Love Plant Life Blog

It’s the end of the financial year, and continuing with the festive spirit of the New Year, it’s time to see who gets the presents! There are many a charitable organisation for the New Zealand plantlover to lavish favours upon. But this plantlover, while feeling generous, doesn’t have a heap of cash to go round. But I have decided that this year I will show support for those organisations I admire – as much as I can afford.

Give-give-giveaway!

So who’s membership coffers will benefit from the LovePlantLife endowment fund?  Well, you can help decide. Leave a comment on this post supporting your favourite organisation before July 25. I’ll join the 2 most popular and then pick another two of my favourites to financially support.

And just for showing support for your favourite organisation here, you’ll be in with a chance to win a LovePlantLife prize pack – 6 packets of seeds from the LovePlantLife range, a copy of Save Your Own Seeds and Growing Nutrient-Dense Food by Kay Baxter from Koanga Gardens!

Have I left off your favourite plant-related organisation? Who do you support? Let me know below.

12 worthy New Zealand plant / garden organisations to support

Listed in no particular order, 12 fantastic organisations all thoroughly deserving of my/your/everyone’s donation/support/love.

Forest & Bird

Hysterical about nature since 1923. These people do a hell of a lot of great work. They’ve been wonderful with the anti-mining campaign this year. 40,000 members can’t be wrong! $57 a year gets you 4 magazines, the chance to take part in local branch activities, free entry to some of their 37 reserves and an incredible sense of self-satisfaction.  Join now

Soil & Health Association

The largest membership organisation supporting organic food and farming in NZ, fighting the clean green fight and putting out a great magazine. Strong local groups provide access to a huge information resource, good people and clever ideas. $45 a year furnishes you with 6 quality magazines and surrounds you with a warm healthy non-GE glow.  Join now

Koanga Institute

For the love of plants, please support this organisation! Responsible for the preservation of many of New Zealand’s heirloom food plants, Kay Baxter and her team are the shining lights for NZ seed saving. We love them! $35 gets you access to the golden treasures of the Koanga seed catalogues including 2 free packets twice a year.  Join now

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Asssociation of New Zealand

Holistic sustainable organic agriculture and horticulture – really, should there be any other kind? Often dismissed for being a bit ‘out-there’, the practices are all based on sound farming principles developed over hundreds of years. $70 – free copies of Harvests, the Calendar, info leaflets and access to preparations & a postal lending library.  Join now

Herb Federation of NZ

I love these people. They are the keepers of such tasty treats, true plantlovers and so terrific at touting tantalising herbs. $35 gives you access to the biennial conference, magazines, lending library, the national seed bank & plant collections and a delicious life – Yummy! There are also local branches around the country.  Join now

New Zealand Botanical Society

Plants are prettier than protons or particle accelerators and therefore the more pleasant science – but you don’t need to be a scientist  to love botany. There are local groups in Auckland, Rotorua, Waikato, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and Wakatipu. All arrange talks and field trips.

New Zealand Plant Protection Society

Protecting useful or valuable plants from the ravages of pests and weeds, NZPPS puts out the excellent Common Weeds of New Zealand and advocates for better protection and tighter border controls. Aimed more at the scientists and professionals, research is a costly business and this society needs your help. Join now or buy the book

New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Their mission statement says it all: ‘no indigenous species of plant will become extinct nor be placed at risk of extinction as a result of human action or indifference, and that the rich, diverse and unique plant life of New Zealand will be recognised, cherished and restored‘. These are just simply beautiful people – show them some love for only $35.  Join now

GE-Free New Zealand in Food and Environment

I do not support the New Zealand environment being used as a giant petri dish for genetically modified organisms. I am not anti-science, I am for sensible scientific measures – I don’t see having GMOs released into food and the wild as sensible. Help support this organisation working to stop us being GE guinea pigs.Join now

New Zealand Tree Crops Association

Promoting the sustainable management of tree crops in NZ to home gardeners, orchardists, hobbyists, farmers, investors. This is an excellent organisation with an incredible amount of accessible knowledge and very good publications. $NZ40 introduces you to the exciting world of tree cropping and gets you their quality magazine.  Join now

Tãnes Tree Trust

Promoting native trees for the future is hard work when NZers seem to constantly latch on to exotics fas the next big thing, the wonder plant. Look in our own backyard! NZ has an incredible wealth of plant diversity with great delights still untapped. Support this very worthy organisation for just $30 a year and help increase our biodiversity.  Join now

Project Crimson

Decorating the country with beautiful pohutukawa and rata. This project wouldn’t have got off the ground without the aid of a major sponsor, but the project still requires public support. Not a membership organisation but one that can be supported through fine wine, tshirts, books, textiles, cosmetics or by sponsoring a tree or 20.  Shop now