Food security
Food security starts with soil that still works
Resilience isn't a stockpile. It's a diverse network of producers on healthy land.
Oliver de Groot · 4 min read · 1 source
Read
Stories from producers. Research from the experts. Our take on what it all means.
We bring together the people who grow our food, the people who study it, and the evidence behind the claims.
When we write something, we show you what we based it on. When a producer says something, we tell you it’s their experience. And when someone else has already explained it better, we take you straight to them.
Follow the evidence. Make up your own mind.
Our own
8 pieces, each ending in the sources it rests on so you can disagree with us from the same material.
Why organic
Why it matters what's on your plate
The evidence on nutrition, residues and what organic certification actually guarantees.
Oliver de Groot · 6 min read · 2 sources
Terms explained
Organic, regenerative, spray-free: what each word promises
Some of these words are audited. Some are aspirations. Here's how to tell them apart.
Oliver de Groot · 5 min read · 2 sources
Industry
The state of organics in Aotearoa — and what's holding it back
$1.18 billion and growing 13% a year, on 0.6% of our farmland. The gap is the opportunity.
Oliver de Groot · 6 min read · 3 sources
How to buy
Eating organic without doubling your grocery bill
Price is the number one barrier. It's also the most solvable one.
Oliver de Groot · 4 min read · no external sources
Sustainability
Packaging, energy and the rest of the footprint
Certified organic covers the paddock. These are the choices that happen after harvest.
Oliver de Groot · 4 min read · no external sources
Local food
Local, seasonal, and NZ-grown: the case beyond food miles
Food miles are the weakest argument for eating locally. Here are the stronger ones.
Oliver de Groot · 5 min read · no external sources
Growers
Looking after the people who grow the food
Organic isn't only about what goes on the paddock. It's about who's standing in it.
Oliver de Groot · 4 min read · 2 sources
Letters from the farm
Long, dated and written by the person who grew the food — the month the rain did not stop, what a bad season actually costs. Producers write these to their own subscribers; the ones published openly appear here.
No letters yet. Nothing has been sent — this is a new platform, and an empty section is a more useful thing to show you than a sample somebody invented.
Other people’s
These are not ours and we make nothing from sending you to them. Some of them have been doing this since 1942.
Organic NZ magazine
Soil & Health Association · Bi-monthly
New Zealand's longest-running organic magazine, published since 1942 by the Soil & Health Association — one of the oldest organic organisations in the world.
Open organicnz.org.nz →OANZ Organic Market Report
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand · Every 3 years
The definitive sector dataset: market value, exports, land area, consumer behaviour. The 2025 edition put the sector at $1.18 billion.
Open oanz.org →Organic certification & the national standard
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand · Ongoing
OANZ's plain-language guide to what organic certification requires in Aotearoa, which bodies certify, and how the national standard under the Organic Products and Production Act fits together.
Open oanz.org →MPI Organic News
Ministry for Primary Industries · Periodic
Official updates on the Organic Products and Production Act 2023 rollout, the national standard consultations and compliance dates.
Open mpi.govt.nz →BioGro producer resources
BioGro NZ · Ongoing
Standards documents, input lists, conversion guides and FAQs from New Zealand's largest certifier.
Open biogro.co.nz →Organic Pathways
Independent · Ongoing
News and practical articles on organic and regenerative production in New Zealand.
Open organicpathways.co.nz →IFOAM Organics Europe research briefs
IFOAM · Ongoing
The international evidence base on organic farming's effects on biodiversity, soil, water and climate.
Open organicseurope.bio →Newsletters we intend to send
The Weekly HarvestPlanned
Everyone
What's in season right now, which farm gates are open this weekend, and one producer's story. Fridays.
Your RegionPlanned
Everyone
Only news from your chosen region — new producers, market days, open farms, local shortages and gluts. Fortnightly.
Producer GrapevinePlanned
Producers
Certification deadlines, Organic Products Act updates, funding rounds, field days, and peer advice. Monthly.
Conversion DiaryPlanned
Farmers considering organics
Real numbers from farms mid-conversion — yields, costs, what went wrong. Monthly.
Evidence DigestPlanned
Curious readers
New peer-reviewed research on organic systems, explained plainly, with the caveats intact. Quarterly.