IPPS New Zealand Committee Profile

Jill Reader

As far as horticulture is concerned, I was a late bloomer. Dad was an accountant, mum was a housewife, and I wanted to join the police force or army. And so I did have a brief career in the military police, married a soldier, started a family, and then bought a house. It was only when faced with a newly acquired house on a quarter acre section that I started to think of plants at all. I didn’t know a forsythia from a petunia, so I joined the local library and read my way through their gardening section.

Somewhere amongst all the reading, horticulture started to seem like a good career. And so followed a Dip. Hort., a Dip. Field Tech., and then a job as head propagator for Rob Burrows at Trents Nurseries.

Following Trents was a 13 year stint managing the GMO glasshouse at Crop and Food Research, during which time I spent another 4 years studying part-time at Lincoln. Unfortunately a restructuring of the area I worked in left me facing redundancy.

Six months working at Allenton’s (during which I became Jill Weeder), and 18 months at Southwell Plants brought me back to good basic nursery work – far removed from genetic engineering and the moral and ethical issues involved. About the time this goes to print I am about to embark on a new phase of my career as a horticulture tutor at Telford Rural Polytechnic. Very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to sharing my love of plants with young people.

I’ve been a member of IPPS since the mid 1990’s. It has been a great experience so far, and I am pleased that as editor and a member of the executive I can now give back something to the society from which I have gained so much.

April 2009

Coming Up

Done and dusted - news from the 2010 Conference - details here.

International Tour and Conference is in Eastern Region from 16 September

Spring field day plans are a work in progress

News

At the Blenheim conference Richard Ware was presented with the Award of Merit.

Peter Waugh was honored too - with the John Follet Award of Recognition.

New Japan / New Zealand Exchange.

IPPS Travel Scholarship details

Seven hours on the Tongariro Crossing Field Trip

An update on the McGredy Rose Garden

IPPS stands at the Nursery Trade Days

Liza Whalley reports on her IPPS Scholarship experience.

IPPS New Zealand Committee Profile

Jill Reader

Coming Up

News

Sponsors