Rural Lifestyle Magazine Issue 58 October 2012

Rodney's

OCTOBER 2012 issuE 58

Landscaping: add a water feature to your property p.10

Going nuts: a macadamia success story p.2

Building an eco house p.6

Horsin' around: the flighty horse p.13

2 RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 58

This is just the start, so do keep checking in. As a subscriber you can see the changes as they unfold while accessing the rich variety of content available to you.

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rial

Letters or enquiries to Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle, strategic Marketing, 1/15 Auburn street, Takapuna, Auckland. PO Box 302, Te Puke. Phone: 07 02160708. Email: [email protected]

Advertising enquiries: Marlene Brown 021-854-946

Visit www.rurallifestyle.co.nz for a FREE subscription.

Neville Walker – Editor

Energy efficient homes are much more of a focus these days as we have moved on from thinking solely about solar hot water heating to considering the energy efficiency rating of our homes and the carbon footprint they create. We’re also interested in learning how to maximize the energy we harvest from the sun. One of the biggest drivers for me is to find a long term way of becoming independent of power companies for electricity. As energy prices climb, and the cost of solar panels continues to fall, financial motives for moving to more energy efficient options increase. To explore some of the options, last issue we featured a story on grid connected solar homes, while in this issue we continue the theme by featuring an off-grid passive home.

Our story on the macadamia nut farm is close to our hearts. An attractive feature of the property we bought 10 years ago was the 600 or so chestnut trees which were starting to produce a reasonable volume of chestnuts, but unfortunately there hasn’t been a market for chestnuts significant enough in NZ to make it worth our picking them off the ground. The market for macadamias, on the other hand, hasn’t been as tough a nut to crack.

Helen talks to Henk and Cheryl van Wijk to find out how they have been able to make their venture into a cottage industry so successful.

On the landscaping front, we have finally made a start on the back yard concept devised for us by McKechnie nurseries (Issue 52). It started with our buying a house lot of Buxus hedging. In order to get it transplanted quickly we needed to hire an excavator. Four metres of garden mix and one backbreaking weekend later the hedge was in and looking great. This month Grant tells us how to go about planning a pond and what to plant around it to enhance the view.

Even as a non-horse person I’ve found out how easy it is to get on the stubborn side of a horse. In this issue, Ben Longwell reveals some very simple tips and strategies for working with easily spooked horses and tells us what works in getting them to trust us.

Our big news is that Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle Magazine has a new owner, Jay Bocock, who is working on expanding the readership, both online and in the printed version. Have a look at the newly re-vamped website (rurallifestyle.co.nz).

Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle ©2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without permission of the publisher is prohibited. No responsibility accepted for any direct or indirect consequences arising from reliance on any content within Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle.

Editor: Neville Walker. Sub Editor: Helen Martin. Writers this issue: Helen Martin, Neville Walker, Grant McKechnie, Ben Longwell. Designer: Dan Stenhouse, Bgraphix. Printing: PMP maxim.

There are so many things that can and

do go wrong that a business born of great

energy and good intentions can end up

foundering. On the other hand, with all

the right ingredients such an enterprise

can be a boomer. Nuts About New Zealand is a case in point.

It’s no surprise that, in summary, the success of Henk and Cheryl van Wijk’s business can be attributed to hard work,

Making a living from a cottage industry is no option for the faint hearted.

Macadamia success story By Helen Martin

experience, expertise, high standards of

professionalism and more hard work.

Added to that, there’s a pleasure in the

work that, as the couple talk to me on the

wrap-around verandah of their beautiful

RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 58 3

self-designed home, is a very evident element of their success.

The name of the business is no accident, as Henk and Cheryl decided to emigrate after they fell in love with New Zealand on a

family sailing trip. Arriving here 12 years ago, they wasted no time buying their South Head macadamia nut farm. Deciding what to grow, given their many years’ experience growing macadamia nuts as part of a large co-op in Port Edward, South Africa, was based on the philosophy “do what you know.“ For starters, then, they knew exactly what they were doing.

They were also confident the product would be popular in New Zealand, given that the nut is gaining popularity as one of the healthiest because of its anti-oxidant levels and the omega-3 and omega-6 nutrients in the oils. As a high energy food low in sodium, with no cholesterol, and a good source of protein, calcium, potassium and dietary fibre, the macadamia nut is highly regarded as one of the good guys.

Setting upGetting advice from the experts is essential if you’re beginners, and joining the New Zealand Macadamia Society www.macadamia.co.nz is a good start. Anyone setting up a macadamia orchard needs to do their homework on what varieties best suit the region. Henk and Cheryl grow the Beaumont and Pa 39, as having two varieties aids cross pollination and extends the flowering period. Deciding on the right number of trees is also important. The van Wijks’ 6.1 hectares were originally planted in 1400 trees, which they have now thinned to about 1100. If you were growing for somebody else, Henk says, you’d want about 3,000 trees on 20 hectares.

Rich soil and shelter from prevailing winds make this an ideal orchard site.

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For good crop yields it’s also important to consider soil conditions

and position when choosing your site. At Nuts About New Zealand

advantage is gained from the richness of the soil and the fact that

the site is well sheltered from the cold southerly winds.

If you’re starting from scratch, the trees will be beginning to fruit

by year 4. “Ideally to run a business you’re most probably looking at 8 – 10 years before the trees are in full production,” Henk tells me...

Caring for the treesThe van Wijks’ place looks immaculate, with not a weed nor a damaged leaf in sight. Besides the aesthetic pleasure of a well-kept

Healthy nuts and high yields are the result of a comprehensive management regime.


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orchard, the practical business of keeping the trees healthy is paramount. A small flock of sheep, shared with a neighbour, keeps the grass and weeds down. The macadamia is no different to any other orchard tree in terms of diseases - fungi can be prolific in spring and Botrytis cinerea (blight) can knock a lot of flowers off – so pruning and spraying régimes assure tree health. An irrigation system using a local bore keeps the trees watered. There is also a well organised fertilisation programme, with Henk and Cheryl making their own mix using the discarded nut shells as a base. Complete control is not possible, of course, and a very wet or very windy season can affect the success of a crop.

Pest controlRats are a perennial problem in the country, and Henk and Cheryl spend a lot of money on bait stations in targeted areas to protect not just their trees, but also the abundant bird life that inhabits the nearby wetland. “If you don’t look after what you have you’re providing a haven for pests,” says Henk. “The best thing to keep rats down is good horticultural practice. So if your trees are nicely pruned and your ground is clean you’ll eliminate at least 50% of the rats.”

The harvestHarvesting the crop is the one thing Henk and Cheryl sub-contract out, with the nuts, like most macadamia harvests in NZ, hand-picked once a year.

The products In keeping with their do-it-ourselves philosophy, all Nuts About New Zealand’s products are produced on the property. Henk and Cheryl have a commercial kitchen where they do all their own cooking and packing fresh on order. Products include flavoured nuts (the 7 flavours include honey, chili and salted), macadamia honey (from hives contracted to be placed in the orchard to assist cross pollination) macadamia nut butter and macadamia nut oil.

SalesImportant to making a go of self-sufficiency in a cottage industry is a good business sense. Having always been entrepreneurs in one way or another (in South Africa Henk ran a multi-million dollar property development business, for example) the couple were confident they could create their own work and jobs.

There’s a huge demand, they tell me, and in New Zealand they sell through farmers markets, retail outlets and their online store (www.nutsaboutnz.co.nz). With the continuing demand for high quality New Zealand products their export market is growing throughout Asia and Europe, no mean feat for a small, family-owned operation. “It’s just a bit bigger than a cottage industry and we’re at a stage where we move all the products we grow. We don’t have time to grow anything else, but we don’t want to get bigger.”

And the rewards... There’s so much that can go wrong that a poorly-run macadamia nut enterprise can turn into a nightmare. Run well, it can be very productive and extremely satisfying. “It’s such a beautiful, f lexible crop,” says Henk. “As long as you have high standards in all aspects of the way you run your business it’s absolutely ideal.”


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In particular, they were keen to have a passive solar (or climatic) building design, where the walls, windows and floors collect, store and distribute solar energy as heat in winter and reject solar heat in summer. While they’re talented people - John works in telecommunications and Hazel is an education and e-learning consultant - most of the issues they had to tackle in supervising the design and build of their dream home were new. With their home now completed, John and Hazel tell Helen Martin about the process, the challenges and the rewards.

The site We wanted a rural property suitable for grazing and planting and we wanted to live off grid and collect our own water. We found 8 hectares of bare land near Kerikeri and felt instantly connected to the place – it has a great feel, is coastal and is surrounded by hills. It’s at the end of the road and Kerikeri is just 20 minutes away by car.

For the house site we spent 2 years camping in the paddocks at weekends and observed the view, the weather and the sun. We talked to our architect (and friend) Gary Underwood, and finally selected a site, only to find we were in the coastal zoning and

subject to a raft of conditions. A minor tweak to the plans moved

us out of this zone, with the benefit of putting the house on flatter

land on which it was cheaper to build.

Planning considerationsA northern orientation for passive solar, views and shelter from

the weather were important. We wanted a dry, mould free house,

spacious, but simple. We were looking to combine a country 'feel'

with modern convenience. We wanted a private and sheltered

courtyard free of cars and other clutter. The 'working' part of the

house is on the other side of the passive solar wall, tucked away out

of immediate view... we don't have cars sharing our sunsets :-)

Phot

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Joh

n an

d H

azel

Ow

en.

Building a sustainable home in the country was a long-held dream for John and Hazel Owen.

Eco house heaven By Helen Martin

lifestyle


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Building a passive solar house introduces design limitations. We decided to store solar energy in the floors and the walls, and this led us to build a house with a concrete floor, and an imposing block wall that runs the length of the house and returns to lead outside to form two sides of the courtyard. This wall allowed us to join the main house with a small cottage providing the third side of the courtyard. This will be accommodation for guests, hopefully generating an income down the track.

We wanted a large and comfortable bathroom, rooms with great

light, a wood burning range, and quality timber joinery to avoid

condensation issues. Lastly, we wanted lots of sheltered deck space,

so we could sit out in all weathers.

Energy issues There was no power on site, and the connection to the electricity

utility was in a far, far corner across the other side of the paddock.

The long wall ties the house together as well as acting as storing solar energy.


It would have cost a fortune putting a cable across. As we were both keen on being off grid we generate our electricity from solar

panels and store it in batteries (one of the concessions we had to make to not being environmentally 'sound'). We added a back-up generator. Hot water is generated using the sun, as well as a wetback on the range. This is also used for the underfloor heating in the bedroom and bathroom and provides a way to cool excess hot water when everything actually gets too hot!

We selected a power-efficient water pump, and use an accumulator to store sufficient water pressure to fill kettles or flush the toilet without engaging the pump every time. Rather than a power-driven sewerage system we use the power of gravity and worms with our Wormerator. Grey water is separated and diverted to our newly planted orchard.

Because electricity is a very limited resource we have to be careful what appliances we use. We use LED lighting where we can. There is no opportunity to heat water with electricity so we have a gas califont for when the sun isn't shining and the range isn't on - essential due to the regulations designed to prevent Legionnaires’ disease. We have a gas hob in the cottage and a gas cooker in the house - electric hobs and ovens use too much power.

Pitfalls and challengesWe were very fortunate Kerikeri has some great builders, tradesmen, and craftspeople. There were the usual mess ups and hiccups that are all part of building a house, but we spent time at the design stage changing the house so we didn't have to make many modifications during the build. We had a leak as the result of poor flashing, but fortunately identified this almost immediately, and it was fixed. When we lost our original electrician to Australia the handover offered a few challenges when we were trying to figure out what some random cables were for.

Being off grid, power is generated by solar panels and stored in batteries.

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Things to consider when planning an eco houseAn eco house isn't cheap to build, but should be a cheap – and healthy - house to live in. Spend a lot of time on the land getting to know the weather and a real sense of the place and don’t rush into building too soon.

Producing your own electricity gets cheaper and cheaper. If you can produce your own electricity and still be connected to the grid (grid tie) you get the best of both worlds and don't need environmentally questionable banks of batteries.

Choose a sympathetic builder who has built eco houses before. Ask for advice on less toxic, more environmentally friendly building materials (such as green batts).

Be willing to compromise. The house needs to be oriented north for example, so you may not get the ultimate view from every window. But the house also needs to be fit for purpose and pleasant to live in, as well as environmentally sound.

The resultWe’re stoked!! The house and cottage are all we hoped for and more. The light inside is amazing and the place stays a comfortable temperature without heating in both winter and summer. We’re currently celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary here and there is nowhere else we’d rather be than sharing a glass of bubbles on the deck, enjoying the many birds that are returning since we began planting native trees on what were bare paddocks and watching the sun go down.

Optimum power management and the use of energy efficient devices is essential when off grid.


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Will it be a small lake, a pond or just a big puddle? If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll have to make that decision.

But you might have struck it lucky and bought a property with

One of the best things about being on a lifestyle block is that you can add a water feature into your landscaping — its size most likely dictated by the size of your property.

Add a water feature to yourproperty By Grant McKechnie

an existing farm dam. That was the case for Christine and Tony

Peek, of Woodbridge Gardens, Coatesville, when they bought

their property 20-odd years ago. Woodbridge (woodbridgegardens.co.nz) is now recognised by the NZ Gardens Trust as a Garden of

National Significance, with its beautifully planted pond very much

a feature of the garden.

When Christine and Tony started on their journey to develop the

garden, the pond was definitely just the farm dam, with no airs or

graces, surrounded by pasture and weeds.

Since those days, the change that’s been achieved with dedication

and patience, as you can see in the photo, is quite striking. Cyathea

and blechnum (native tree ferns and ground ferns) regenerated

naturally in the damp ground when stock stopped grazing and

have been augmented over the years by other plantings.

Julie and I weren’t so lucky with our lifestyle block — we didn’t

have an existing pond to start with. But we did have a swampy,

low-lying area. Starting from that point, it took just buckets of

money and a good digger driver to create our pond.

If you are starting down the track of developing a pond, make

sure there’s a good supply of water to keep it fed. That’s stating the

obvious, I know, but it’s amazing how many dry ponds you see

around. A spring bubbling up is always handy.

Christine and Tony get run-off from the surrounding countryside.

In our case, the council funnelled all the road run-off into our

top paddock. We saw that as a disadvantage when we bought the

property 31 years ago, but are quite pleased now as we channel that

water into our dam, keeping it nicely topped up.

Another important aspect to consider when it comes to dam


building is the depth. The deeper the better. Ours is 5m at its deepest point. Shallow dams are far more prone to drying out.

When we built ours, we left an island (treasure island, of course) in the middle, with the idea that we would plant a golden weeping willow on it, and in time the kids would be able to climb the willow and jump into the water. Our calculations were a tad

awry, as the kids outgrew the willow, but they and their friends certainly enjoyed paddling out to treasure island in the kayaks.

What we do have diving in and out of the pond, though, are lots of birds. We’ve got shags diving for food, kingfishers swooping on insects, and ducks just messing about.

When it comes to planting around a pond,

there are some considerations.

First up, it’s a very common mistake for

people to obscure their views of the pond

by using plants that get too tall. And if you

want your lawn to sweep unobstructed to

the pond, simply leave that side unplanted.

Take care also with your choice of plants

THE LIFESTYLE BLOCK SPECIALISTS

Robinson Rd, Coatesville. Ph/Fax 09 415 8806. [email protected]

Let Grant & Julie help you select the best plants for your place!

• Hedging • Shelter • Natives• Landscape plants• Bulk pricing available for most plants• Revegetation natives & planting service

RURAL LANDSCAPINGDesign/plans

PlantingGarden tidies

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HOURSMonday - Friday: 8.30am - 5pm

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Grant and Julie’s pond on a frosty winters morning.


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3 Years

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After&

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3 MonthsBefore

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for any man-made sides of your pond. Big-growing, vigorous trees are capable of sending their roots through your man-made banks, causing leaks.

Plant these areas with smaller shrubs or plants such as cabbage trees, flax, oioi ( jointed native rush) and some of the tougher members of the carex family, for example, C. secta, dipsacea, lessoniana or virgata These man-made banks are predominantly clay so are dry in summer and gluggy in winter, as well as wet near the water’s edge. Tough conditions for plants, but the species I’ve mentioned above will cope. To be able to include less hardy plants on the clay banks, you’ll need to dig good sized holes, chuck the clay away and back fill with good soil.

Big trees can go on the non-man-made edges of the pond. Weeping willows are lovely, of course, hanging as they do into the water.

As you can see from the photo, our treasure island willow (planted 17 years ago) is now well established and looks great at all times of the year. In summer it’s lovely and lush, in autumn the leaves turn yellow, in winter we see its bare golden framework of branches, then, in spring, it pops back into growth again with new leaves and flowers which the kereru like to feed on. It’s truly a tree for all seasons.

Taxodiums (swamp cypress and pond cypress), kowhai, liquidambar, pin oak with its semi-weeping form, and maples, to name just a few, all look good by ponds. The taxodiums and willows will both grow in standing water, so can go in very wet spots at the edge. Or how about a stand of majestic kahikatea at the ponds edge?

Taxodiums will happily grow in standing water. For more on Woodbridge Gardens, go to www.woodbridgegardens.co.nz


www.national.org.nz

Rt Hon John Key MP for helensville

365 Main Road, Kumeu p 412 2496 e [email protected] www.johnkey.co.nz

Seeing she was a little high-strung and not knowing any better, I kept things quiet and easy around her and really took my time in the training process.

She eventually learned to accept the saddle, bit, and rider, but only at a certain level of “life” or pressure. If something unexpected occurred she would come unglued and either take off or start bucking. The end result was a horse that was quiet as long as everything else was. But that’s not real life.

Without us digging deeper and training confidence, the flighty horse will be just that, perhaps for the rest of his life. At the very least, it will take a considerable amount of time to try to slowly get him better by trial and error and it will be quite dangerous.

If you back off after you’ve asked him to do something and he has become “reactive”, you’ve rewarded the wrong behaviour. To avoid this, you may need to adjust the way you’re asking or the amount of “life” or pressure you’re using. It’s always best to get a “try” from him towards what you are asking.

When the “reaction” stems from an outside source, it is important that as his leader you do not also become “reactive”. Sometimes it’s easy to get jumpy or nervous when your horse is, whether the cause is another rider, a foreign object or inclement weather. A highly-strung horse needs a confident rider who’s firm, but also

fair and consistent. In order for the horse to gain confidence in new situations, it is very helpful if the rider also has a soft “feel” and precise timing in hands, seat and legs.

I believe it is a mistake not to teach horses to calmly and safely handle a variety of situations with differing levels of pressure. If we tiptoe around them all the time and never ride as if we might have to get there quickly, then we are probably setting them up for a false reality. Consequently, when something unexpected happens (to them, or maybe to you too) there is real potential for a dangerous situation, because the horse has never been shown how to handle things outside his comfort zone and to trust you in spite of his fear.

The flighty horse needs clear communication to help build confidence; otherwise it is very easy to just be constantly confirming his fear of everything. Too much pressure and/or poor timing of your release can make a nervous horse into a jumpy, tightly-wound, ticking time-bomb.

With a nervous horse it’s important to build confidence every time you work with him and to work with him regularly, especially when he’s young. When a horse gets scared it is crucial to help him find his way out of “reaction” and back to “response” to you. When this is done quietly and consistently, in spite of tense situations, it will build confidence in any horse.

As a young fellow of 16 I learned a valuable lesson from a flighty filly, the first horse I ever started (broke in).

Building confidence in the flighty horse By Ben Longwell

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S E R V I C E D I R E C t o R y

Need sales? Talk to us now... Deadline for November issue is 31 October. Deadline for December issue is 22 November. For rates and availability,

email [email protected] or phone 09 947 3580 / 021 377 580 or Marlene on 021 854 946. Don’t delay – space is limited.

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Farms • Lifestyle Blocks • DomesticDeer • Post & Rail • 7-Wire • Stock yards

• Property Fencing Plans

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ANNUAL OCTOBER

SALE(unti l 31 October or while stocks last)

End of lines and surplus stock including;Revegetati on nati ves from $1.25, $1.50 & $2.00.Pip & Stone fruit from $12.50ea or 10 for $100.3yr old Peaches and Nectarines WERE $25.00 -

OUT THEY GO AT $10ea! DON’T MISS OUT!Fruit Trees No 1 grade - new season stock – 10 for $180.

Many more spot specials at just $2, $5 & $10. Wholesale prices on volume orders.

Pre-order and save.Native Revegetation & Wetland Specialists

Bulk Suppliers of RevegetationLandscape & Specimen Grades

Deciduous Trees • Shelter & Hedging • OrnamentalsOlives • Citrus • Fruit & Nut Trees • Avocados • Subtropicals

Everything you need at the one location!Email [email protected] – www.tehananurseries.co.nz

Phone 09 420 5119

TL Adams LtdHay • Silage • CultivationMOBILE & WORKSHOP

• Repairs• Servicing• PartsMassey Ferguson, Kubota & Zetor. All makes and models.

Bill LEMMEN MOTORS

1151 Woodcocks Rd, Warkworth 09 422 5852

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New Service: Water delivery

Call Phillip: 021 988 049 / 09 423 7208

S E R V I C E D I R E C t o R y

R E G I S T E R E D V A L U E R SLifestyle Block Specialists for Southern Rodney.

BATLEYDAVIES

Telephone: 09 414 7170Facsimile: 09 414 7180Mobile: 0274 953 163A/H: 09 420 4776Email: [email protected]

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North Shore City 0751

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Installation • Sales • Service

Serving Rodney for over 30 years email: [email protected]

Septic and Water Tank CleaningHave your Water Tank or Septic Tank cleaned for Summer.

BurnettsBurnetts Ph 09 412 9210or 0274 924 494

Need sales? Talk to us now... Deadline for November issue is 31 October. Deadline for December issue is 22 November. For rates and availability,

email [email protected] or phone 09 947 3580 / 021 377 580 or Marlene on 021 854 946. Don’t delay – space is limited.

Homekill & Game Meat Processing

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Wild meats and game are a speciality and wecan process, pack & freeze to suit.

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Open 7 days 9am to 5pm

Established 1988

1481 Kaipara Coast Highway, Kaukapakapa ph 09 420 5655 www.kaiparacoast.co.nz

open 7 days 9am to 5pm

Garden and Lifestyle Block Specialists

- Plant Centre - Plant Nursery - Landscape Design - Planting - Re-vegetation - Fruit tree specialists

We grow a huge range of plants suitable for the

Auckland region

Book a detailed site assessment and report now

for only $195

Enjoy our garden centre, and take a walk on our 1km

sculpture and garden trail. Over 60 sculptures by leading

NZ artists. 2012 exhibition now on.

David and Christina Clee. Phone 09 422 0492Fax 09 422 0493. Email [email protected]

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Compact beef cattle for lifestyle blocks.

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KUMEU CHAINSAW & MOWER SERVICES Kumeu377 SH 16 (Main Road), Huapai. (1km past Huapai Tavern)Phone: 09 412 8109

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10 Morrison Drive. Phone: 09-425 9498

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Rural Lifestyle Magazine Issue 58 October 2012

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