November - December 2021

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ4 min read
Feedback
What an absolute delight to go to the letterbox early this morning [during level 4 lockdown] and find the rural mail had come through – with Organic NZ! I always leaf through the issue instantly and then take the next days and weeks to read it, depen
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Subscribe to Organic NZ, New Zealand's leading organics and sustainable living magazine! Each issue is packed with inspiration and information on healthy organic living. Subscribers receive 6 issues of Organic NZ delivered to their door each year. Ch
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Latest Reads
How small local actions can solve complex global problems Isa Pearl Ritchie (Te Rā Aroha Press, 2021, $38.99) This book is based on Isa Ritchie’s PhD thesis on food sovereignty, focusing on where she lives (Whaingaroa – Raglan) and placing it in the
Organic NZ2 min read
Things We Like
Our magazine assistant Meghan has been steadily increasing the nutritional value of her morning oats and her latest addition is Organic Hemp Protein Powder from Chantal Organics. Milled from organic hemp seeds and certified organic by BioGro NZ, the
Organic NZ2 min read
Spring’s Youthful Energy
Just when nature’s spring energy was calling me out into the garden, I found myself on crutches with a foot injury, unable to do much except look after my day-to-day needs. Fortunately my 19-year-old nephew Rowan has been helping out. He’s made some
Organic NZ2 min read
WIN This Issue!
Two lucky winners will each receive a $150 voucher to spend on Nisa underwear, clothing and swimwear. Nisa is an underwear brand based in Wellington that employs former refugees and migrants. They make a range of certified organic cotton underwear in
Organic NZ1 min read
Organic Week 2021
Organic Week 2021 may have been impacted by the Covid resurgence, but the organic community rallied and created a week of engaging and memorable online events. The panel discussions were lively and well attended, as was the Organic NZ Awards ceremony
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Organic NZ
Marion Wood Monique Bartosh, Jodie Bruning, Barbara Collis, Jenny Lux, Bernie Mabbs, Mike Palmers Pete Huggins: pete.huggins@organicnz.org.nz Meghan Read, info@organicnz.org.nz Philippa Jamieson: editor@organicnz.org.nz Phone 03 473 9293 Proofreader:
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Pick Of The Bunch 2021 Winners
New Zealanders across the country celebrated the Organic NZ Awards in an online event hosted by Ruud ‘the Bugman’ Kleinpaste. The six winners were recognised for their leadership and for creating exceptional organic products for the benefit of people
Organic NZ1 min readAmerican Government
Glyphosate Risk Assessment Urgently Needed
The Environmental Protection Authority’s ‘call for information’ on the use of glyphosate in Aotearoa is a missed opportunity to do a proper risk assessment of the substance, says Jodie Bruning, Soil & Health Association spokesperson. The EPA extended
Organic NZ5 min read
Over The Hedge At Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae
“People are always curious about what’s behind the hedge. I say to them, ‘Haere mai! Come over the hedge and see what we’re about,” smiles Hineamaru Ropati. She’s talking about Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, nestled behind a thick frame of green hedges an
Organic NZ1 min read
Hua Parakore Guiding Kaupapa
• Whakapapa encompasses natural relationships between Māori gods, the land and its food and people in mahinga kai. Waiporoporo (purple) represents genealogy, connection, understanding and knowing. It is fundamental to know the genealogy of things tha
Organic NZ1 min read
Weleda 100 Years Of Connecting People With Nature
Founded by pioneers who wanted to work with nature and not against it, we have been developing certified natural cosmetics and anthroposophic medicine this way for 100 years. Located in Havelock North, in the beautiful Hawke’s Bay, where we still gro
Organic NZ4 min read
Stitching A Fabric Of Support
On the first floor of an unremarkable Wellington building is a busy sewing workshop where a remarkable social enterprise is being nurtured. Not every company can say they make underwear and clothing from organic and recycled materials, much less offe
Organic NZ2 min read
Fun And A Better Future
It’s often been said that it’s not quite work if you’re having fun, and at Nisa it sure looks that way. But this is not at all bad for the intimates maker, as its business – designing, sorting, sewing, marketing, packing and dispatching of organic co
Organic NZ7 min read
Weaving Together Strands Of The Organic World
When I speak with Marion Thomson (via Zoom), she is in lockdown at her sister’s place in Titirangi, surrounded by a beautiful garden and regenerating native bush. In Covid exile from her home in Hawke’s Bay, following a trip to Australia to visit fam
Organic NZ3 min read
Highlights from history Soil & Health, 1941–2021
The Soil & Health Association, publisher of Organic NZ, has had a huge positive influence for 80 years, through thousands of members gardening and farming organically, producing and eating healthy food. Soil & Health has been a leader in organics nat
Organic NZ4 min read
Worms At Your Service Vermicast Of Thousands
Worm farming uses composting worms such as tiger worms or red worms to eat through a mixture of food scraps, garden waste, waste paper and cardboard to produce vermicast (composted material) and liquid fertiliser, known as worm tea. Both the vermicas
Organic NZ1 min read
Solutions To 6 Common Problems
Cause: Too much for population Solution: Feed less food around farm, or small white bugs and worms Cause: Too acidic Solution: Cover food with damp paper; add lime to increase pH Cause: Too wet, check sump is not overfull of tea Solution: Add paper p
Organic NZ3 min read
Nurture, Blossom and Grow!
Nothing could be truer in the late spring and early summer māra. But while we need to nurture the crops we have coming onstream, we must also think about preparing for the next round of planting. Spring-sown edibles tend to romp away as soon as the w
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Going Up!
There’s something about vertically grown edibles that brings a māra to life, but these ‘towers’ require significant TLC to keep them flourishing. Runner beans, in particular, put a great deal of energy into their climb, and that’s before they even be
Organic NZ3 min readChemistry
Organic Weed Solutions
Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy or good. For example lead and mercury are natural products found in the environment, but one would not want high levels in the soil, or the home, since they are highly toxic. The
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6 Reasons Not To Use Salt
1. It can harm or kill the plants you want, not just weeds. 2. Salt stresses the ecosystem, harming or killing worms and other soil life, even rendering the soil sterile. 3. It doesn’t break down over time; but stays put unless diluted or soil is phy
Organic NZ2 min readArchitecture
Organic Weed Solutions
Keeping things ‘nice and neat’, with straight edges and lawn only where we decide it should be, seems more than a tad Victorian and out of date. Instead we could see patches of weeds as beneficial places for local insects, and for the environment gen
Organic NZ3 min read
Maramataka for Whiringa Rangi and Hakihea
Kua raumati; kua kaha te rā. It is summer; the sun has gained strength. The rewarewa blossoms herald the approach of summer. The harakeke too is in flower, and tūī proclaim their pleasure in their song as they enjoy the sweet nectar in the warmth of
Organic NZ1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Gluten-free Panforte
Ingredients 100 g almonds100 g walnuts120 g chopped figs90 g mixed peel40 g brown rice flour40 g tapioca starch20 g cocoa15 g mixed spice180 g honey90 g dark chocolate, choppedIcing sugar to dust Method 1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan bake. 2 Roast nuts
Organic NZ3 min readRegional & Ethnic
Vibrant Vegan Recipes
Recipe creator, surfer and social media blogger Kelsi Boocock arrived at a plant-based diet as part of a healthy active lifestyle. She’s strongly influenced by the cuisines of the Pacific and Asia, having spent time there – and recommends choosing or
Organic NZ5 min read
Solutions For Patchy Plant Growth
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. Some areas of pasture or crop may not b
Organic NZ5 min read
Market Gardener
It all started before Wuhan became a household name. “I bought an eight-acre lifestyle block in October 2019, and moved my family here. The plan was to cultivate the land in a few years’ time, as and when our life goals changed. Then six months later
Organic NZ6 min read
Light-earth Sanctuary
Sam (74) and his partner, Prasado Straub, have lived at Absurdistan as founding members since 2001. The community is made up of thirteen like-minded friends who shared ideals and were keen on the idea of living in a community. The name Absurdistan is
Organic NZ1 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 read
What’s On
30–31 October, 10 am – 5 pm TSB Arena, Wellington CBD, gogreenexpo.co.nz 25–27 March 2022 Otaki Workshops and speakers on growing pinenuts; oaks for timber and food; biochar, rongoā Māori and more. Field trips to an organic jam and chutney maker, cid
Organic NZ1 min readInternet & Web
Update
We’ve been delighted with the response to our 80th birthday celebrations and the relaunch of Organic NZ. Over September and October we’ve welcomed more than a hundred new members and many more readers. It’s a great moment for us to celebrate! To thos
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A New Conversation About An Old Issue (compost)
One of our central goals as an Association is to return nutrients and goodness from food back to the soil through composting and other cyclical systems. During Organic Week we joined forces with the Rubbish Trip in a Zoom event to forge a new convers
Organic NZ1 min read
Waiting In The Wings
While one crop is still maturing, the next needs to go in the ground as soon as possible to take advantage of the long days and warm nights. But how do you fit everything in! While a short-term holding pen of individually potted baby plants works for

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