Conference 2007 was a showcase of not only Northern Branch's expertise, but some of the best in New Zealand.
Held in the School of Natural Sciences at the Unitec Campus, Auckland, the weekend schedule was tight with entertaining speakers, field trips, excursions and seminars.
It drew upon the staff of both Unitech itself, and nearby Mount Albert Research Station to provide some wide-ranging scientific discussion.
Local properties offered tree croppers the option of visiting olives, figs, bananas, native timber and sub-tropical exotic tree crops.
Some joined the Rainforest Express narrow guage railway for a trip through the Waitakere Ranges or joined a pre-conference tour through the Auckland Botanical Gardens (which holds an outstanding collection of tree crops), and also visited one of the best ¼ acre tree cropper properties to be seen anywhere.
The Northern Branch indeed encompasses a remarkable area in Tree Cropping terms. Fieldtrips, speakers and other events are reviewed below.
2007 Conference Speakers and Proceedings
Sherie Bulley — Olive Oil
Greg Steward — Native Timber
Malcolm Angus — Floriculture
Wade Cornell — High Value Timber
Eric Cairns — Figs
Ian Gordon — Macadamias
Ian Hall — Truffles
Ross Ferguson — Plant breeding
Reg Lewthwaite — Pruning Olives & Feijoa
Murray Redpath — Hazels
Kay Baxter — Heritage Crops
Lynn Ferguson — Nutrition & Health
Proceedings - see separate index...
Fieldtrips and Meetings
Committee members, association officers and branch delegates attended various meetings in a full morning schedule, while most of those not involved went on field trips:
Friday Pre conference trip
- A visit to a quarter acre paradise.
A suburban tree cropper’s property that packs in more productive species than your average farm.
- Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens.
Not just a lot of pretty trees, the gardens host a range of tree crops from Jelly palms to Osage orange.
We had a guided walk to tree cropper’s points of interest.
www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz
The Annual General Meeting of NZTCA was held at Unitec on Friday afternoon.
Saturday - Trip 1 - The Southern Auckland trip.
- Wells Grove Estate. Since 1996 1,500 olive trees have been planted in three stages. Eight varieties where initially selected with not all being economic successes. The first crop was pressed in 2000 and Wells Grove installed its own olive press in 2001. Wells Grove has been selling its own oil products at local growers markets.
- Prenzel Whitford. Kiwi alchemy. The tasting room is a family operation. Conference goers sampled Prenzel’s range of oils & liqueurs. Prenzels are the first commercial fruit brandy distillers in New Zealand, operating since 1992.
www.prenzel.com
Trip 2 - The South West Auckland trip
- Whitecliff Native timber trial.
In 1992 the one-hectare reserve had been divided up into Manuka, Kanuka, Tagasaste & Ake ake nurse crop areas at 2x2m planting spacing and then Totara, Kauri, Rimu, Pururi and Kahikatea interplanted when the nurse crop had established.
Varying management styles have produced a wide growth response. It was a unique opportunity to see the various "crop and shelter" options applied in areas side by side for comparison.
Trivial? If you are lucky. Years later in your tree cropping toils, you will either be very glad you did, or wish you had, studied and understood these simple basic scenarios.
- Floriculture for tree croppers.
Jeanette Sutherland has a small tree cropper’s property and has grown tree crops specifically for the floriculture market. We heard about the ins & outs of packaging and selling through auctions and open markets. Jeanette has carefully evaluated the costs and profits of this under-utilised area of tree cropping.
We saw a vast array of foliages from the garden in all colours and hues, native and exotic, humble and spectacular in their individuality. It was amazing how Jeanette manipulated and blended this plant material (that others might be more accustomed to biffing into the shredder) to produce attractive material for works of art.
There were also many other trees to interest visitors there, from very old fruit trees, a beautiful young taraire near a thriving Queensland kauri, and a heavily-cropping young macadamia, to mention a very few.
Trip 3 - The Central Auckland trip
- HortResearch Mt Albert research facility. A site visit to one of the New Zealand's leading scientific institutions. We visited the sensory & consumer science (olive oil tasting) rooms and learned how our oils are graded. There were displays from the plant breeding section on how the next generation of plants is selected and other department visits.
- Unitec Hortecology Sanctuary. The teaching and research gardens for the School of Natural Sciences. We saw the vertical composting unit, heritage trees and how the next generation of tree croppers get their first touch of the land.
The Saturday evening functions are reviewed below, after speakers.
Sunday - Trip 4 - The Northern Auckland trip
- Rob Velseboer and Murray Joyce's property in Riverhead comprises some 15 acres with 3 acres of fruit trees containing most of Kay Baxter's heritage apple, plum and pear varieties, plus others. They had some recommendations on the best of those varieties. The enterprise is strongly organic with certification from OFNZ. Rob also runs horticultural courses from the large barn situated on the property.
- Nestlebrae is a perennial favourite with Tree Croppers. John Prince and Rosemary Steele have one of NZ’s best collections of banana varieties and a big range of rare fruit. There are palms, and a few warm climate ornamentals including many passion fruit species. Plants are available for sale.
Trip 5 - The Waitakere Auckland trip.
- First we visited the Arataki visitor centre in the Waitakere ranges with views to the distant city over the bush-clad hills and dams supplying much of Auckland’s water.
- Then there was the awesome return journey to the remote Nihotupu dam on the Watercare miniature diesel train through the Waitakere bush, with encounters with glow worms and cave weta.
Auckland's water supply is steeped in history and very steep landscapes here, and we were treated to an outstanding story and wonderful hospitality by train driver John and delightful guard Andy.
To clatter through those long dark narrow tunnels hewn by mere pick and shovel eighty years ago for that cast iron pipe that still carries up to thirty thousand cubic metres of water to Aucklanders each day, was an unforgettable experience.
Andy exhibited a great knowledge of plants along the route, and she pointed out a spectacular flowering northern rata.
- We briefly visited the nursery of Ian and son Nikolai Gordon in Titirangi.
The Gordons have been responsible for introducing macadamia varieties suitable for New Zealand conditions (the GT series).
Their nursery also produces some colourful foliage plants.
Trip 6 - The Western Auckland trip
- Wade & Jenny Cornell’s 7Ha property is a diverse tree croppers delight.
Organically registered (OFNZ) Figs & Banana orchards supply local markets or dried on site. Exotic timber species for northern environments & crop trials have been carried out on the property since 1987 and some spectacular young Redwoods were to be seen. These grow so much better in New Zealand than their native California, where reserves are becoming depleted or locked up by conservation.
A visit to a local winery followed.
Monday Post Conference trip
- Koanga Gardens. Kay Baxter’s work is known to all tree Croppers.
Visiting the garden we saw the subtropical & heritage orchards, demonstrations of green woodworking, ground durable timbers, sustainable orchard design and more.
www.koanga.org.nz
Conference Dinner
Our special guest speaker turned out to be Lynda Hallinan, specialist garden writer. Her freelance articles appear in a wide range of magazines. She ably kept us entertained with her trials and travels, and her own unique slices of horticulture experience.
Plant Auction
The new silent auction that was held during the Saturday conference dinner and the traditional seedling tree and plant auction after dinner were conducted with their usual conviviality. The silent operation seemed quite stressful for some attempting to keep an eye on the written bidding, while others covertly managed to update the bidding sheets during moments of distraction to produce some late surprises.
Lockie did a great job with the traditional auction, gravel voice and gavel. However, his efforts to rework the JAFA label bestowed upon Aucklanders with a topical FEIJOA (to do with envious idiots jealous of Aucklanders), while hilarious, might have been let down by some of the locals - a luckless few conference attendees discovered their cars had just been broken into and plundered...
Food Competition
What happened with the food competition? Anybody? These were the requirements:
Do you have a secret or interesting recipe hidden away
Well... here's your chance to delight and surprise your peers!
There are 4 Categories
- Redaction of 1790 Plum Cake recipe
- Preserve, Jelly or Jam
- Fruit Wine and Liqueur
- Most unusual (but delicious) item
All items to be judged by our expert panel on Friday Night
Prizes awarded at the Saturday Night Dinner
All entries can be entered at reception and must be clearly marked with the category number, your full name and name of your item.
All entries, after being judged will be available for tasting by conference attendees.
Any entries for the plum cake will receive higher marks if the recipe redaction is included. You do need to bake the cake and bring it for your entry (it's not just the recipe that is required)!
To make a quick plumb cake
Take 3 pound of flour 3 pound of Currants half a pound of Raisins Stoned & Chopped 1 pound of Candyed Orange Lemmon Sittern ye least must be of Orange.
A quarter of an ounce of mace as much cinnamon as much nutmeg 2 ounces of cloves half a Pound and 3 quarter of butter. 15 Eggs but leave out 5 of the whites A pint of Ale yest haft 2 pint of Sack A Quarter of a pint of orange flower water as much Rosewater & a quarter of a pint more of rosewater to melt your butter in half a pound of Almonds blanched & pounded fine with a little rosewater out in a little salt so it will require almost 2 hours baking let ye yeast & Eggs be beat well together well then strain it to your sugar flour and spice then put in oven.
Charlotte Hawkins 1790
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