... Report by Hayden Foulds

Around 30 IPPS members gathered in Wellington on Saturday 23rd August for a day of nursery visits concluding with a visit to the Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve. After a wet winter for many, it was great to see the sun shining for the day!

Our first visit was to Kiwi Plants, a specialist native plant nursery located in Stokes Valley, where we were welcomed by Fred Allen. Kiwi Plants produces a range of natives from seed and plug trays through to root trainers and planter bags. It is also involved in restoring native habitats.

Fred is very passionate about what he does and this was also seen in his three young apprentices, who are very keen and enthusiastic in their jobs. They showed us around the two nursery sites, one dedicated to propagation (mostly done by seed) which has been developed on a hillside which has taken a lot of work to develop over the years. The other site, further down the road, is dedicated to growing on the large grades.

We then moved onto CIE Nursery at Rimutaka Prison where after clearing security, we headed to view the nursery. The following two pieces were written by two of the inmates who participated in the visit.

By a Rimutaka Prisoner 1

On Saturday 23rd August 2008 we had the pleasure of hosting an IPPS Field Day at Rimutaka Nursery. Wayne Turner, Principal Instructor at the nursery invited a group of fellow horticulturists to visit the recently completed nursery.

CIE Rimutaka Prison Nursery is a wholesale propagation and training nursery based at Rimutaka Prison, Upper Hutt. The aim is to provide a working environment that will match as closely as possible, a commercial nursery environment. It has been constructed mainly by the prisoners from the ground up who now work within the nursery - a sense of achievement for the team.
The nursery comprises of a potting shed, 1 large and 2 smaller propagation houses, a transition house, a shade house and 3 outdoor hardening off / growing on areas (an area of 1700m2 being under cover). Each area was hosted by the prisoner responsible for its day-to-day operation. They were each competent in discussing the purpose of the area, its stock content, automation versus manual mechanisms and irrigation, ventilation, temperature controls and any pest / disease problems that might influence current stock.

The nursery covers approximately 4 hectares, has 2 full time instructors and 24 prisoners from the Faith Based Unit who are all working towards certifications. A number of these men have now completed their level 2 certification in horticulture and are continuing on with further studies towards level 4 with some looking towards adult apprenticeships upon their release. Significant effort is put into training with the view to up-skilling, creating a solid work ethic and incentivising these prisoners, thereby with this work experience there is an increased opportunity of obtaining employment upon release.

Throughout the tour, a common question asked was with regards to the high standards and cleanliness throughout the entire nursery, its stock and equipment. Some of our visitors were a little sceptical when Wayne, CIE Instructor Chris Hannan and the prisoners all answered in the affirmative, stating an undeniable yes, “we work to this level on a week by week basis”. We view this opportunity as a privilege and not a right, to be given the chance not only to work, but receive training and qualifications as we go. Not only is it important for us to strive towards the nursery being a successful operation, we must also maintain this privilege for those who will follow in our footsteps; we must work as a team, not individuals.

By Rimutaka Prisoner 4

I was very impressed by our visitors attitudes and knowledge of the horticulture industry. I enjoyed the interaction and conversation I had with different people from different nurseries. I feel it was a very positive day as the people in the industry got to see us as people, focusing on the job we have done in our nursery. This could be of benefit for us when it comes time for our release and job prospects. On the whole I enjoyed the day and got a lot out of it.

The tour was capped off with a delicious lunch, catered for by the prison kitchen. This was an ideal chance for our guests to mingle in a relaxed environment with the prisoners, discovering more about the men, their backgrounds, circumstances and passions. There were a few surprises: the men were found to be knowledgeable, articulate and enthusiastic, and who on the whole, having made a bad choice, are now keen to put that behind them.

Leacroft Nurseries was our next visit where Simon Dearsly welcomed us to his nursery which is the largest in the Wellington region and is also open to the public. Judging by how busy it was the day we visited, it fills an important part of the Wellington market.

Over 800 varieties of plants are produced ranging from trees and shrubs through to perennials and includes a wide variety of natives. Some are propagated on site; others are brought in as growing on lines.

After viewing the well stocked sales area, the group headed out back to the growing on area and some members got to show off their quad bike skills by taking members across the creek to the other part of the nursery. The visit was concluded with afternoon tea in true IPPS style.

The final visit of the day was to the Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve, a 50ha reserve which contains the largest salt marsh in the Lower North Island. Wanda Tait from Forest N Bird (which managed the reserve with DOC) met the group and told of the development of the reserve and the wildlife that it contains. Members then wandered around the reserve and out to one of the hides that had been constructed on the water edge. An interesting end to a great day and thank you to Wayne Turner for organising the day and the nurseries involved for allowing us to visit.