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Have you ever wondered what kind of legacy you’ll be leaving behind? For NZI Rural Women NZ Awards 2018 Supreme Winner Marie Taylor, her legacy is quite literally a forest she has built from scratch. This forest turned out to be not only her legacy, but the humble beginnings of her business Plant Hawke’s Bay.
With a horticultural science degree, a background in nursery work and rural journalism, Marie wanted to grow a business and do something that would keep her fit as she got older. “I was growing plants for a revegetation project on a property I had on Bayview on top of a steep cliff, and grew heaps of plants and people started buying the leftover plants from me. So, when I got divorced I found that it was the perfect time to put some capital behind it and set up the business. Plus, I absolutely love native plants.”
Her goals for Plant Hawke’s Bay are threefold – to be the preferred supplier of native plants in Hawke’s Bay, to grow a sustainable and profitable business, and to use the business to help save endangered plant species. When asked what we could all do to help preserve and save our native plants, Marie says the key thing is to plant species that are locally available because ultimately they are the ones that do best in their area.
It’s this passion for plants and genuine desire to do her part in saving our native species that really drives her success. Marie sees winning the Supreme Award at last year’s NZI Rural Women NZ Awards as an amazing opportunity, one that she’s very grateful for.
“It’s a validation of all the work that had gone into setting up the business and how it’s grown. It’s also been a real buzz receiving the Award and realising that I do have a really great business and am doing a good job with it. I like the way that the Award encourages women in rural businesses and rural communities – it is really valuable to rural women and I’d like to thank Rural Women New Zealand and NZI for their support. “