September - October 2021

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ1 min read
Thank You For Supporting Us!
Did you know? By buying or subscribing to Organic NZ you are supporting the work of Soil & Health, a not-for-profit registered charity, towards a GE-free organic Aotearoa. Subscribe, save, enjoy home delivery and prize draws. SPECIAL OFFER! See page
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Organic NZ
Chair of Soil & Health Marion Wood National Councillors Jodie Bruning, Barbara Collis, Ella Lawton, Jenny Lux, Bernie Mabbs, Peter Wells General manager Pete Huggins: pete.huggins@organicnz.org.nz Enquiries and membership support Meghan Read, info@or
Organic NZ2 min read
Take Heart And Give Thanks
Welcome to our new-look magazine! We hope you like the fresh new design and find it a pleasure to read. A big thanks to Sally Travis, our designer, for all her work on the gorgeous new look, and to Pete Huggins, our general manager, for his drive and
Organic NZ1 min read
Free Honey Bundle With Subscription
Organic NZ is the leading organics and sustainable living magazine packed with inspiration and information on healthy organic living. Subscribers receive 6 issues delivered to their door each year. Choose from 12-month ($55) or 24-month ($100) subscr
Organic NZ2 min read
Latest Reads
The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy Matthew Evans Murdoch Books, 2021, $36.99 The most mind-blowing book about soil you’ll read this year! Australian chef and restaurant critic turned farmer, Matthew Evans, follows his nose,
Organic NZ2 min read
Things We Like
One of our team recently tried the new Waihi Bush Coconut Oil. This cold-pressed, unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil has been wild harvested and packed by hand on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, and certified organic by BioGro. Our sa
Organic NZ2 min read
WIN This Issue!
Subscribe to Organic NZ by 30 September to go in the draw to win one of four mixed boxes of Solomons Gold organic chocolate! All current subscribers are automatically entered. Solomons Gold’s Classic Collection contains 12 of their handcrafted dark c
Organic NZ3 min read
Feedback
I’m a great fan of reducing the use of glyphosate. However I’d like a practical solution to weed control on our driveway. While we spend a considerable amount of time trying to control organic debris on the driveway, it is impossible to keep entirely
Organic NZ2 min read
Oceania-pasifika Organic Voices Unite
Organic movements across the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have called for innovative solutions to the region’s food systems in a virtual dialogue involving more than 130 farmers, researchers, NGOs, government and community members. The event ga
Organic NZ1 min read
Step In The Right Direction For Glyphosate?
From 2023 Bayer will stop selling glyphosate-based weedkillers to the home garden market in the USA. This follows the company’s expensive losing streak in court – a legacy of its buyout of Monsanto, manufacturer of Roundup. Bayer is now paying billio
Organic NZ1 min read
Oceania–Pasifika Organic Stats
18,000 organic producers 35,900,000 hectares of land 14.5% of Samoa’s agricultural land is in organic production 9.9% in Australia 5.3% in Fiji 4.5% in Vanuatu 0.8% in Aotearoa New Zealand 50% of the world’s organic agricultural land is in Oceania. 9
Organic NZ1 min read
Philippines Approves GE Golden Rice
The Philippine government approved commercial production of genetically engineered golden rice in July, despite vehement opposition from farmers, scientists, environmental and consumer groups in Asia. The rice is engineered to contain beta-carotene,
Organic NZ1 min read
Organic Week 2021
Organic Week is New Zealand’s largest annual celebration of all things organic, and is brought to you by Aotearoa’s organic community working together. This year is an extra special year because Organic Week coincides with the 80th year celebrations
Organic NZ1 min read
OrganicNZ AWARDS
People made nominations for the awards through the Organic Week website and social channels, and the finalists for each award are presented below. A panel of judges selected the finalists, and will choose the winners, in each of these three categorie
Organic NZ4 min read
Thank You To The Sponsors Of Organic Week
As one of New Zealand’s major suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables, Countdown is committed to meeting New Zealanders’ ever-growing demand for quality organic produce. Their range offers customers a wider selection of organic produce. Countdown wor
Organic NZ2 min read
A Taste Of Events During Organic Week
Organic farm visits, tastings, workshops, dinners and other events will be happening around Aotearoa during Organic Week. Events continue to be registered on the Organic Week website at organicweek.co.nz/register-your-event. Here are just some of the
Organic NZ1 min read
Organic Traders Supporting Organic Week
Members of the Organic Traders Association of New Zealand (OTANZ) around the country are gearing up for promotions, displays and events during Organic Week. The group is made up of independent retail stores and traders in organic, ethical, local and
Organic NZ3 min read
Compostable Packaging How Far Have We Come?
In June, Environment Minister David Parker announced that “problem” and some single-use plastics will be phased out by mid-2025. Food and drink packaging made from PVC and polystyrene will be going, along with plastics that are oxo- or photo-degradab
Organic NZ5 min read
Three Perspectives
Jenny is one of New Zealand’s home compostable packaging pioneers. In 2018, she worked with Hamilton packaging manufacturer Convex New Zealand to develop a compostable bag for her certified organic salad greens. After 15 months of development and tri
Organic NZ1 min readChemistry
Poisons In Packaging
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is a group of synthetic chemicals used by industries around the globe for the last 80 years. These chemicals repel water and grease, making them prized ingredients in food packaging and single-use servicewar
Organic NZ2 min read
Compostable packaging FAQs
What is compostable packaging made from? • Plants, including wood pulp, sugar cane (known as bagasse), wheat straw, bamboo, corn or potato starch• Fossil fuels• A combination of the two. Where do the ingredients come from? Unless the manufacturer or
Organic NZ5 min read
50 Years Of Fertile Ground
For Dave Woods an interest in gardening started as something of a teenage fixation with sweet corn. “I enjoyed it so much I started growing my own,” he remembers. “That’s when I realised I liked growing things.” He became even more interested after a
Organic NZ4 min read
Homemade Compost
Homemade compost is the best thing for your garden. That sounds like a bold statement, but it’s true. Whether it’s compost in a bin, or you’re directly letting plants and organic matter decompose in your garden, it’s all about creating a nutrient-ric
Organic NZ1 min read
Compost Bin Do’s And Don’ts
Greens • disease-free plant materials• vegetable and fruit scraps• coffee grounds• seaweed• pet hair• horse, cow, sheep, rabbit, guinea pig or chicken manure• grass clippings Browns • cardboard and paper• untreated sawdust or wood shavings• straw and
Organic NZ4 min read
Empowering Beginner Gardeners
How did you first get into gardening? Lily White: I was part of the Girls & Boys Agricultural Club and grew tomatoes in my dad’s glasshouse. I often stayed with my aunty who grew herbs and was a great cook. At my first flat in Nelson I started growin
Organic NZ2 min readArchitecture
TRANSPLANTING & PROTECTING
Once seedlings have recovered from pricking out and have at least four true leaves they are ready for planting directly into the garden. It is recommended to transplant seedlings into outdoor beds once the soi! temperature has reached l0°C. If seedli
Organic NZ1 min readArchitecture
Homegrown Happiness
This gorgeous and practical gardening book covers all the basics of establishing and planting a no-dig organic edible garden, with month-by-month gardening tasks and delicious seasonal recipes. Homegrown Happiness: A Kiwi guide to living off the subu
Organic NZ2 min read
Spring Into The Garden
It’s a proverb that keeps Aotearoa gardeners on their toes – after all, none of us wants to begin sowing and planting too long after this migratory bird arrives in the neighbourhood! But for all that, if you live in a cold part of the country, don’t
Organic NZ1 min readArchitecture
Weed Control And Instant Paths
Spring is a time of rapid weed growth. While weeds in beds can be managed with mulch, stubborn perennial grasses and weeds on paths are not so easily suppressed, and soon invade the māra. If you don’t want to spend your precious gardening time attend
Organic NZ2 min read
Protection Is Paramount
Much mahi and (in some cases) expense goes into preparing a māra. To then leave it unprotected against animals and the forces of nature is just energy and money down the drain. Wherever you are in the country, cover your newly sown beds with arches o
Organic NZ4 min read
Captivated By Quinoa
There’s something immensely satisfying about being able to grow your own grain or graine-quivalent. It’s as if you’ve somehow stepped off the last rung of the supermarket-dependent ladder, and into an even deeper level of self-sufficiency. The only p
Organic NZ2 min read
Quinoa Recipes
Serves 4 200 g dry quinoa (rinsed, or treated to remove saponin – see sidebar) cup⅓ water11 tsp baking powder1 medium white potato (optional – it makes a firmer base)1 tsp olive oil 1. Soak the rinsed or treated quinoa overnight. Next day, drain the
Organic NZ2 min read
Maramataka for Maharu
I whea koe i te tangihanga o te riroriro, ka mahi kai mau? Where were you when the riroriro called to prepare the gardens for planting? It is the task of pōānanga (clematis) and tahumate (Nothopanax arboreum) to foretell the approach and warmth of su
Organic NZ8 min readDiet & Nutrition
Good mood FOOD
Professor Julia Rucklidge’s work may be key to alleviating Aotearoa’s mental health disaster. Her Ted Talk ‘The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health’ has now been viewed over 1.8 million times. Almost 16,000 people – including med
Organic NZ1 min read
Find Out More
• The book The Better Brain: Overcome anxiety, combat depression and reduce ADHD and stress with nutrition, by Bonnie J Kaplan and Julia J Rucklidge (Vermilion, 2021). Available via good bookstores and on Kindle. thebetterbrainbook.com • The Ted Talk
Organic NZ6 min read
SWEET SPICE Vanilla from Tonga
Today Heilala Vanilla is a successful vanilla brand exporting to Australia, USA, UK and Europe. They’ve won multiple awards, but CEO Jennifer Boggiss says she’s most proud of the Navigator Award won in March 2021 from the New Zealand Tonga Business C
Organic NZ1 min read
Triple Vanilla Shortbread
100 g icing sugar200 g plain flour100 g cornflour200 g very soft butter2 tsp Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste Heilala Vanilla Syrup and Heilala Vanilla Sugar for brushing and sprinkling 1. Preheat oven to 160°C.2. Sieve icing sugar, flour, and cornflour in
Organic NZ2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Recipes from The Better Brain
Serves 4–6 This is no ordinary stew. It has such a range of nutrients, of textures, and of colours, and is even better on the second day. This is particularly delicious served with soft flatbreads, such as naan or pitta, for dipping into the rich sau
Organic NZ6 min read
Grow With The Flow
Midway between the Canterbury township of Lincoln and the shores of Lake Ellesmere – Te Waihora – lies Streamside Organics, a 26-hectare market garden owned and run by Dominique Schacherer and Logan Kerr. While it’s barely 14 months since this young
Organic NZ3 min readChemistry
Remedies For Residues
In this series we look at some of the common problems facing soil health. We explore the symptoms you might notice, how we can diagnose the root causes and what treatments, and indeed cures, can be implemented. Usually we won’t notice actual symptoms
Organic NZ6 min read
Recipe For An Eco Kitchen
In 1980s Germany, the Black Forest was dying of acid rain, rubbish was a huge problem, and global warming had already arrived. Then in his twenties, Roland Zander (now 59) became interested in the green movement. He worked with cabinetmakers to pay h
Organic NZ2 min read
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
Organic NZ2 min readArchitecture
What’s On
11–19 September Nationwide See pages 14–17, or organicweek.co.nz 11 September, 9–11 am Te Papa, Wellington More info: organicnz.org.nz 10–13 September Te Ao Hou Marae, Whanganui More info: permaculture.org.nz, pinz.hui@permaculture.org.nz 11–13 Septe
Organic NZ1 min readInternet & Web
Update
It’s a huge privilege to publish a magazine with the history, culture and independence of Organic NZ. Over the past 80 years we’ve led the way on information and advocacy to support the health of our soil, food and people. As we celebrate with this b
Organic NZ1 min read
New Website, Plus Online Readership Options
You’ll notice some changes next time you visit the magazine website, organicnz.org.nz. A new online-only readership subscription is being offered. Online readership is also available free of charge to all print subscribers. We aim to deliver informat

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