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Otago regional councillor Kate Wilson laughs that despite propagating more than 1500 plants in the last couple of years, she still is not a gardener.
"Even I am still genuinely surprised when something I plant manages to grow," she said, laughing.
Over the last two years, Mrs Wilson has donated the proceeds from selling her plants to the Middlemarch Swimming Pool.
The passionate environmentalist and farmer is also a fervent member of her local pool committee. Built in the 1930s, the pool needs ongoing upkeep and what seems like a "never-ending" need to replace expensive componentry.
"In recent years, we have put in a heat pump so it’s now a heated pool, we’ve dealt with the leaks and repainted it and put in new digital door entry system. This year, we need to tackle the ageing pipes and pump system and sometime after that we will need to replace the leaky roof," she said.
During Covid lockdowns, Mrs Wilson had been "tinkering away" with a small amount of native propagation for her and her husband’s farm plantings.
"I had got pretty sick of seeing copious amounts of pumpkin soup in my freezer from cancelled fundraising jobs. We needed to move away from the catering work, and I was having mild success with sourcing local seeds and propagating native plants that would be hardy to our local climate, so I decided to scale up a little."
Last year she sold about 500, and this year she had surpassed a goal to sell 1000 plants.
While the nursery was based at her home and she and husband Callum tended to the plants on a daily basis, Mrs Wilson was quick to add that there were a number of other people in the area that also volunteered their time to the enterprise, building a shade house and helping to pot up seedlings.
Ironically, Mrs Wilson admits she does not need to use the pool herself.
"I have been in a very fortunate position where we have our own swimming pool at home. But that has made me even more passionate about ensuring the longevity of our local facility, so everyone has access to the same benefits."
It has been a very rewarding "side hustle" for Mrs Wilson, helping to improve a useful facility in her local community combined with her enthusiasm for the environment.
She has enjoyed seeing the plants she has sold come to life around the district, bringing life to pockets of land that might not have seen it otherwise.
"It has been pleasing to see that we can grow kowhai and ribbonwoods and flax in this area with great success. If He Waka Eke Noa goes in the direction that I think it should and natives are recognised for their carbon sequestration, how amazing would it be to see large scale plantations of natives in this area? The bird life, and the benefit the natural filtration would bring to our local waterways, would be outstanding," she said.
By Alice Scott
