September - October 2023

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ1 min read
Organic NZ
Meghan Read: info@organicnz.org.nz Sheryn Dean: editor@organicnz.org.nz advertising@organicnz.org.nz Philippa Jamieson: 027 547 3929 marketing@organicnz.org.nz Chloe Johnstone Jenny Lux Barbara Collis, Charles Hyland, Kaitlyn Lamb, Mike Palmers, Mari
Organic NZ2 min read
Here’s A Statement:
Agroecological/regenerative organic farming does not contribute to the greenhouse gas levels that are causing climate change. It possibly reverses them. I can hear the critics crying: where is your data, your research, your scientific proof? But scie
Organic NZ4 min read
Community Garden
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on 7 October 2023 at 10am online via a Zoom virtual meeting. The registration link, draft agenda, forms for nominating national councillors, and details of the proposed new constitution, are on our website soil
Organic NZ2 min readChemistry
Your Feedback
Is there a difference between methane from cows and methane from industrial sources? Methane is derived from atmospheric carbon. Itispart of the biogenic carbon cycle and eventually returns to the atmosphere as CO2 making it recycled carbon. Methane
Organic NZ3 min read
Win Great Prizes With OrganicNZ
Three members will win a lift in the garden with this GARDENA prize pack of an EasyCut 680 B Pruning Lopper and an exclusive GARDENA keychain, bamboo pen, and mug (Value of $90). All members automatically entered (join by 30 September 2023 to be elig
Organic NZ6 min read
Treasures Of The Night
Moths and their caterpillars are important food for birds, bats, and amphibians. Without them there would be knock-on effects for all of our wildlife species. They are also pollinators and essential in seed production, benefiting wild plants as well
Organic NZ5 min read
How Insects Talk
Insects use pheromones to ‘talk’ to each other. They are similar to the hormones humans produce but are released externally into the environment. Not just insects, but almost every other animal, including squid, fish, salamanders, mice, and even huma
Organic NZ3 min read
Bugs to Eat Bugs
Biocontrol is an organic solution to many pest and disease issues and is available to home gardeners as well as horticultural sites and farms. It is a safe, non-toxic form of control with the goal of achieving a healthy ecological balance. “Eradicati
Organic NZ3 min read
Snails And Slugs Are Not That Sluggish
Slugs and snails are common throughout Aotearoa and a major pest in home gardens, orchards, agricultural, and horticultural crops. Though they flourish year-round in our temperate climate, slug populations peak in autumn and spring which is when dama
Organic NZ6 min read
Setting Up For Success
Spring is synonymous with the start of the gardening season, yet in this long, maritime country of ours, that’s not always the case. To make matters even more challenging, climate change often deals an unexpected hand. But as our whakatauki (proverbs
Organic NZ2 min readChemistry
Explaining Organics
Near the end of dystopian artificial intelligence sci-fi movie, Terminator 2, a ruthless killing machine made of liquid metal is nearly defeated by being frozen in liquid nitrogen. This is not the kind of nitrogen fixation we are talking about here.
Organic NZ3 min read
When Opposing Forces Are Balanced
I love how the practice of harnessing the incredible power of the cosmic rhythms unfolds over time with beautiful, constant learning. When I first started my journey with the land, I was largely unaware of the influence of the moon in opposition to S
Organic NZ8 min read
Wild Food To Fine Cuisine
For those that take the time to observe, nature provides the opportunity to harvest food year-round. As you assimilate with a landscape throughout its changing seasons, the individual plants start to become a part of your life. It takes time to becom
Organic NZ4 min read
Motherfood
ALL SEASONS These brownies involve a little groundwork. There is chocolate to melt, buttermilk to make and flaxseeds to thicken. However, the end result is soft and rich, with a flaky, crackled top — absolutely worth the extra washing up. They are de
Organic NZ3 min read
Tangshi Cherry Prunus Avium
Tangshi seems to be a uniquely Kiwi iteration of Prunus avium – I’ve struggled to find an international mention or synonym, which only adds to the intrigue. The name’s Chinese roots suggest Táng shī refers to poetry from the Tang dynasty, or táng shī
Organic NZ9 min read
Behind The Scenes Of The organic Act
The passing of the Organic Products and Production Act 2023 (Organic Act) has been a ten-year expedition of multiple trials, tribulations, twists, and turns that tested the motivations and determination of all involved. Since the 1980s, the organic s
Organic NZ8 min read
Vote Organic
The General Election will be held on 14 October 2023 and those of us who care deeply about Soil & Health NZ’s long-held ambition for an organic New Zealand are asking: which party is going to really deliver? Brendan Hoare outlines on page 44 the jour
Organic NZ6 min readAmerican Government
The Threat Of GE
In June, the National Party announced they would end the ‘effective ban’ on GE, citing ‘enormous benefits for climate change, agriculture and health science’. Their policy is nothing new, but the party was clearly raising it as an election issue. NZ
Organic NZ3 min read
Leading BY EXAMPLE
The miromiro tomtit is a native, friendly, cheeky little bird with a big head, found throughout the native bush in New Zealand, and is prolific on Mount Maungatautari and Pirongia in the Waikato region. On the plains nearby is Tomtit Farm, a certifie
Organic NZ3 min read
Healing the EARTH
A holistic attitude to agriculture was initially proposed by philosopher and scientist, Rudolf Steiner, in the 1920s. Biological-dynamics (biodynamics) is a systems approach where the farm, vineyard, orchard, or garden is viewed as a living whole and
Organic NZ4 min read
Tips For getting Pregnant
New Zealand had its lowest ever fertility rate in 2020 – 1.61 births per woman*. Last year, the fertility rate crept up to 1.66 but this is still a significant drop from the rate in 2010 of 2.2 births per woman. The reasons for this decline are multi
Organic NZ1 min read
Reviews
Happen Films, 2023 The latest inspiring film from Happen Films is a 40-minute doco that’s highly recommended viewing for schools, community gardens, organic groups, councils, gardeners, and more. Ben Bushell of Community Compost Whakatū Nelson is the

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