blog

Aug 15, 20221 min read

aruhe - second only to kumara

Aruhe is the root of the rahurahu (rārahu or rauaruhe) bracken fern, a tough ground fern with reddish-brown stems, which grows up to 2...

Aug 3, 20223 min read

kumara - the maori sweet potato

Kūmara was brought from the Pacific islands by our ancestors. This tropical vine had much smaller tubers and was widely grown, especially...

Jul 31, 20222 min read

puarangi - the native hibiscus

Hibiscus diversifolius, the native (swamp or prickly) hibiscus, Puarangi, our native hibiscus is a part of the mallow family. It is...

Jul 30, 20221 min read

puha - the super green

Puha is a superfood! It is nutritionally rich in Vitamins A, B1, B2, Niacin, very high levels of Vitamin C & minerals including calcium,...

Jul 28, 20221 min read

toi - land cress

Land cress have full of great nutritional value! These tender green leaves have peppery spinach kale like flavor when cooked and they can...

Jul 28, 20222 min read

karo -the mosquito repellant

Karo is an evergreen shrub growing to 5m by 3m (16ft by 9ft). Like pōhutukawa, a fellow coastal tree of the north, Karo has leathery...

Jul 28, 20221 min read

biocultural indicator monitoring

The concept of utilizing environmental indicators to assess environmental health has been around since the early 1990s, and the use of...

Jul 28, 20222 min read

kowhai - the sign of spring

This stunning yellow blossom has a lot to share. In the spring season, these flowers bloom on the kōwhai tree, standing out among the...

Jul 27, 20221 min read

karamu - the first planted by tane

Coprosma robusta, commonly known as Karamu, is a small tree or large shrub species in the Rubiaceae family. Here are just some of its...

Jul 24, 20222 min read

kumarahou - the winter elixir

Did you know this beautiful ornamental shrub Kumarahou was the first choice traditionally when an expectorant was needed to help with...

Dec 9, 20214 min read

Seed Saving

“Seed freedom” - the freedom of indigenous peoples to grow and we want to encourage people to start taking practical steps to improve...