Business Central July 2021

78 | Nursery celebrates 25 years Around 400,000 trees are grown annually on the approximately 3ha nursery site. T Sue Russell CONTRACTING Treeline Native Nursery C elebrating 25 years feels like a real milestone for Diane Coleman, who, with husband John established Treeline Native Nursery on the main Tauranga Direct Road, near Rotorua. The tree nursery business has a real family feel to it, with son Sam and daughter-in-law Caroline now preparing to take over running the business. This transition time has been carefully thought through and planned and Diane says, it just feels the right time to be handing over responsibility. “I’m looking forward to doing some of the things I really enjoy like hiking and tending to my own garden,” she says. All those years ago Diane saw an opening in the market given growing demand for native trees. At that time she was working part-time but had enough time and energy to start growing her own seedlings, given she had the space for propagation on their rural plot. In the first year she produced 10,000 trees and every single one was bought by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. To support those ear- ly days financially, Diane raised calves. A lot has changed in the past quarter century with a shift away from use of non-native species by Councils back to planting trees and shrubs best suited to the environment. “There were a lot of voluntary groups out planting natives to re-establish how an area would have looked and when the Government Billion Trees initiative and push to clean up waterways really came on, there was just more and more demand for our plants.” Today, annually 400,000 trees are grown to size ready to sell on the approximately 3 ha nursery site. It was very much a case of shift- ing fence lines as the nursery grew. Waikato and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils are two of Treeline’s largest customers, but the plants the nursery grows end up in all sorts of places. “Private land owners, farmers fencing off water-ways to meet clean-water standards, along with property developers establishing new subdivisions and landscapers are also important customers for us and we supply as far as Auckland and down to Wellington.” Three years ago, Diane and John started their five-year exist plan. Sam joined the nurs- ery three years ago and by 2023 the owner- ship transition will be completed. “We very much wanted to make this a seamless transition and so far it is going very well.” Asked about some career highlights, Diane says receiving the Supreme Winner Enter- prising Rural Women Award in 2013, along with the Love of the Land Award in the same competition was certainly right up there. “A group of rural woman came to the nursery on one of their day trips and said to me they really thought I should enter and sent me the entry form. I was so surprised and delighted to have received this recognition.” Many of the trees and plants are propagat- ed from seed found in their natural situations. While Treeline Native Nursery does purchase seed as well, the fact that Diane and the team are able to go out on to private farm land, and collect seed from the side of the road. “It means that the plants we grow, we know will thrive in the environments they are planted in and it just makes sense to use seed sourced from these places.” There have been some tough times to, with a lot of nurseries impacted by the fungus Myrtle Rust. Diane says Treeline Native Nurs- ery adheres to strict biosecurity standards imposed to stop the spread of this destructive disease. “We have a spray regime we adhere to and we closely monitor our plants each month and spray accordingly. We’re very careful about hygiene standards and ensure that when our plants are dispatched they are weed free.” SPECIALISTS IN: • Construction of artificial shelters • Greenhouse Construction and maintenance BAY ORCHARD SHELTERS LTD. 610 No 3 Road, RD 3, Te Puke 3183. P 07 552 4217 M 021 767 170 E office@bayshelters.nz W bayshelters.nz SUPPLIERS OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR BOTH COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC USE HEDGING: Cryptomeria and Casuarina. HEDGING: Griselinia, Ficus tuffi, Camelia and plenty more. SUPPLIER OF MOST EXOTIC AND NATIVE SEEDLINGS PROUD SUPPLIER TO TREELINE NATIVE NURSERY Forevergreen Seedlings Ltd, Te Puna, Tauranga Mike: 021 315 153 E: accounts@forevergreen.co.nz Al Hardy PO Box 1644 Taupo Mobile: 021 371 632 Email: al@arcoenviro.co.nz Large Scale Planting Specialists Pest Control Registered Chemical Applicators Al Hardy PO Box 1644 Taupo Mobile: 021 371 632 Email: al@arcoenviro.co.nz Large Scale Planting Specialists Pest Control Registered Chemical Applicators Native Re-Vegetation Planting Registered Chemical Applicators Erosion and Sediment Control Industrial Rope Access Systems Working at Height Systems Vegetation Remov al General Labour H ire Pest Control Al Hardy PO Box 1644 Taupo Mobile: 021 371 632 Email: al@arcoenviro.co.nz 490 Te Ngae Road, Rotorua I 07 345 8560 Mike Rogers 021 998 819 I Tony Johnston 021 349 816 I Kevin Morey 027 493 1620 Proud to support Treeline Native Nursery www.piakotractors.co.nz