Promote • Educate
6 September/October 2019
Your letters
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Email: [email protected]
Post: PO Box 9693, Marion Square, Wellington, 6141
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WINNING LETTER
GROWING THE ORGANIC
MOVEMENT
We have been promoting and trying to
persuade the government of this country
to take up the organic movement for
decades. I think I can safely say it has
been an uphill battle and one which we
are still fighting.
Personally I think we need to place
more resources and energy towards
the consumer. No government has ever
changed their course unless a movement
has been created from the ground up. It is
a numbers game, and only people power
can force the necessary changes.
One of our biggest problems is
funding – there is never enough. This
leads me to thinking about what we do
best as a group, and for me that is ‘sharing
our knowledge’, but where and how can
we achieve this?
I envisage the organic population
visiting every school in New Zealand
with pamphlets and information that will
eventually be taken home.
We can teach children ‘food security’
and help remove the end of the world
image being adopted by some. We can
teach the beauty of fungi and bacteria,
the herbs that cure, and the soil that
lives and breathes beneath us. We need
to encourage creativity in schools in
partnership with technology, meaning
we must give our young ones the passion
and excitement to discover new organic
regimes so they can replace the current
paradigm being handed down. Seeing
our children have their say about climate
change recently is proof of the power of
the younger generation.
The possibilities are endless but we
must dedicate some of our time and
knowledge to expand ourselves.
Organic NZ could encourage its
readers to donate the older magazines to
doctors’ surgeries, physios, dentists, any
waiting room where the adult population
has time to read what organics has to
offer. They’re of no use sitting in the
bottom of the cupboard expecting to be
reread at some stage. Perhaps Organic
NZ could design and print a flyer for us
to purchase and distribute. The Weston
A Price Foundation is a good example of
this being done.
Janette Perrett
Hikurangi
GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN
ORGANIC FARMING
Great editorial in the latest issue (Organic
NZ July/August). I agree that New Zealand
has a great opportunity to grow and
market organic produce. Overseas and
domestic demand for organically grown
food is increasing and organics fits with our
(diminishing) clean green image.
Yes the New Zealand government
should be investing in organic farming,
rather than allocating millions of dollars
into intensive farming that is proving
to be environmentally unsustainable.
Additionally having most of our eggs in only
a couple of baskets is also risky given the
increasing volatility of those international
markets.
Even if the uptake in organic farming
is initially slow, increasing the diversity of
our primary industries will benefit our soils
and go towards future-proofing our market
opportunities. Adding value to quality
primary produce will also benefit producers
and our economy.
Justine Palmer
Ta u p o
ELECTROSMOG
Thank you for running the article ‘Reducing
electrosmog exposure’ by Anne Gastinger
in the July/August issue. Ricki’s experience
mirrors mine in many respects and it was
helpful to read the methods she used to
mitigate the problem.
There needs to be more public awareness
of the effects on health of all forms of
electromagnetic radiation. Of grave concern
is the upcoming proposed rollout of 5G
which will be harmful to all forms of life. I
hope we will continue to see articles like this
published in your magazine.
Louise Thwaites
Christchurch
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