Wellington-Horowhenua Branch

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Branch contact - wellington@treecrops.org.nz
Branch news and notices are below.
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Wellington-Horowhenua Branch Member – Sponsorship to National Conference

Wellington-Horowhenua Branch –
National Conference Sponsorship for a member of our branch

Hi everyone

As I’m sure you are aware, the annual Treecrops conference is coming soon and registration is still open at early-bird rates.

The conference theme this year is WATER the Elixir of Life, and it is being held in Ashburton the weekend before Easter (April 11-13). See the December TreeCropper magazine, pages 16/17, for full details.

This year’s conference is special to us for several reasons:
– It is the 40th National Conference
– It is being organised by two of our branch members
– Your committee is offering to part-sponsor one branch member to attend!!

Each year we part-sponsor one committee member to attend conference as Branch Delegate. This provides representation at organisation-level discussion, enables voting, and facilitates inclusion in policy and management decisions. This year’s delegate is Jean Hollis.

We know that many of you attend and enjoy National Conference. To extend this fabulous experience further, your committee is offering to part-sponsor a member place also this year.

Our aim in offering this opportunity is to encourage newer members (or those who have never attended conference before) to attend and participate in an amazing supportive network.

The conference registration fee is $200 (if registered by 27th Feb). For one lucky member your branch will pay this fee. To apply for our part-sponsor invitation, just use the Branches > Get-in-touch tab above, fill in the brief form with Subject ‘Conference Sponsorship’, and your message stating why you believe it should be you that is selected for this special offer.

Please respond by Wednesday 19th February [2014]. Winner will be notified within two days of closing date.

And if you are planning to attend conference and wish to co-ordinate travel arrangements with Jean, please contact her.

Cheers
Sharon

[Archive note: Conference-2014 was enjoyed by many attendees – watch for Conference-2015!]

what fruit tree grow well in wellington (khandallah)

[on behalf]

Hi There

I am new to wellington and recently bought a new property in Khandallah.

I am keen to plant some truit trees and would like advise about what grows well in this climate.

we have already and apple and a pear tree in the garden.

I like plums, and all the other summer fruits but do they ripen and gro well in Khandallah wellington?
can anyone give me some advise?

thank you.

David

Central Districts branch September Daffodils & Chestnuts

Central Districts branch event (Not Wellington-Horowhenua –
apologies from web management for guessing wrong!
See replacement notice of event: central-districts-september-daffodils-chestnuts)

Date – Sunday 8th September 2013
Time – 10am start

Where – Wilf Hall property,
Wallace Loop Road
Koputaroa 5571
Levin

Bring – your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear.

Program…

Morning – A chance to inspect daffodil-breeder Wilf’s extensive daffodil
collection, along with his numerous fruit trees etc.
Lunch at the property.

Afternoon – Country Treats [around a 1pm-ish start] Kawiu Road
Levin 5510

An established chestnut grove with over 600 trees plus
on-site processing facility. With capacity to ‘freeze dry, mill
and vacuum pack the nuts. A range of ‘retail market’ freeze
-dried fruit products is also being developed….along with
contract freeze drying.

Check out www.countrytreats.co.nz for more info.

Wellington-Horowhenua Branch Mid-Winter Social

Saturday 29th June
La Casa Romano in Otaki

Advance registration is essential.

Your committee will be co-ordinating two options
to ease your travel burden:

Car sharing
Accomodation

Social – More details…

Wellington – Mid-Winter Social

– evening of Saturday 29th June 2013

Wellington – planned Almond growing trial

(Interest needed before 25th May 2013 for this event).

Wellington – FIELD VISIT – Saturday May 18 2013

Two inspirational sand country properties. Come and join fellow members to explore the results of many years of effort at each of these unique properties.
Bring a packed lunch to eat at the 2nd property before the tour commences

10:30am – 12pm
Jill and Joy, Te Hapua Road, Te Horo

This property covers 18ac, 10ac of which are wetland with a covenant. The QE 11 National Trust covenant means that the wetland can never be built on or drained. The land is old sand dunes with some peaty soil near the wetland area. Revegetation in the dry, sandy areas has been constant and Joy will explain the methods and plants they’ve worked with, in gullies and protected areas behind sand dunes.

They’ll talk about plants that have and haven’t worked and how they’re improving soil structure. Sheltered areas have been created for organic fruit and veges – and birdlife is well catered for.

Joy was a Tree Crops member for many years and before the idea of food forests became popular was experimenting with planting a Forest Garden.

12:15pm – 3pm
Chris and Jeanne, Rutherford Drive, Waikanae Beach

Chris and Jeanne have been living on their 1.6ha property for 9 years. They have faced the challenges of developing a property that consists largely of sand dunes with an established pond. What they have achieved to date is inspiring… but it is still “work in progress”. Our hosts will show us their achievements, talk about the challenges associated with growing tree crops in a difficult environment and tell us how they are preparing for the next growing season. We will see their ‘secret garden’, the fruit trees, natives, pond plants as well as their outside constructions, including a mini amphitheatre.

Chris and Jeanne are ex Treecroppers and this is evident in the diversity of plants and the experiments they have conducted over a number of years. They are still looking for that perfect solution to growing plants on sand!

Wellington – Display at Kapiti Sustainable Home & Garden Show

Sat/Sun 23^rd & 24^th March 2013

The Wellington-Horowhenua NZTCA will have a gazebo at the show on both days.
The star guest this year is Xanthe White, a highly regarded kiwi landscape designer whose first book was written about organic vegetable gardening.
We will again be sharing with the Levin Soil & Health Association and are seeking volunteers to spend an hour or two meeting visitors to the show and talking with them about Tree Crops.
In previous years we have included a display of apples and other fruit as it attracts people to comment and question. Please bring along a few varieties (ripe or near maturity with the name written n the fruit).
Plants to sell or donate, are always well received so start planning them now.
Please note that to erect or dismantle our Gazebo requires five or six people – we need your help!
Link to further information about the show: www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Our-District/Sustainable-Home-and-Garden-Show/

Wellington – Field trip, AGM, Waikanae area

SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2013

This year’s AGM is a busy and interesting day centered around Waikanae. With a focus on community activities to increase tree planting and improve the environment – we will visit a local school, a river and the home of one of our valued committee members.

Kapanui School
10:30am School Visit, Waikanae
This year the branch has started to develop a number of community projects, including providing mentoring, support and information to Kapanui School.
We have donated food trees to the school and worked with the school children and teachers to plant the trees this year.
Kapanui School is an enviro-school and the teachers and students are very enthusiastic about the project. This visit is a chance to see what progress has been made.
We will be shown round by Michelle Whitaker, the teacher responsible for the project (around 45 minutes).

AGM
12pm – John and Judith’s home – Otaihanga Road, Paraparaumu
Will be followed by lunch and a quick look at the property.
They have a 1 hectare block with passive-solar designed house complete with planted roof.
They follow permaculture principles in integrating the house with its environment.
In the 12 years since they bought the land they have transformed over-grazed sand dunes into a bit of an organic wilderness!
Having established shelter from the coastal winds they have created raised vegetable beds and begun to grow a small orchard – citrus, nut, stone and pip fruit and soft fruits.
Please bring a fold-up chair if you have one for the AGM.

Friends of the Waikanae River
2:30pm – Otaihanga Domain
The Friends work to “enhance the river environment and maintain it in optimum condition”.
They organise regular working bees and have planted thousands of native trees along the river.
Their efforts have re-vitalised and transformed the river into a popular area for recreation, with well-used walking/cycle tracks.
Feriel Falconer, chair of the Friends, will guide us on a walk along the river, starting at Otaihanga Domain.
It will be a leisurely stroll along a well-formed, flat track, though varied and extensive native plantings.
This could take around an hour and a half.
If you wish to read about the efforts and achievements of the group, visit their website at www.friendswaikanaeriver.itgo.com