November - December 2022

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ1 min read
Organic NZ
Chair of Soil & Health Marion Wood National Councillors Monique Bartosh, Barbara Collis, Jenny Lux, Bernie Mabbs, Mike Palmers General manager Pete Huggins: pete.huggins@organicnz.org. Enquiries and membership support Meghan Read, info@organicnz.org.
Organic NZ2 min read
Buzz Words
It’s swarm season at our place, and as the “official” beekeeper of the house is away for long hours doing his “real job”, I’ve been left with the responsibility of capturing any swarms that originate from our beehives. This involves putting on a bee
Organic NZ3 min read
From The World Of Organics
The government is being accused of misleading the public on the strength of New Zealand’s climate change policy as pressure to reduce farming emissions ramps up. Greenpeace drew attention to government inaction on climate emissions from farming with
Organic NZ3 min read
Things We Like
From the cathedral-like groves of massive kauri and tōtara, to the vivid scarlet of our coastal pōhutukawa, no wonder we love our native trees so much. Trees That Count is a project managed by conservation charity Project Crimson. Their efforts have
Organic NZ1 min read
Subscribe!
• Receive six issues for $55 or two years for $100. • Be in to win with subscriber-only competitions. • Access member-only digital content on our website. • All subscribers automatically become members of the Soil & Health Association – the largest m
Organic NZ2 min read
Jared’s Food Forest Fundamentals
A forest doesn’t just emerge all at once with all its diverse species birthed and germinated into existence during one single glorious spring flourish. A mature and diverse forest has undergone many cycles where certain sets of species have predomina
Organic NZ3 min read
Edible Legacy
Growing up, I was told stories about the amazingly abundant, large gardens that my nan and koro grew. Huge gardens hosted multiple generations at a time – children, parents and grandparents. Everyone played a role in the māra (garden) as well as tend
Organic NZ5 min read
Degrowth Is It Time To Live With Less?
We live in a hyper-capitalist society that has left us decades behind in seeing effective action in the name of climate responsibility. Consumerism leaves people yearning for “more” in a way that never seems to leave one satisfied for long. With busi
Organic NZ5 min readDiet & Nutrition
A Case For Eating MEAT
Eating meat has become a hot topic, and animal agriculture is demonised by some as a planet-destroying practice. But what if we are arguing about the wrong thing? The flip side to this argument is that truly sustainable farming is impossible without
Organic NZ1 min read
Degrowth On A Global Scale
The concept of GDP as a measure of progress needs to be replaced with a “genuine progress indicator” (GPI) that measures health, education, housing, well-being, equity and happiness. We need to see a global economic shift in line with Kate Raworth’s
Organic NZ3 min read
Thought For Food
He pai te tirohanga ki nga mahara mō nga rā pahemo engari ka puta te māramatanga i runga i te titiro whakamua. Looking back on memories of the past is good, but understanding comes from looking forward. Most māra around the country are now in full sw
Organic NZ1 min read
Sow Me Now
Flowers: Amaranth, cleome, cosmos, marigold, nasturtium, phacelia, Queen Anne’s lace, stock, sunflower. Herbs: Angelica, basil, borage, chives, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, sage. Veges: Beans (all varieties), beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, ca
Organic NZ1 min read
Early Starters
Some winter veges, such as kale and cabbage, are fast maturing. But others, such as Brussels sprouts, leeks and purple winter-sprouting broccoli, can take five to seven months to mature. These plants must be sown as early as possible in spring or sum
Organic NZ2 min read
Maramataka
The rewarewa blossoms herald the approach of summer. The harakeke too is in flower, and tūī proclaim their pleasure in song as they enjoy the sweet nectar in the warmth of the strengthening sun. Make sure to mulch around plants so that the soil retai
Organic NZ2 min read
Maramataka for Hakihea
Many of our indigenous birds are at this time raising their young. While Hine-raumati takes control of the supply of food on land, her son Tānerore (the heat shimmer of summer) is remembered in the quivering hands of dance. The flowering of the pōhut
Organic NZ2 min read
Biodynamic Growers On Why They Do It
Having a holistic approach to life and farming naturally leads to biodynamics. Biodynamics sees the farm as an organism, a living entity. Within this, the role of each species is considered in relation to the whole. The preparations are a tool to bri
Organic NZ1 min read
We Hear You!
Here’s a shout-out to our patient growers in mountainous regions (think Ranfurly, Twizel, Raetihi and National Park). We know how it must feel to have to wait until November (or even December or January) to sow your bean seeds! And what a little wind
Organic NZ3 min read
INTRODUCTION TO Biodynamics
Nearly 100 years ago, an Austrian visionary gave a lecture series that would inspire a new form of holistic agriculture: biodynamics. Today, farmers and gardeners worldwide continue to follow his indications in a quest to produce the highest vitality
Organic NZ5 min readRegional & Ethnic
Kai Is Love
The pātaka: a storehouse raised upon posts, a pantry or larder. The essential ingredients, food from many, and for many. Traditionally, a plentiful pātaka signified status and wealth, and the more ornately carved pātaka further symbolised the prestig
Organic NZ4 min read
Daylilies
An outstanding, and impressive display of daylilies, Hemerocallis fulva, at my cottage back door led me to explore this plant. Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words “hemera”, meaning day, and “kalos”, which means beauty. They are herbaceous perenni
Organic NZ2 min read
Meet The Locals
Tell us about establishing Shakti in New Zealand. Shakti was started in 1995 by myself and seven other women who were new migrants. I’d been part of Shakti in the UK, and I’d been volunteering with the local women’s refuge because I knew that there w
Organic NZ1 min read
Transplant Me Now
Flowers: Cosmos, Federation daisy, dianthus, gerbera, goldenrod, impatiens, marigold, phlox, snapdragon, wallflower. Herbs: Cat mint (nepeta), bergamot, horseradish, mint, kohi kohi, lavender, parsley, tarragon, wasabi Veges: Beans (cold districts),
Organic NZ5 min read
Eco-friendly Period Products
When the broadcaster Sandi Toksvig was at university, her anthropology professor held up a picture of an ancient bone with 28 markings on it. “This,” Toksvig recounts her professor saying, “is alleged to be man’s first attempt at a calendar. Tell me,
Organic NZ2 min read
Latest Reads
Regenesis: Feeding the world without devouring the planet George Monbiot (Penguin, $37) George Monbiot, longtime Guardian writer and environmentalist, has never been a particular fan of organic farming. That said, Regenesis is a readable, radical, pr
Organic NZ1 min read
An Organic Grower’s Perspective
Ideally, organic growers need to choose a location best suited for growing a particular crop, which includes soil type and climate. Emphasis should be on feeding soil biology, which in turns break down organic matter into nutrients; creating humus ri
Organic NZ3 min read
Humus is dead LONG LIVE MAOM!
Soil health and its impact on food and human health has always been the foundation of organics, and was long before the term “organic” was coined by Lord Northbourne in his 1940 book Look to the Land. This is why the first organic organisations were
Organic NZ2 min read
Community Garden
At their recent AGM the Soil & Health Association confirmed Philippa Jamieson as an Honorary Life Member for her decade (and more) of looking after the magazine. We farewelled Philippa as editor of Organic NZ magazine in December last year, after 13
Organic NZ2 min read
WIN This Issue!
Win one of six Trade Aid chocolate packs! With six delicious products in each pack, including their new Dark Chocolate Hazelnuts and Dark Passionfruit Chocolate, you’ll have enough to share – if you care to! Trade Aid craft their chocolate at their S
Organic NZ1 min read
Explaining Organics
The new King Charles famously talks to his plants, but this is not the kind of companion planting we mean here. Companion planting in an organic system is about recreating beneficial ecosystems and plant communities. A really simple example is placin
Organic NZ1 min read
Period Inequity
Period inequity is a very real problem in New Zealand says Dannika Revell from The Period Place. “Too many people are struggling to provide for themselves and their whānau, and just can’t afford period products. You can’t eat a tampon. You will never
Organic NZ1 min read
Digging Up The Past
Biodynamic farming practices have been around for much of our 80-year history. In our August/September 1977 issue, a member shared his experience of implementing biodynamic practices – and the results speak for themselves. T.G.R. Stevens, the owner o
Organic NZ4 min read
HYDROPONICS Can It Count As Organic?
When this magazine was launched in 1942 it was called Compost Club Magazine. Many are attached to the name – and for good reason. Regenerating soils with organic matter and protecting their fertility for future generations remains a core value for ma

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