IPPS New Zealand Region Awards

Lists of Award Recipients

Recognising meritorious and outstanding service ...

The New Zealand Region of IPPS has two awards which are able to be given annually to worthy members of the society. The awards are normally presented at our annual conference. The awards and their criteria are as follows:

Award of Merit

The New Zealand Regions highest award for all round meritorious service.

Criteria:
Meritorious service to IPPS New Zealand.
Meritorious service to New Zealand Horticulture.
Must be an active member of IPPS New Zealand at the time the award is presented.

Frequency:
The award is only to be presented when there is a suitable recipient.
No more than one award is to be presented per year.

Selection panel:
The selection panel should be made up of three people including the current president, 2nd vice president and one other with a long association with the NZ IPPS region, ideally the historian or secretary or treasurer. Selection should be made after informal consultation with the membership.

Presentation:
Presentation of the award should be made at annual conference and should consist of a wooden bowl, which can be kept by the recipient until a new recipient has been named, and a plaque which will become the property of the recipient.

John Follett Award of Recognition

The New Zealand Region's award for outstanding service to IPPS New Zealand.

Criteria:
The recipient must have made a significant contribution to the New Zealand Region of IPPS over a period of time. The recipients must be members of IPPS New Zealand but do not have to be active at the time the award is presented.
It is not expected that the award will be presented to members of the NZ region for significant contributions to other regions or at an International level.

Frequency:
It is recommended that the award be presented annually at Conference.
Only under extenuating circumstances should more than one award be made per year.
Although it is recommended that the award be made annually this is not obligatory.

Selection panel:
The selection panel should be made up of three people including the immediate past International Director, 1st vice president and one or more on the committee with a long association with the NZ IPPS region, ideally the historian and/or secretary and/or treasurer. Selection should be made from nominations from the membership.

Presentation:
Presentation of the award should be made at annual conference and should consist of a wooden plaque which will become the property of the recipient.

Members are invited to put forward the names of any member they feel would fit the criteria of either the above awards and some background information to the Treasurer

Nomination for IPPS International Award of Merit

Thomas Edward 'Eddie' Welsh - 2008

At the 2008 conference in Auckland, a shocked and speechless Eddie Welsh was presented with the International Award of Merit. This was the first time the New Zealand region nominated someone for this prestigious award and was based upon Eddie's commitment to the New Zealand region and his involvement and influence internationally.

The following is a summary of the citation written for Eddie. The full citation will appear in the next Combined Proceedings of the Society.

Eddie was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, USA. After working towards a fine arts degree focusing on pottery at Southern Illinois University, Eddie then headed to California and found himself completing a Certificate in Organic Horticulture where he became very interested in growing plants, a passion that has lead him to where he is today.

In the mid 1970's, Eddie began to travel and met his future wife Jan in Fiji. He followed her back to New Zealand and they married in 1976 in Dunedin. Requiring a career, Eddie decided to do a Diploma in Horticulture at Massey University and worked at a seedling nursery in Dunedin to complete the period of practical training for the diploma.

In 1979, Eddie and Jan moved to Palmerston North where Eddie studied under the great Murray Richards. Eddie enjoyed the course, did well and when a position came up in the horticulture department at Massey, Murray Richards found the man for the job in Eddie. In fact, Eddie had no choice in the matter.

Eddie started teaching the diploma in 1980 and was known for his sound practical nature, as well as his friendly outgoing personality which made him popular with staff and students.

It was Maurice Van Reenan who introduced Eddie to the world of IPPS and he attended his first conference in 1980 in New Plymouth. In 1981, Eddie assisted with his first IPPS field trip around Palmerston North and also was elected onto the committee, working his way through the ranks to become New Zealand President in 1986-87 and 1987-88, then serving as International Director for 1989-90. In 1994, he served as International President and the New Zealand Region recognized Eddie's service and passion in 1995 by presenting him with the Award of Merit.

Two of Eddie's main interests while at Massey were Zantedeschias and bedding plants. He learnt a lot about growing Zantedeschias and his expertise and experience was called upon from people around the country and across the world. He also established a collection of named cultivars at Massey and also worked to develop Zantedeschias as a flowering pot plant.

With his interest in bedding plants, Eddie established independent trials at Massey where old, new and exciting varieties were grown and displayed. Open Days were held each year with growers coming along to catch up with the latest developments and how varieties performed in the in-ground trials.

His work with Zantedeschias and bedding plants saw Eddie become a regular and appreciated speaker at IPPS conferences and with his advancement through the society, he was called on to speak at international events as well. IPPS allowed Eddie the opportunities to travel and meet people, two of his passions in life.

The New Zealand regionâ€™s assistance with starting a Japanese chapter of the society became a major project for Eddie. He regularly travelled to Japan and made many friends, hosted tour groups and students visiting New Zealand and also set up a number of international exchanges.

With the number of horticultural students declining and the desire to do other things, Eddie left Massey and set up his own nursery just outside Palmerston North. â€œStarter Plantsâ€ focuses on growing open ground plants such as Dierama, Agapanthus, Eucomis and seed grown Zantedeschias for the NZ market and also for export.

With Japanese interest in Eucomis, Eddie started a breeding program and has selected a number of outstanding varieties, making him a world leader in this crop.

His travel for business has also seen him import new material into New Zealand including Cucuma, Euphorbia Millii grandiflora and other exciting tropical plants.

He has expanded his plant interests to include producing eco-sourced native plants for local revegetation projects and growing interesting vegetables which he sells on â€œTasty Tuesdaysâ€ and â€œFresh Fridaysâ€

In late 2005, Eddie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His chances of survival were not flash, but he remained positive and after major surgery, has made a remarkable recovery. He continues to do well and his chances of surviving this nasty form of cancer look great. This is wonderful news for his family and all of us involved in IPPS and the nursery industry in New Zealand as it would have been devastating to lose Eddie before his time.

In summary, Eddie has contributed so much to IPPS and has had an enormous impact of the New Zealand region. He is totally committed to IPPS and has brought fun and joy to the society over many years. It would have been a tragedy to have all this gone unrecognized by the society.