FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ July 2024 update
By Jan Fryer
Matariki month was a time of new beginnings and celebrations, particularly at FuturEcology. We celebrated 10 years of being in business as FuturEcology and what an amazing 10 years it has been. The business has grown from just Robert, out “Saving the Planet”, to a staff of nine, a great group of sub-contractors, fantastic clients, the EmGuards and an App.
Business is not without its challenges, however, and there has been lots of learning along the way. There are interesting times ahead, particularly in the field of ecological restoration, but as we navigate these, we would like to thank our customers and staff again for their belief in us and their commitment to doing the right thing for the planet.
In our own personal family, there have been some very exciting times. We welcomed a new granddaughter, Estelle, up in Wellington and I had the pleasure of being there for a couple of weeks looking after 2 year old Isla, while we waited for the arrival of our Matariki Baby. Very happy times.
Emma has some fantastic news, which she shares below and so as we creep slowly but surely past the shortest day, we celebrate the fact that family is what keeps us going and is why we need a healthy planet for their futures.
Planting continues apace at all our sites and we have been enjoying some amazing weather while we have been out creating future forests. It certainly feeds the soul, being out on a beautiful day, with the snowy mountains in the distance, calm water and crisp temperatures.
We have also created a big new vegetable garden at home, so the next job is getting that all very productive.
Happy days.
Mystery Creek
By Jan Fryer
On the 8th June, with the EmGuard van loaded to the hilt, Emma and I set off on our Mystery Creek adventure. We were on the Aratere, but luckily it steered itself ok that day! Tuesday 11th saw us driving down the hill into the Mystery Creek site and seeing the vastness and scale of it for the first time. Our only thoughts were “oh crickey, what have we done!” (PG13 version).
Our site was a massive 200 square metres of grass and we had our little gazebo and van. There were sites with whole structures built, bark laid and all sorts of incredible displays. Talk about daunting.
Luckily, we had partnered up with Gareth from Wool Life who sells wool weedmats and rolls. So, with his gazebo as well and some rolls of wool weedmatting, plus a quick trip to Bunnings to grab some more stuff to make our signage work a bit better, we managed to fill the site and were ready for the crowds.
The thing that struck us the most, coming from quiet little Nelson, was the traffic. We had to leave our accommodation by 6am every morning to get into the traffic queues to be at the site by around 7am. Leaving at the end of each day was equally challenging. I have become very good at hill starts in a manual van with a very heavy load of guards in the back!
However, what a great experience. It was interesting talking to people from that part of the country, as plant guards are not traditionally used up there. We had many great conversations and it was so good to showcase what we do and talk about good planting techniques, good tools (Levin Sawmakers spades) and why EmGuards are such a quality product.
We are so grateful for the lovely people we met, particularly Lanice, Macca and Gene, from Maccas Industry training - Truck License Course - Class 2, 4 & 5
They were our neighbours at the Field Days and their generosity with coffee, sausages and good conversation on those cold dark mornings, kept us going. They are the kind of people that make the world a better place and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.
They were also inspired to go away and do some planting on their family farm. How is this for transformation!
If you ever get a chance to go to the field days, give yourself heaps of time, as there is just so much to see.
Em’s Update
By Emma Fryer
Well, what an exciting week it has been!
Elaine Bay is an incredibly special place for our family. It is one of those places where time seems to stand still, and it holds many years of happy memories and milestones. It felt like the perfect place to celebrate turning 25 over a long weekend.
My partner Simon and I rented a beautiful Airbnb, as it is a little cold for our usual camping. We packed our woolies and the inflatable dinghy and spent many happy hours fishing and enjoying the perfect weather.
On Sunday, the most exciting and special surprise was when Simon dropped to one knee and proposed. He had chosen a beautiful private beach which couldn’t have been more perfect.
Back on the water, we were even greeted by a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water and diving under the boat. It really was magic.
A very special weekend and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better person to share my life with.
If you are wanting to escape to the sounds, we highly recommend this lovely spot: Tawhitinui; Connect with Nature - Cottages for Rent in Elaine Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand - Airbnb.
Weed of the Month
By Anna Bradley
Mallow-Malva species
Mallows are common weeds around the world, with quite a few varieties being found in New Zealand. They are all from the Malva genus, but there are also some non-Malva species that we commonly refer to as mallows.
They are a hardy group of plants, most commonly found on road sides, in orchards and waste lands. The most common weed varieties are the small flowered mallow, the dwarf mallow, the French mallow and the large flowered mallow.
The leaf shape in all species is distinctly ‘geranium-like’ in appearance. Mallow flowers, however, vary quite a bit in appearance, size and colour but tend to be shades of pink/purple to white.
Controlling mallow can be difficult. There are no specific selective herbicides to control them but spot spraying with a mix containing dicamba/2,4-D or a mix of triclopyr/picloram can work well on larger plants. In the home garden, they be can effectively be hand-pulled.
Did you know that most mallow species are edible, making a great lettuce substitute? But, like a lot of ‘edible weeds’ they are best harvested young.
Challies Update
By Jan Fryer
The Challies wetland project is our biggest project this year. It is an old gravel extraction site that is being turned into an incredible community asset.
We are planting the entire circumference of the pond that has been created in the old gravel pits. It is a stunning spot and we so look forward to seeing the transformation in the years to come, as the plants grow and soften the landscape.
Nelson Chamber of Commerce Aspire Conference
By Anna Bradley
This was my first time attending Aspire and what an incredible event! Aspire STRONG brought together our diverse region, showcasing collaboration and innovation in our vibrant business community, highlighting some of our unique strengths as a region.
It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with others and listen to a variety of engaging speakers. I particularly enjoyed the panel discussion with Justin Lester (Dot Loves Data), Fiona Wilson (NRDA) & Sharon Zollner (ANZ), on what makes us strong.
The panel dove into some fascinating metrics, used both nationally and locally, to determine the strength of a region. It was inspiring to hear of new initiatives such as Citizens of the Sea, a partnership between Cawthron Institute and New Zealand Geographic looking at new ways of mapping ocean health at scale. The other was about the creation of Moananui, a cluster of organisations working collectively to solve ocean challenges and accelerate the growth of the blue economy.
I also enjoyed listening to Jeremy Banks share his whānau's story regarding the Nelson Tenths. Like many people in the audience, I had only learned about it recently and I was grateful to gain a deeper insight into this. There are some really fantastic things going on in Te Tauihu that we can be proud of and I look forward to attending Aspire in 2025.
Bamboo Canes
By Emma Fryer
In the world of supply chain management, there never seems to be a dull moment.
While things on the bamboo front have been sailing relatively smoothly since the COVID disruptions, our last batch of bamboo unfortunately wasn’t up to scratch, so we sent it back.
We have sourced a new supplier in the interim and are finding their stock to be suitable.
The challenge with bamboo is that no two canes are created equally and getting consistency across stock is the biggest challenge. We usually purchase bamboo canes with a diameter of 10-12mm, to ensure they are strong enough to withstand being hammered into the ground. However, with much of the recent 10-12mm stock only measuring a shocking 3-4mm, we have had to re-evaluate.
Our new stocks of bamboo canes are 12-14mm which is a little thicker than we have purchased in the past as that allows for a little more margin of error in the measuring department. It has been a while since I took statistics, but the logic seems to be working. In prioritising the girth of the canes, we have had to sacrifice a little bit of length, so our new bamboo canes are 750mm instead of 900mm.
We would love to hear your feedback on the bamboo canes, as we may decide to stick with them.
EmGuard Update
By Emma Fryer
With the planting season well and truly underway, EmGuards are flying off the shelves, heading all over the country to do their bit in assisting restoration efforts.
We have more stock arriving early next week, so we would love to hear from you if you are planning a planting and are worried about those pesky rabbits and pukekos arming themselves ready to wreak havoc.
One of our highlights at Mystery Creek, happened about 8.15 am on the very wet Friday. Rachael arrived at our site, looked at our guards and said “Oh that is just what I need. We planted 1000 trees yesterday and the hares have been through and massacred them already.” Off she went very happily with 500 guards (and has since got a whole lot more).
We also caught up with Anastasia, from Floating Peaks, at the Field Days. She supplied this beautiful picture from their farm.
Check out their great work and products here Floating Peaks / 100% New Zealand Wool Products
Interesting Snippets
Recipe:
By Jan Fryer
This is a family favourite (from our English family) and Emma recently celebrated her birthday with this yummy cake.
Altuisia Cake
In a medium to large pot put in :
1 cup sultanas
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
Heat until boiling. Add 125gms butter. Remove from heat when butter is melted.
Add
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder.
Mix well together.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 deg C. in a deep 20 cm tin.
For the topping, in the same pot put:
1 cup coconut
1 cup brown sugar
60 gms butter
2 tablespoons milk.
Mix together and bring to the boil for 2 minutes.
Pour over cake and bake for a further 10 minutes or until top is firm.
Enjoy.
Conclusion:
By Emma Fryer
As part of the Matariki commemorations, FuturEcology assisted in a community planting by the Wakapuaka River. It is always so brilliant to meet inspired members of the community, getting out and doing their bit for the planet.
With Matariki being a time of remembrance, joy and peace, we are certainly feeling many things this month. Having lost two elderly relatives, but also welcoming two new family members, Estelle and Simon, there is much to be grateful for.
It is always a good feeling to get past the shortest day and feel the changes in the air. The jonquils are out, there is the promise of Spring on the horizon.
If you have any projects in mind and would like to talk further, give us a call or pop in and see us.
We look forward to hearing from you!