Our Greenness …

Since the company started over 30 years ago, we have always been conscious of working in a responsible and sustainable way.

"Walk lightly on the ground today ….so our children can follow tomorrow"

The building

In 2014 we decided to create and build a unique botanical farm at Matakana, just one hour north of Auckland City.
The main portal board and batten barns are all built from local pine from regenerating forests offering excellent thermal qualities for both summer and winter.

Building Location

The building in positioned in such a way to allow natural light (sun) to provide heating during winter and to provide a large north facing roof for solar.  Majority of joinery is double glazed.

Hybrid Solar System

On the northern side of the main warehouse is a state-of-the-art solar system.   

The power generated is transferred to a large cabinet inside where it is stored in large efficient lithium batteries. The business then draws power from the batteries and operates 70% from solar power.

Lighting

Over 90 % of bulbs used are either LED or energy efficient bulbs. There is also an abundance of natural skylights.

Biolytix Septic Worm Farm

One of the most unique sustainable features on the property is an award-winning septic worm system called Biolytix.  This is a very smart, energy-wise design that works with nature. The “Bio Pods” are basically underground “ecosystems in a tank".  They simply use worms and other organisms to efficiently convert waste into garden water.  www.waterflow.co.nz

Water (Rain Harvesting)

All water is from rain which falls on the roofs and then flows underground to our 3 x 30,000 litre tanks and later filtered

Food Waste/Composting

Majority of all food scraps generated are placed in special compost bins which are also active worm farms that process this waste into rich nutrients and later spread onto the gardens.

Hanging Wall Gardens

There are few hanging wall/ herb gardens which have been placed on walls which are cleverly irrigated by surplus water from our energy efficient heat pump/air con on the other side of the wall.

Insulation

“Eco Fleece” is a special natural wool insulation with exceptional thermal properties and been used in all buildings.

Paper Recycling

All cardboard boxes are flattened and placed in a recycle bin outside.  All unwanted paper is shredded and used to protect fragile goods being sent out. All glass and plastic bottles are placed in recycle bins.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Over 80 % of appliances have an energy saving switch off mode which are activated.

Bee Friendly Plants

We are of course a very bee friendly company; without them we would not be here!  We have extensively planted bee friendly flowering New Zealand native trees around the property including Kowhai, Pohutukawa, Karo and lots of Lavender and Manuka which is great for our bees and the distillery where we extract botanical oils.

Seaweed Irrigation System

Seaweed is collected from beaches nearby. It is hung on racks then washed with fresh water then left to dry in the sun until hard and crisp. It is then broken up and fed into a small garden chipper to become granules. These are then placed in a large sack to act like a “tea bag” in large drums filled with rainwater for a period of 2 months and stirred occasionally. Once this cycle is complete it is connected to the irrigation system which feeds the raised herb gardens and other plants being grown at Matakana Botanicals. 

Trees for Bees

To help our bee population and the environment we grow Manuka from seeds in our nursery which are then planted out 12 months later.