Organic NZ

Organic NZ is filled with info to live a healthier lifestyle - for you and the planet! Published by the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand, working since 1941 for sustainable organic agricultural and good health. Topics range from home garden to large-scale success stories; eco-building; urban organics; genetic engineering & chemical issues; food matters & natural health.

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Organic NZ

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Dr Vandana Shiva • The woman considered the most significant environmental activist of our time will be in Auckland in April. Jo Smith (and Jessica Hutchings) visited Dr Shiva at the learning centre, Navdayna, in India, where she promotes food security through biodiversity, organics, and the rights of farmers.

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To GE or not to GE? • We are at a critical point in decision-making about releasing genetically engineered organisms into New Zealand’s environment. Philippa Jamieson outlines some of the potential risks and benefits of our options.

THE BATTLE FOR THE future of food • Jon Carapiet outlines why the push for automatic acceptance of unproven technologies that have the potential to irreversibly contaminate our food and environment (aka GE) is the wrong direction.

Organic Week Aotearoa 2024 • Be prepared to embrace the annual celebration of regenerative living with Organic Week Aotearoa 2024. From May 1 to May 7, this weeklong event promises a kaleidoscope of activities, highlighting the importance of our growing organic sector and the remarkable efforts of organic producers across the motu.

OrganicNZ Awards ‘24 • Soil & Health NZ will present the OrganicNZ Awards at the Boatshed, Wellington, on Friday 3 May 2024, as part of the Organic Week Aotearoa 2024 celebrations.

Preparing for winter • Organic gardening tips and tasks for autumn

Influence of the cosmos • Combining and building upon knoweldge deepens our understanding but Monique Macfarlane reminds us to look up and make our own connection with the cosmos.

Underground interactions How roots communicate • They may be out of sight, but Dr Charles Merfield tells us what science is beginning to understand about the complexity of root interactions.

Soil Carbon Measurement

Japanese wineberry Rubus phoenicolasius • It thrives in forest margins and produces tasty morsels of delicious flavour. Anna-Marie Barnes introduces a hardy bramble suitable for those who like plants that look after themselves.

Cooking with oil Which one is good for you? • Trans or saturated, polyunsaturated, or monosaturated? What’s the difference between cold-pressed and virgin, light and refined? Paula Sharp smooths out the choices of what is best for our bodies in terms of oils and fats.

The Abundant Kitchen • Yotam and Niva Kay were our 2021 OrganicNZ Farmers of the Year. They operate Pākaraka Farm on the Coromandel Peninsula, an organic market garden and education centre for regenerative living.

Support your liver and Detox • Whether it was a summer of excess or just daily life, Laura Hett advises how you can support your liver to eradicate toxins from your body.

Making good ethics a viable business • Two Manawatū couples with a big vision made hard choices, distilling their operation down to its essence. Rachel Rose talks to the owners of Live2Give about how their business has grown, diversified, adapted, and prioritised, all the while keeping the culture of doing it for good.

Doing it for justice • With a knowledge of the history, the experience of establishing an organic business, the active role of managing a sustainable initiative, and genuine green fingers, Matt Morris has voluntarily...