Hawke's Bay Branch

Branch contact - hawksebay@treecrops.org.nz
The national calendar of events below shows events for all branches.

The posts below show archived events and news that were mainly published prior to the switch to using one events calendar for all branches.

Hawke’s Bay Branch Pruning Workshop & Tree Sale 2018

WORKSHOP: Pruning, tree training, structural work

Sunday 17th June 10am-12pm (Rain day 24th June)
100 Turamoe Road, Pakipaki (south side of Hastings)

Experienced tutors Chris Ryan and Clare Buckner will present this demonstration workshop, and will have with them all the tools and gear needed for you to enjoy a practical and helpful mornings work. Chris and Clare will be discussing how to prune for the purpose you require, various styles of pruning, how to make good cuts, the ongoing effects of pruning, and show you examples of these techniques.

The trees on this property are young and perfect for setting up, so this workshop will not focus on remedial pruning, but pruning to establish and maintain your home orchard.

Further information contact Clare Buckner @ e-mail clare@tekoha.co.nz or Chris Ryan @ Tel 06 8776651 No dogs please, but all humans Welcome. Lavatory on-site. NZTCA members free / Non-member fee $10 per person will apply Join NZTCA for $50 online beforehand here >

TREE SALES! Hawke’s Bay Treecrop’s propagated trees; including tree for bees, food, colour, flowers, shelter, shade and more.

Sunday 17th June – 12noon (Rain day 24th June) 100 Turamoe Road, Pakipaki (south side of Hastings) Chris Ryan, Clare Buckner and various committee members will be on hand at midday immediately after the pruning workshop, to help you select and purchase trees suitable for your purpose and conditions. This is a good time to buy trees for late autumn and winter planting, and an opportunity to buy some rare and special trees at sensible prices – trees seldom (or never) available in commercial nurseries.

Cash sales on the day, or direct credit details can be arranged with our Treasurer Teresa Thorn if you are bulk buying. Detailed tree info sent out nearer the time, or contact Chris Ryan @ 06 8776651

TRAVEL DIRECTIONS…… Google Maps will lead you astray, it will send you down a dead-end branch of Turamoe Road.
Head down Turamoe Road until you come to a sharp left-hand turn – turn this corner and continue straight until you see our driveway & Treecrops events sign on the right – about half a kilometre along.
From Napier, get onto the Expressway and keep going south until you have been through the four large roundabouts at the Hastings end . After the fourth roundabout, Turamoe Road is the second road on the right. If you pass Pakipaki School, you’ve gone too far.
From Havelock, head down Te Aute Road to the new(ish) Pakipaki roundabout. Take the second exit, pass Pakipaki School andTuramoe Road is first on the left after the school.
From Hastings, head out to Pakipaki on either Railway Road or Maraekakaho Road and find Turamoe Road on the Hastings side of Pakipaki School. Lost people can text or telephone Clare 021 986396

Vehicle Parking available on the grass near the stockyards, on the gravel turning circle, or down the driveway wherever you can find a spot to park between trees.

Hawkes Bay Branch – NZTCA Innovation Fund, Trees for Bees grant

NZTCA INNOVATION FUND, TREES FOR BEES:

Bee Research; Hawke’s Bay flowering-time

We are delighted to tell you all that our Bee Research sub-group application to the NZTCA Innovation Fund to help with expenses involved in the research into the flowering time of bee friendly plants in Hawke’s Bay was accepted on 22nd August 2015.
The abridged letter reads…..

Dear Chris,
At our Management Committee meeting held last week we unanimously voted to accept your Branch’s application for funds of $1000 from the Branch Innovations Fund, for the purpose of planting tree and feeding bees. Your successful application will be notified on the Association’s website and in the relevant edition of the Tree Cropper.

We request that you report to your branch members and to Management Committee on progress with the project, including how project money has been spent; and provide material for publication in the Tree Cropper and/or on NZTCA’s web-site by the end of the first year of the project.
We wish you every success in this venture.
Yours sincerely, NZTCA – National Management Committee Members

Clare and Chris will be keeping us all informed of progress, and Clare is hoping to find time to
produce a research project related newsletter to those who have signed up to be involved in this
project. It is not too late to join in, simply email your details to Clare or visit our Stand 21 at the Edible Garden Show and enrol.

Congratulations team, from the website team! It is great to see this fund being used! – Les

Hawkes Bay Branch – September 2015 Bee Awareness Month

SEPTEMBER 2015 Bee Awareness Month

Saturday 12 th & Sunday 13 th September 10am-4pm

SHOW STALL: Edible Garden Show!

Stall 21: Waikoko Gardens, Hastings.

We are hosting an outdoor TreeCrops Hawke’s Bay stall at this show, and committee members will be on hand throughout.

If you are enthusiastic about tree crops, fruit, cooking your crops, bees, or know the difference between a walnut and a lemon, then

we would greatly appreciate a few hours of your assistance on our stand!

To cover costs of the site we will be selling tree crop and bee related items, including…..

PLANTS: Various unusual trees for bees, for fruit, for amenity. Also a few seeds.
RECIPE BOOK: The popular “Beyond Apple Pie, savouring your seasonal fruit”.
RESEARCH BOOKLET: Hot off the press 10 year Commemoration Research TreeCropper booklet.
BEE POSTER: A fascinating Bee-utiful poster – 35 bee faces with each bees individual information.

Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd of bee nutrition fame will be joining us for part of the time.
Your branch committee will bee on hand on both days for conversation, sales, treecrop identification
and advice, recipe ideas, weather discussions, book suggestions.
Naturally we would love you to call in and at the very least say hello.
Fingers crossed the weather behaves nicely – but we will be there regardless!

If you have any samples of fruit or foliage we could use for display please let us know.

For offers of assistance please contact Jenny Horne

Hawkes Bay Branch – Bee evening, planning

TreeCrops Hawke’s Bay BEE EVENING

Thursday 6th August 7.30pm

Bee Research; talk / information / plans ahead

Venue & details to be confirmed.

Anyone intending to be involved in our Bee research project would be advised to attend.

Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd will be the star attraction, and the evening will cover Linda’s previous, and our current, Bee related research aspects including pollen, nectar, flowers, background to the research and what is to come.

Anyone interested in Bees and TreeCrops will be most welcome to attend.

Organisers = Chris Ryan / Jenny Horne

Hawkes Bay Branch – Working Bee – Bee Research project

TreeCrops Hawke’s Bay WORKING BEE

Tomorrow morning: Friday 10th July 9.30am

Willow Cuttings: Bee Research project

Shiloh Orchard shed, Napier Road, Mangateretere (south side, close to Napier-Hastings turnoff)

Chris, Clare and Linda will be working in Clare’s orchard shed making useful cuttings from the branches of the many varieties of willow they braved the grim Manawatu weather to collect.

They will then be bundling these cuttings and packaging them ready for despatch to various research sites.

If you are able to spare some time tomorrow to lend a hand they would greatly appreciate it!

The more the merrier. Chris suggests you take along loppers, secateurs and wear gloves, and if you happen to have a Max tapener machine please take it with you.

TreeCrop sign at the gate. Rain or shine event.

For more information Clare or Chris

Hawke’s Bay Branch – Pruning and other skills workshop

Saturday 6^th June 2015 – FIELD WORKSHOP: Pruning and other skills

Hosts Louise & Peter, near OngaOnga – Highway 50, Hawke’s Bay.

Saturday 6th June 10am – 12noon (Rain day 13th June)

Pruning, Soils and Planting on OngaOnga Permaculture Dryland

(1.5k’s north of the OngaOnga turn-off and approx. 50 minutes Hastings CBD)

Vehicles: there is ample off-road parking in front of house.

Please consider carpooling from your neighbourhood.

Proper Pruning:

Hone your pruning skills or learn new ones. Chris Ryan will lead a pruning workshop/demonstration on mature and young trees including stone and pipfruit. To participate in the pruning workshop you will need to take clean sharp secateurs and a pruning saw.

Start with the Soil:

Soil being the basis to any planting, we will firstly have a up close and personal look at the actual soil beneath our feet. This discussion will include the influences on a soil, (such as contours, climate, the general lie of the land, past land use) and the physical properties of the existing soil (is it clay or sandy, does it hold moisture).

Plan before Planting:

Louise & Peter will show us areas of their Central Hawke’s Bay dryland property while facilitating discussions around planting and design ideas which encourage biodiversity on land such as theirs. For this walk & talk Louise suggest you have on hand pencil and paper for noting down ideas.

Fine day event; rain day the following Saturday.

For rain-check on the day – Peter Meredith &/or Louise Phillips

Hawke’s Bay Branch – Mature trees south of Waipukurau

Sunday 3 ^rd May 9.30am -12noon FIELD TRIP:
Mature Trees south of Waipukurau

Hosts Steve & Jane, Marlow Hill, Hatuma-Takapau area, south of Waipukurau

This established family farm has many 20-30 year old trees, including the original 2-3 hectare nut plantation of chestnuts, pecans, almonds and hazels, with elsewhere willows, pines and shelter trees. Steve was an active member of early Hawke’s Bay TreeCrops branch in the 70’s and 80’s, and is well known for his writing and radio work for the farming press.

We will lunch at this property.

If there is enough interest we will make an afternoon visit to the Andrew Watts Memorial Reserve near Waipukurau.

Further details, instructions and information will be notified to members nearer the time.

Tuesday 12^th May 7.15pm MEETING: Hawke’s Bay Branch Committee Meeting – Napier.
If you would like to participate please contact secretary Jenny Horne.

Hawkes Bay Branch – Field Trip – Guthrie-Smith Arboretum

Sunday 19TH April 2015 10am-12noon
TreeCrops Hawke’s Bay FIELD TRIP: Guthrie-Smith Arboretum
3561 State Highway 2, alongside Lake Tutira approx. 30 minutes by car from Napier.

This well-established arboretum houses a huge variety of trees and shrubs from many different areas of the world. Some areas have signage explaining various aspects of the trees nearby, but on our visit we are fortunate to have knowledgeable plantsman Chris Ryan to refer to. Chris knows the arboretum like the back of his hand, and he will be taking us on a tour through specific plantings of treecrop interest.

We will learn about the suitability of many less common trees for bee-appeal, and be shown some that have already proved to be helpful to bees. The arboretum has plantings of interest to landowners, including a wide range of tree species suitable for erosion, woodlot or ornamental plantings. Selections of cropping tree species have now begun to produce fruit or nuts, including edible chestnuts from Europe, Japan and China, walnuts, almonds, figs, Chilean hazels, damsons, prune plums and pine nuts. We may also see new plantings of various trees recently introduced into New Zealand, including some Mexican oaks.

The arboretum is home to many different wild birds, and the views of the lake and hill country are magnificent. We will be there in autumn so foliage colour should be an added bonus.

Take you picnic lunch & liquids for a communal lunch after the tour.
There is so much to see you may wish to stay on after lunch and walk further afield.

Footwear appropriate for grassy tracks and modest slopes
Rain or shine event. Toilets available onsite near the carpark
TreeCrop & Arboretum sign at the front gate. Vehicle parking signage up the driveway.
Please consider carpooling, invite someone to share your trip.
For further info contact Chris Ryan or email Jenny Horne

Everyone Welcome.
NZTCA members a gold coin donation / Friends of Guthrie-Smith Trust free.
Non-member fee $10 per person, payable on arrival.

Hawkes Bay Branch – Field Visit – The Figgery

Thursday 26th March 2015 4.30-6.30pm
TreeCrops Hawke’s Bay FIELD VISIT: The Figgery
The Figgery, 205 Napier Road, Havelock North

The Figgery is a two hectare long slender property on the eastern bank of Te Karamu stream, and it is the home of Te Mata Figs. Owner operators Murray Douglas and Helen Walker bought the property in 2007 after becoming enthusiastic about fresh figs while living in Australia, and three years later in autumn 2010 they harvested their first commercial crop.

This fig orchard is trained in an innovative practical way, contains an interesting selection of cultivars and is marketed with great enthusiasm through various outlets, including market stalls and an on-site shop. The fresh fig harvest is done daily from mid-March until late May.
When our branch last visited in 2010 there were twenty cultivars of figs in the collection, which had been sourced from Mr Fig, the fellow TreeCropper Eric Cairns, and included Adriatic, Brunoro Black, Oakura, New Smyrna, Macedonian, Lebanon, Mrs Williams, Ventura, Misa, French Sugar and Preston Prolific. On this return visit it will be interesting to learn what has been commercially successful and what has not in the intervening 5 years.

Murray and Helen will walk us through the commercial fig orchard, so we can admire the figs ripening on the trees, study the various leaf forms, learn about pruning techniques and consider the management options which have been used. We will be able to taste different fig varieties and sample the value-added products which are produced in the on-site commercial kitchen.
Sounds delicious – food for the brain and for the stomach.

TreeCrop & Figgery signs at the gate. Vehicle parking on-site.
Rain or shine event. Fig products available for purchase

For further info contact Chris Ryan or email Clare Buckner

Everyone Welcome. NZTCA members free / Non-member fee $10 per person
Join NZTCA for $50 on the day OR join online beforehand at….. treecrops.org.nz/joining/

NZTCA National Conference 2015 Northland Branch

NZTCA annual national event, March 20~22, 2015

‘Conference 2015’ hosted by Northland Branch

Biological Growing

– Expert Speakers and Workshops include organic agriculture, bio fuel, seaweed-sourced fertilisers – soil food, moth pheromones and apples, herbs and plants to attract beneficial insects.

– Field trips include a Kiwifruit orchard, Avocado orchard, and a sub tropical nursery & gardens.

Bookings closed – sorry.
Conference 2016 details coming soon…

Details on page Conference 2015 and in December 2014 TreeCropper.