NZTCA conference 2015

Biological Growing

with Northland Branch

20 – 22 March 2015
at Barge Park, Maunu, Whangarei

Registrations have closed – sorry.

Expert Speakers and Workshops include organic agriculture, bio fuel, seaweed-sourced fertilisers – soil food, moth pheromones and apples, herbs and plants to attract beneficial insects.

Field trips include a Kiwifruit orchard, Avocado orchard, and a sub tropical nursery & gardens.

Information as received 10 September 2014

The 2015 national conference will be held at Barge Park Conference Centre, Manu, Whangarei from 20 – 22 March. The theme, which the organisers hope will be relevant to members from all branches, is Biological Growing. A number of expert speakers have been assembled along with field trips to relevant properties and properties of general interest.

Programme

Friday

07.30	Registration check-in	Meetings	Workshops
08.30	Official introduction of conference MC	Branch Committees Research committee Newsletter editors	Andreas Kurmann “Bio fuel small scale production”
10.00	Morning tea		Dr John Clearwater “Biological controls using beneficial insects”
10.30		Delegates	Ginny Clayton “Herbs and plants that attract beneficial insects”
12.00	Lunch		Andreas Kurmann “Bio fuel small scale production”
13.30		AGM	Dr John Clearwater “Biological controls using beneficial insects”
15.30	Afternoon tea
16.00		Visit to Quarry Gardens
18.00	Dinner

Saturday

07.30	Registration check-in
08.30	Keynote speaker – Tim Jenkins: “Small is Big”
09.30	Lunch preparation
10.00	Morning tea
10.30	Field trips Mike Crum’s Kiwi fruit orchard, Leonie Batt’s Avocado orchard, Russell Fransham sub tropical nursery & gardens
17.30	Drinks
19.00	Dinner

	Evening entertainment

Sunday

08.30 – 09.00	MC’s introduction to the speakers
0900 – 1030	Speakers – Andrew De Latour , PFP Fertilisers; Jill Bradley, Agrisea; Cherryle Prew, Soil Food Web
1030 – 1100	Morning tea
1100 – 1230	Speakers – Andrew De Latour , PFP Fertilisers; Jill Bradley, Agrisea; Cherryle Prew, Soil Food Web
1230 – 1330	Lunch
1330 – 1430	Speaker Dr Ralf Schlothauer Comvita
1430 – 1500	Closing address Tim Jenkins
1500	Afternoon tea
	Conference closes

Speakers

Dr Tim Jenkins

Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Technologies

Keynote Speaker

Tim is former manager of the Biological Husbandry Unit and has lectured for five years at Lincoln University in organic agriculture. He has written regular, mainly technically based, columns in OrganicNZ, NZ Gardener and Canterbury Farming as well as numerous popular articles in a range of farming publications and academic journals read more …

Andrew De latour – PFP Fertilisers

Andrew De latour, the owner of PFP Fertilisers ( Prilled Fine Particle) is an engaging and knowledgeable speaker with a background in engineering and product development and has been involved in the fertiliser industry for the last 30 years. He will be discussing read more …

Cherryle Prew – Soil Foodweb NZ

Cherryle Prew, owner and manager of Soil Foodweb New Zealand, has been working in the industry since 1991 when she bought and began operating a Certified Organic Kiwifruit Orchard in Te Puke. Prior to opening the New Zealand Lab she has worked read more …

Jill Bradley – Agrisea NZ

Jill is a director of AgriSea NZ Ltd, a multi-award winning sustainable New Zealand company, family owned and operated. The company produces Seaweed Soil, Foliar, Turf, Pasture and Animal Health concentrates for Agriculture and read more …

Dr Ralf Schlothauer – Comvita NZ

Dr. Schlothauer joined Comvita in January 2006 as Chief TechnologyOfficer and has overall strategic and functional responsibility for research and development. Ralf leads read more …

Andreas Kurmann – Far North Envirolab Ltd

Andreas originally comes from Switzerland where he was employed by a regional council with responsibility for operation of waste water treatment stations including read more …

Ginny Clayton – Ginny’s Herbs

Ginny is a well know Northland woman who was one of the intial stall holders at the Whangarei Growers market and was a regular there for 10 years, supplying read more …

Dr John Clearwater

Dr Clearwater is an expert in the field of entomology with particular interests in moths and their pheromones as well as growing apples organically to export standard. He had read read more …

Speakers – Read more:

You will leave the NZTCA National Web Pages; click to go to the

Northland Branch pages – Conference speakers

Field Trips

Leonie Batt – Avocado

Leonie Batt’s 70ha avocado orchard and dry stock property near Whangarei is maintained through hard work and regard to the consequences for the environment of on-farm activities.
This attractive property read more …

Russell Fransham Subtropicals

Russell Fransham & his partner operate a a fabulous subtropical nursery and garden a short distance from Matapouri Bay, one of many delightful bays and beaches in the area. Returning after a year in California read more …

Mike & Cathy Crum – Avocado and Kiwifruit Orchard

Mike & Cathy’s Orchard is located on the lower eastern slopes of Whatatiri Mountain at Maungatapere. They have 8.2 hectares of volcanic soil and have been on the property since 2002. They found avocados to be a suitable crop to grow organically for a number of reasons read more …

Whangarei Quarry Gardens

Whangarei Quarry Gardens is run by a trust made up of volunteers who have created gardens in a disused quarry in the forested hills of Whangarei City. With support from the Whangarei District Council and Community Employment Groups along with sponsors and friends, the once dilapidated read more, on Whangarei Quarry Gardens web site …