Visitors : Ray Freeman (Lynda’s Guest), Sean Banks (Warren Bank’s guest), Vik Maniya (Indeevar’s Guest)
Guest Speaker: Mark Dean
President Lynda
Birthdays of members and partners & Anniversaries
There were no birthdays, Anniversaries or Rotary years to announce this week.
Messages
Michelle Beaton: Started by thanking people who participated in K valley great adventure cycle event. We had close to 20 people directly connected to the
event from the club including their families. Even though we did not raise packets of money however we raised awareness about K valley, and we will happen again. It was a great success and thank you all who chipped in.
Glenys: ROMAC has restarted. QUILT raffle is still on and people who have not submitted the tickets please do so at the earliest.
John: Treasured art is happening on 18th - 20th of May at Tauranga yacht club. Those who want attending the event, please register online or come along and become a helping buddy. Black tie event. Next week we will have the list going around to assist with set up help on the 16th and the 17th of May.
Wayne: Volunteers needed for the Treasured art setup. 2hours of your time is needed. Please come forward to make this event successful. Also, Whiskey tasting will also be happening on the 19th of July.
Mary: Great debate is coming up. If you want to attend, please give Mary a ring.
Lynda: Citizens Club is holding a breast cancer breakfast at 10 am on 28th of May 2023. $20 per person and $5 will go to the Breast cancer society. We will be heading back to Tauranga club as soon as its ready. It is about 6 months away.
Andrew Knowles introduced the speaker Mark Dean. He started as a school teacher and then moved onto growing plants and had the biggest nursery for native plants in New Zealand.
Speaker session: Mark started a native plant nursery when it was not a
product that had any demand. They based their sales and marketing on educating people. Starting with humble beginnings the business grew to have 5 sites, 3 in Auckland, 1 in Oropi and 1 in Whakatane and employing 55 people.
They educated people around some of the misconceptions about native plants. Our native flora is unique. We have 2 types of native plants. Native, means they grow in New Zealand and naturally in other places and Endemic, means that they only grow in New Zealand only. We have 2,300 species of higher plants, 80% are endemic. This due to variety of landscape and geological history and evolved in a unique way.
Some examples are: Bush Lawyer, Flax, Chatham Island Forget me not and Para taniwha.
Specific plants that were talked about were:
- Tecomanthe Speciosa: Found on the 3 king’s island. Found by young botanist from University of Canterbury. Now is found all around the place.
- Pleurophyllum: Unique to NZ and a beautiful plant. 3 sub species talked about
- Doxinia: Also found in Oropi, very fragrant up to 20 meters.
- Manuka: Blown over from Australia and formed population in New Zealand.
- Hebe: 128 species and 3 of the occur in Australia and south America
- Akeake: New Zealand Native however also found in coastal central Asia, Hawaii, Indonesia and also Australia.
Divarication is also unique to NZ plants, 50 or more species of shrubs. Branches go off at an angle, small leaves, right down inside the plant close to the branches. Muehlenbeckia astonii is an example used extensively in our NZ gardens as ground cover.
Sand Coprosma and Matagauri are other examples of such plants.
Why Divarication? Some theories like Moa or the even the southerlies winds.
Another interesting aspect of NZ plants is that they have Juvenile and mature form and something in between. Photos shown in the slides.
Leaf variation within species that is seen in NZ and is very unusual trait in flora in the world. Hebes are fine example of this trait. Some of our plants also have primitive features like mountain Toatoa that has leaf is a flattened stem.
Kahikatea has seed or the fruit is the swollen part of the stem.
Factors that make our plants unique are:
- No mammals
- Pollenated by insects hence small and white flowers.
Mark wanted to see New Zealand’s yards as New Zealand yards not mini-England.
Even for timber we can use Totara tree with a rotation period of 50 years, Kauri in 70 years and Remu in 120 years.
Lastly, we have come a long way to bust some misconceptions like we cannot rejuvenate the bush or wetlands and cannot have dune planting. We have proven these wrong by a bit of work and bit of research.
Questions: Where to get kohekohe seeds.
Answer: No, Mark does not know that and a pursuit in the past resulted in near death experience. Look on the internet is the best bet.
John Carlson thanked the speaker for his contribution to the native plants and sharing his knowledge and journey with us.
Sargent Session: JIM then enlightened our members with some extraordinary events on this day.
Today is the 111th day of the year. Rome was founded on this day in 753 BC. Henry the VIII assumed the British throne in 1509, The battle of San Jacinto. Stone masons and builders marched from university to parliament house to achieve 8 hour working day in 1956, in 1918 the red Barron was killed in France and in 1934 the surgeon’s photograph the most famous photo showing loch neck monster published however it turned out to be a hoax 1994.
Interesting births: Charlotte Bronte in 1816, Alistair McClaine in 1922, Sir Jeffery Palmer in 1942 and Iggy Pop in 1947.
Local self-government day in Russia and National Tea day in England.
Raffle Winner: E 51. Adrian Pohio
Parting thought:
Kat. No one will protect what they don’t care about and no one will care what they have not experienced.
Time spent amongst tree is never waste of time
Ross: Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.
1981 was a memorable year for Allison Roe. In April she became the first New Zealand woman to win the prestigious Boston Marathon, burning off American star Patti Catalano and breaking the course record by nearly eight minutes, running 2 hours 26 minutes 46 seconds. 