselves. These arboreal chemicals are an elixir for our health.  

The evidence is so compelling that Japanese doctors issue prescriptions to their patients for ‘forest bathing’, called shinrin-yoku. When walking in the bush or swimming in rivers and lakes surrounded by healthy, diverse forest, the arboreal compounds we inhale aid our circulatory system and lower our blood pressure. Trees produce protective antimicrobial phytoncides to ward off fungal attacks. These help allergy sufferers and reduce inflammation in the human body. 

Furthermore, forest bathing may have a protective effect against cancer. Japanese researchers compared a group of people who went forest bathing with a group who did a city walk. They found that the forest bathers had an increase in cancer-killing cells and anti-cancer proteins. ‘The elevated concentrations of both can be detected in … blood up to seven days after the forest walk.’  

Korean researchers examining this phenomenon discovered that elderly female forest bathers’ blood pressure, lung capacity and artery elasticity all improved significantly more than their sister city walkers. This is all good news for those taking a walk, tramp, or bike ride through the bush en route to a river or lake swim. 

Acclimatise and stay safe 

For those new to cold-water dipping, summertime when marine, river and lake temperatures are warmer is an ideal time to begin acclimatising your body to cold-water shock. This is our initial breath-gasping stress response to the sudden drop in skin temperature caused by the cold water. The quickened breathing rate, along with an increase in blood pressure, lasts some minutes. As we acclimatise – which can occur after as few as six cold-water swims – our bodies adapt to better withstand cold temperatures. 

After leaving the water, dry and dress yourself quickly in warm garments that are easy to slip on. It’s not uncommon ten or so minutes afterwards to get the shivers as ‘after drop’ kicks in. When cold, the body cleverly protects its vital core organs by reducing blood flow to the skin and limbs. Our core stays warm while our extremities cool. Back on land when peripheral vasoconstriction ends, the cooler blood mixes with the warmer blood, causing a drop in deep body temperature. Be prepared with a hot drink in a thermos for afterwards.  

Healthy habits

Cold-water swimming, when practised according to safety guidelines, is an effective means of aiding and maintaining health. As Professor Schofield says: “We’re such great adapters, we un-adapt at the same rate if we’re sedentary.” Like all good health practices it works best if undertaken regularly. 

Anne Gastinger lives, gardens and writes in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and enjoys swimming at Waimairi Beach.  

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 and 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.

Gluten-free Panforte Christmas recipe

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This chewy cake, chock-full of fruit and nuts, is a decadent Christmas treat. The team from Dovedale Bread share this easy recipe that you can make in advance, then parcel up into gifts for family, friends and neighbours. Panforte means ‘strong bread’ in Italian – it’s deliciously rich, so slice thinly as a little goes a long way!

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Ingredients

100 g     almonds
100 g     walnuts
120 g     chopped figs
90 g       mixed peel
40 g       brown rice flour
40 g       tapioca starch
20 g       cocoa
15 g       mixed spice
180 g     honey
90 g       dark chocolate, chopped
Icing sugar to dust

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan bake.
  2. Roast nuts in an ovenproof dish for 12 minutes.
  3. Combine roasted nuts, dried fruit, cocoa, brown rice flour, tapioca starch and mixed spice in a bowl and mix well to combine.
  4. Heat honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat add chocolate and stir until melted and mixture is smooth.
  5. Pour honey and chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and mix well with a strong wooden spoon, until combined.
  6. Grease and line the bottom of a 20 cm round cake tin. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the tin. Use the back of the spoon to smooth out the top. Bake for 25 minutes.
  7. Cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
This cake will keep for weeks in an airtight container. You can change it up with different varieties of fruit and nuts to suit your taste.

Dovedale Bread

Dean and Sarah Richardson are the new owners of Dovedale Bread, which was founded in Nelson in 1996. Their breads are made with a sourdough leaven and they specialise in baking gluten-free, paleo, kato, wheat-free, dairy-free and no added yeast products.

The Dovedale range includes a selection of breads, buns, pizza bases, pitas, biscuits, crackers and cakes – including this panforte. See more on their website: dovedale.nz

Whenua Warrior

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Moko Morris talks with Kelly Francis, a Kai Oranga graduate and the catalyst for over 250 food gardens that have been planted since last spring.

We hope you enjoy this free article from OrganicNZ. Join us for access to exclusive members-only content.

Motivated by attending a Kai Oranga course at Papatūānuku Marae, Kelly Francis (Ngāti Wharara, Ngāti Korokoro and Ngāpuhi) created a charitable trust and social enterprise movement called Whenua Warrior. Her vision is to have a harvestable garden available to every person in the country and her mission is to feed, teach and empower communities through māra kai (food gardens).

Providing solutions and connection

The idea came to Kelly from understanding communities that she had been in, the challenges they face and the solutions she had learnt to share. It solves multiple issues including knowledge- and time-poor whānau, provides financial stability through not having to purchase vegetables, and offers a connection to Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) and what she provides us with.

“The most important thing I learnt on the Kai Oranga course was Hua Parakore – the six principles of the Hua Parakore verification system,” says Kelly.

“It also came from knowing the mana you can get from providing kai to your whānau, the need to understand the whakapapa of your kai and the advantages of connecting your wairua with mahi māra kai. I wanted to find a way to help our communities with these indigenous techniques and tried to imagine the entire country understanding their food in this depth… and then find a way to give that koha to them.”

So Whenua Warrior was born.

Gardening is a whānau affair: Kelly, Tainui, Passion and Pania Newton at Ihumatao, Māngere

How it works

Involving others comes naturally for Kelly; they usually find her. It’s the story, passion or mahi behind each project that attracts people to her kaupapa. Finding people is very important to her – but whoever is there on the day are the people that were meant to be.

Her approach to gardening projects is to ensure that community and their needs are met first and foremost. What Whenua Warrior build and who they build it with needs to be sustainable and beneficial for years to come. Anyone can put a box of dirt in your backyard, but not everyone can teach how to get that box of dirt to benefit you, your family, hapū and iwi.

Once a māra kai is established, there must be buy-in from families so that there is a foundation of people that work together to ensure the benefits are felt wide and far. ‘Build day’ is about the community and its people, not the garden. Post-build is about supporting the people to support the garden.

There are two different arms to the Whenua Warrior approach:

  1. 100% community-based, with no money involved. The community identifies what they need and Whenua Warrior supports them to source seedlings, soil and materials, then helps to facilitate the build and works out ways it can be managed.
  2. 100% community-based, backed by funding. A call-out is made to the community as above, then funding is accessed if required.

This approach has been successful and over 250 māra kai have been built so far, in South Auckland, Mount Wellington and Whangarei. Whenua Warrior is now in its eleventh month, and has started on more of the larger-sized gardens rather than focus on the number. In September this year, 50 gardens will be built in the back of 50 homes in Kawakawa. The process from initial contact to actual build varies from place to place but is usually done in under six weeks.

Tainui with beetroot seedlings

Hua Parakore principles

Kelly explains the principles of Hua Parakore (clean, pure, kai atua) in the following way:

“When contemplating a project, I look at the dates of the maramataka (moon planting calendar) that I can plan on to benefit the build day, hui days, decision days. It is an important aspect in all parts of the project for the wellness of people and for the timeline structure for the project.

“I consider te ao tūroa [the natural world] when we are on the whenua and trying to discover what Papatuānuku already has and what can be built to benefit the tangata whenua. Knowing your surroundings and your options for build is something our tohunga would be responsible for before the land was confirmed to build māra on.

“At this stage whakapapa is considered as well. What happened here? How was this whenua used? What is the whakapapa of the area, people, whenua? Kōrero on the land will potentially allow us to discover the best possible places to plant A versus B.

“We then have the holistic connections that are in our principles: wairua, or spirit. I ask to make sure that I am allowed on the land to do the mahi – ask tangata whenua directly but also karakia to ask our tupuna to ensure our holistic safety. We connect everything physical to spiritual and must acknowledge everyone at every time.”

Wairua can also be a verb – ‘acting with wairua, doing with wairua’, says Kelly. “All actions taken in the build day must have everyone’s wairua in mind. I think that the wrong wairua can mean an empty plate. Everyone must be in tune with each other… and share the mauri.

“Mauri is what you are passing on from you to kai, and from kai back to you. This is most important when planting – and the atmosphere for planting needs to be completely serene and positive. What you plant is what you eat, and I consider it a hugely important part of build day to get the community mauri at its highest to allow the passing from them to their kai, and eventually from the kai to them.

“Mana – this is felt mainly when all of the above has been completed. The principle that can only be reported to yourself. Mana is not something you earn – it is something within you. Only you can choose how much mana you apply to each decision you make. It is your spiritual pat on the back – and I normally feel this when I am back home and contemplating the completion of each project.”

Whānau and kai more important than money

Passion receiving beetroot seedlings

Kelly says the most fun part is meeting the communities and teaching and learning at the same time together. She shares the matauranga (knowledge) in a way that benefits Papatuānuku, focusing on knowing that people are better off and proving her strong view that money shouldn’t be the main focus of life: family and kai is.

“I built this idea out of hope, because I truly care about what your kids will be able to access when they are responsible to provide food for their tables. We should be thinking of what we can do NOW to benefit them then,” says Kelly.

“I strongly encourage all families in New Zealand to plant fruit trees and vegetables in every household. There are no negatives to growing your own food.”

The 6 principles of
Hua Parakore

Whakapapa

Wairua

Mana

Maramataka

Mauri

Te Ao Tūroa

Kai Oranga

Find out more about free Kai Oranga courses here: www.wananga.ac.nz/programmes/school-of-iwi-development/kai-oranga

Whenua Warrior

facebook.com/whenuawarrior

Moko Morris is Co-chair of the Soil & Health National Council who lives in Ōtaki. She is also the national coordinator of Te Waka Kai Ora, the NZ Māori Organics Authority.