One nomination said Jo played a leadership role in the New Zealand small-medium floriculture industry, where she championed sustainable and ecologically friendly practices and, importantly, created a friendly and open atmosphere where growers could
discuss issues affecting their businesses.
"I discovered Jo through her New Zealand Flower Farmers Facebook page, which has been an invaluable resource and community for me personally and I know for many, many others as well.
"Jo donates her time willingly to managing this community because she is incredibly passionate about helping grow the small but thriving local floriculture industry in New Zealand"
Jo lives about 7km out of Alexandra on an 8.2ha property, where she grows flowers and fruit to produce preserves. She runs workshops to teach people how to grow and use their flowers.
The Facebook page, which has more than 1000 followers, was to help educate growers — "it’s more about them being able to learn from our mistakes" — many were on smaller blocks where they were trying to make a side-hustle or find their way in a rural community. Many sold rurally, either at farmers markets or at their front gate.
Brought up in Dunedin, Jo spent a lot of time in Central Otago as a child. After heading overseas on her OE, she quips how she "brought back a Pom" — and the couple lived in Auckland where she had a landscape business and her husband was a national yachting coach.
Keen for land to grow things, they moved to Central more than 20 years ago. She had a passion for helping people grow things, whether flowers for a bouquet, or food for the table.
One of her favourite things was selling flowers by the bucket- load to event organisers, or to people who wanted to "do their own thing". Affordable weddings was a particular favourite and the pleasure she got from people wanting to make their own bouquets and arrangements.
Sometimes she helped with making the bouquets. Many came the day before the wedding and she loved to see the joy they got from the experience. "What I do in 20 minutes takes four hours but they love it and they are then connected to what they have done," she said.
Everything done on the property was about protecting and enriching the soil. She endeavoured not to use spray; if the soil was healthy, then the plants were healthy and would fight any pests or disease — and she did not use floral foam.
Growing workshops were literally growing as people learned how to grow from seed. She loved the education side and connection, talking to community groups about what they could do in their garden. With the high cost of living, people were wanting to grow things themselves if they had the space. Even if they were able to grow a raspberry cane, or some strawberries, they felt like they were contributing to what their family was eating.
