ANDY MACDONALD / Things
Stratford Herb Society president Shonagh Hopkirk and fellow members Jan Smith and Cherie Boyd believe that medicinal herbs could play a role in Taranaki’s future economy.
Sitting next to a garden among the fertile fields of North Taranaki, three ‘old hippies’ drink tea and discuss the role medicinal herbs will play in the future of the region’s economy.
They share a few common features; fairly vigorous careers, a belief that Taranaki’s soil could be used for so much more than growing grass for cows, and a taste for the healing powers of herbs.
chairman of the Stratford Herb Society and vice president of the New Zealand Herbal Federation in the North Island, Shonagh Hopkirk, spent much of her career as a computer scientist. Her interest in herbs began in a California workshop.
“I think more and more people are becoming interested in being able to take control of their own health.
“Especially now that it is becoming so difficult to get to the doctor. I think there is more interest from people who want to go back to a natural way of life.”
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Hopkirk says many herbs are a long-acting, gentle way of healing.
It is thought that medicinal plants can be as good for Taranaki’s economy as they are for curing diseases – they have been identified by economic development agency Venture Taranaki as one of the 10 commercially viable food and fiber options for the future of the region.
With the help of growers and researchers, Venture Taranaki has identified Echinacea, Ashwagandha and Calendula as the three most promising types of medicinal plants that can be grown in Taranaki.
Conservative estimates have put Echinacea’s yield per hectare at $15,822 and the global extract market for the product is expected to grow to NZ$4.73 billion by 2027, according to Venture Taranaki’s Medicinal Plant Blueprint.
ANDY MACDONALD / Things
Shonagh Hopkirk said more people are becoming interested in taking control of their own health
Former Chief Executive of Kindergarten Taranaki and member of the Stratford Herb Society, Cherie Boyd, wants to be involved in a pilot project for commercial growing of herbs in the region.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that growing herbs can be successful.”
There is plenty of work to do, especially around supply chains and who will grow the plants from seed or turn raw herbs into consumer goods.
A commercial drying facility for the region will also be needed to ensure consistent quality produce – most growers currently have a hodgepodge, using hot water cabinets or fitted sheets.
But there is strong demand for the products nationally, Boyd says, because many of the dried goods purchased from abroad are often months or even years old and can smell “like old socks.”
Former lab technician Jan Smith also belongs to the Stratford Herb Society and has a huge interest in the science behind the plants.
The group believes that the current perception of medicinal herbs is similar to that of manuka honey before its benefits were scientifically substantiated.
“Everyone knew it had these amazing properties, they just didn’t have all the science to back it up, and then they tested it and saw where it is,” Smith says.
Herbs have sparked the interest of everyone from retired dairy farmers and owners of lifestyle blocks with a few acres of land to spare, to those with larger farms looking to diversify.
They’re also one of the food and fiber options that are attracting the most interest, says Michelle Bauer, Branching Out project manager.
The next step in the development of the industry is to conduct commercial-scale pilots to test the bioactive properties of the plants.
“It is hoped that we will have some very high bioactive properties here in Taranaki and that will also give us a unique selling point.”