IPPS New Zealand Committee Profile

Hayden Foulds

I was born in Palmerston North in 1981 and have lived my whole life around the Manawatu region. From an early age, I had a very keen interest in plants and gardening with an early passion for natives. I had my own small nursery and established my own native garden at home and also helped with the establishment of a large garden at my grandparents place in the early 1990’s.

In 1994 my parents brought a ‘dead’ garden centre in Pahiatua so we shifted over the hill and reopened Willowdeane Garden Centre, which some of you will know. I often helped out in the shop in the early days and I enjoyed the exposure to the retail side of the industry. After finishing school, I went to Massey to do a Bachelor of Applied Science, majoring in horticulture which was a lot of hard work but well worth it in the end. Summer holidays were spent mostly bagging plants at Kilmarnock Nurseries.

My first ‘proper’ job was at Midland Horticulture in Palmerston North where I learnt a lot about the nursery trade and what it takes to produce a high quality plant. After 14 months there, I was offered a job at another nursery which did not work out very well and so I left, much the wiser for the experience. So one or two twists of fate later and I was working back at Kilmarnock full time in a job that I enjoy doing. Summer time sees me involved with the potting on of plants plus trimming and collecting cutting material. From autumn through to spring, I’m mainly involved with dispatching orders plus anything else that needs doing around the nursery. I’m also lucky to have two great bosses in Bevan and Richard plus a great team of staff around me.

IPPS has been part of my life for five years now and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Conferences are a highlight of the year and I’ve also been on a couple of field trips. It is great to be part of a society with so much enthusiasm and passion so I’m looking forward to being on the executive and editing the newsletter.

February 2009