July - August 2020

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ1 min read
Build Kindness & Forge New Alliances
Kia ora e hoa mā. Wow – we made it all the way from Level 4 – panic, fear of the unknown and uncertainty – through to Level 1 – unlock all doors and restore all hugs! And along the way we heard more birds sing, talked more with our neighbours, discov
Organic NZ2 min read
Breathe And Contemplate
I felt proud and humbled watching so many people in the organic community making oral submissions on the Organic Products Bill recently. There was much common ground among the messages people were giving to the Primary Production Select Committee. So
Organic NZ2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Things we Like
Several of the Organic NZ team recently tried out Daily Organics Summer Kombucha. It’s a lovely, crisp, gut-nourishing health drink. The ginger and lemon flavour is light on the palate with a tart refreshing aftertaste that leaves your tongue feeling
Organic NZ4 min read
Your Letters
WINNING LETTER I grew these 15.5 kg of New Zealand yams (oca) and 10 kg of potatoes, organically, on eight square metres of land. The total number of hours that went into sowing, growing and harvesting the crop was six. I could sell these tubers, who
Organic NZ1 min read
Organic NZ
Chair of Soil & Health Marion Wood National Councillors Steffan Browning, Jodie Bruning, Barbara Collis, Jenny Lux, Peter Wells General manager Pete Huggins: pete.huggins@organicnz.org.nz Enquiries and membership support Florence Lundon-Moore: info@o
Organic NZ2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Competitions
We have an amazing 18 prizes on offer from Green Trading! Up for grabs are three $50 vouchers to spend in their online store, and 15 organic neem soaps. Rohan and Komal Patel founded Green Trading to source natural alternatives for human health, gard
Organic NZ2 min read
Organic Bill Rewrite Coming
The Organic Products Bill is expected to be rewritten substantially after dozens of critical submissions to Parliament’s Primary Production Select Committee. Organic producers and distributors who fronted at committee hearings on 11 June (via online
Organic NZ1 min read
More Diverse Crops Touted For NZ
Six ‘star’ crops – soy, hemp, chickpeas, oats, buckwheat and quinoa – could represent new opportunities for New Zealand farmers to create more value and diversity, according to a new report. Greater reliance on New Zealand-grown crops was also a fact
Organic NZ1 min read
Organic Week Award Winners
While Organic Week Aotearoa NZ had to be postponed until September due to the covid-19 lockdown, the Organic Week Awards went ahead because they were conducted online. Congratulations to the winners! By popular vote, Alexander Organics has been chose
Organic NZ1 min read
GE Free Northland Appeal For Funds
GE Free Northland is appealing for funds to help continue the work to ensure strong precautionary and prohibitive GE provisions are placed in the Regional Plan for Northland. Donations will help cover the costs of a legal counsel, planner and expert
Organic NZ1 min read
New Branding For AsureQuality
AsureQuality has recently refreshed their corporate branding to a clean modern style which they say better reflects their role in Aotearoa’s food and primary production sectors. As a result, the AsureQuality organic certification mark is also changin
Organic NZ1 min read
NZ Organic Deodorant Wins Canadian Award
Taranaki company Everkind recently won Best in Odour Care in the 2020 Canadian Clean Beauty Awards for their Everkind Ultra organic deodorant. A total of 371 products were tried, tested and scored by a global judging panel in the independent awards.
Organic NZ1 min read
EU Recovery Plan Includes Organics
In May the European Commission proposed a €750 billion recovery plan that includes investment in things like organic agriculture, cleaner transport, renewable energy, more and better digital connectivity. The Commission’s boost for organics aims to i
Organic NZ7 min read
Health is OUR WEALTH
The arrival of the pandemic Covid-19 disease on the shores of Aotearoa has sharply refocused people’s and government’s attention to the importance of health and access to healthcare. The far-reaching consequences of this novel viral disease are yet t
Organic NZ4 min read
Happy HOUSEPLANTS
There are many crazy plant ladies and I’m proud to say I’m one of them. I grew my first houseplant in Scotland when I was eight. It was an orange tree, lovingly grown from a pip (it never fruited). My second was a vine from seed inside a carved Peruv
Organic NZ6 min read
Regenerating AOTEAROA
Right now, there’s a palpable sense of possibility in the air. The Covid-19 crisis has been difficult and devastating, but there’s also a feeling that this disruption could be what we need to make widespread change. That’s why it’s been amazing seein
Organic NZ6 min read
The Winter Chook Needs And Feeds
I have been keeping chickens for 30 years now. The 70 hens are divided evenly between two runs, with one rooster per flock. Most are red shavers, but I also enjoy my 10 bantam hens. Although they lay smaller eggs, I have customers who prefer these eg
Organic NZ1 min read
Maramataka for Hōngoingoi/Hereturi Kōkā
Ka tangi te wharauroa: koia! koia! The shining cuckoo is calling: dig! dig! When the puahou (five finger, Pseudopanax arboreus) is in flower, the winter months are drawing to a close. Pīpīwharauroa, the shining cuckoo, returns home to Aotearoa after
Organic NZ2 min read
Maramataka for Pipiri/Hōngongoi
The revered star cluster Matariki (Pleiades) rises during the Tangaroa nights from 13–16 July, and the celebration of Matariki – Māori New Year – lasts from 13–20 July. Just before sunrise, we greet Matariki and celebrate this special event. Those in
Organic NZ2 min read
Sorting out YOUR SEEDS
Years ago when I was wwoofing during a particularly wet period, my host found me a good indoor task: sorting out his seed collection. Being the child of librarians – and cataloguing librarians at that – I really enjoyed this task. Winter is the perfe
Organic NZ5 min readCooking, Food & Wine
HOT & SPICY Warming Winter Drinks
Cold winter weather makes us seek comfort in soft blankets, cosy fires, and warming foods and drinks. Winter culinary pleasures often include spices, not only to enhance flavour, but also to lend their own unique warming actions. These spices taste g
Organic NZ5 min readWellness
An unhealthy GLOW
Screen technologies such as computers, tablets, iPads and smartphones are increasingly used in our schools and homes as learning tools. However, the hype and excitement about the new opportunities these devices are creating in teaching and learning h
Organic NZ5 min readDiet & Nutrition
How I HEALED MY IBS
I was in my mid thirties with a stay-at-home husband, two primary-school-aged sons and was working as a structural engineer. We owned our own house and car, lived in a picturesque village in Cornwall in the UK and life should have been sweet. Except
Organic NZ7 min read
Building NATURAL IMMUNITY With Herbs
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said visiting medical herbalist Mary Allan as she began her talk on Great Barrier Island just before the Covid-19 crisis got underway in New Zealand. She’d planned to speak on safe and effective ways
Organic NZ4 min read
Pasture Management To Boost Organic Matter
Pasture is one of the best things that can happen to a soil. The fibrous roots of grass are ideal for creating crumbly topsoil rich in organic matter. But not all pastures are created equal. The roots of all crop plants can help contribute to the bui
Organic NZ6 min read
ASPARAGUS Spears To Die For
Bill and Irene Cummings, with the help of their three children over the years, have operated Greenfern (Les Asperges) since 2000. Located at Tamahere near Cambridge on 23 hectares of flat sandy loam soil, their fields produced at peak 100 tonnes of a
Organic NZ5 min read
Passive House Vs Passive Solar Design
New Zealand has seen a lot of new developments in the last few years from people in the architectural and building community, many of whom seem to be getting on the green bandwagon – and about time too! One particular green building subject, the so-c
Organic NZ6 min readAgriculture
Back To The Future Smooth Transition To Organic Dairy
The Herricks have recently completed their first season as a fully certified organic supplier to Fonterra at Kowhai Bush Organics, a 150-hectare farm on river flats and terraces east of Carterton. Known as Taumata, this area bounded by the Ruamāhanga
Organic NZ6 min read
Soil & Health AGM 2020
All members warmly welcome. This year’s AGM will be held via online video link due to the uncertainty of Covid-19 restrictions. Please register for the AGM online at www.organicnz.org.nz no later than 22 July 2020. For more information about this yea
Organic NZ1 min read
Subscribe!
• Save 7% off the retail price• Enjoy home delivery• Packed with useful info and inspiration!• Great gift idea• Support the Soil & Health Association to create an organic New Zealand! $55 1-year subscription 6 issues $100 2-year subscription 12 issue
Organic NZ4 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Goods And Services Directory
This directory is your guide to a range of goods and services that are either certified organic, or supply organic products. • Certified organic goods, services or businesses are marked: ✓• Non-certified producers are included on the implicit expecta
Organic NZ1 min read
Remits
That R6.1 of the Constitution be amended by the deletion of the words “not later than the 1st of August”. Rationale: This allows for greater flexibility in setting a date for the AGM. Insert the following rule: R6.2.1 General Meetings including Annua
Organic NZ1 min read
Soil & Health Events And Contacts
The Soil & Health Association – publisher of Organic NZ – has groups that meet in different parts of the country. These meetings and field days are wonderful ways in which to meet fellow gardeners and growers, and other people interested in healthy s

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