Saturday 16th December, 2023
Hi
Almost another wrap and some time to reflect.
For us here at Wairere its been a progressive year of bringing the nursery up to the most professional operation that caters for today world. There are quite a few components to this from dispatch, potting and inwards to disposing effectively of inorganic waste, vegetative matter and recycling where we can to operate off this site in a sustainable way. Today it's become a very changed business from previous years.
Mail order plants have been a huge area of growth and the dispatch space was quite lacking and hence a new shed. In fact, I look back at to what we operated out of and wondered how we did it. Today the new shed sits quietly in the back of the nursery and is now the core of the entire business and home to all, the tractor, four-wheel bikes and even a fork lift (how we managed all these years without one I don't know). There is storage space for all the carboard boxes and consumables used for packing.
The dispatch shed can cater for up to six work packing stations and resource for up to two admin who print all the documentation and ticketing. Its become quite a slick process from plants at one side, packed by the team, then out ready for collection. These days the courier truck can actually back into the shed and have all the cartons loaded in the dry which has been quite the bonus in this very wet year.
Then there was the potting shed and inwards good area which we got completed just in time for the potting season. Oh, my word I can only say at how nice it was to not have to stand in the rain and pot. Thanks to the new lean to shed with its high pitch roof so that we can pot trees under cover. This utility area has room for all the trucks to arrive and turn in, boasts a concrete pad that all the horticultural trucks can roll off their plant trollies (very difficult in gravel) and plants get unloaded directly onto our mule trailers. Then received into stock and brought back up into the garden centre with the four-wheel bikes to be put away. I think much easier on the team than all those flat decks that we used to use to haul everything around on.
The utility area of the garden centre also covers off all the practical side of having a garden centre from the recycling of all cardboard to what has to go to the landfill to green waste. This area has four large bunkers which are used to compost all the material from the gardens and hedges that is appropriate for composting, the rest goes into a green waste bin. All our Autumn leaves from the trees go in one to make leaf mold, all to be be reused in the display garden and lastly a storage place for the potting mix. Finally, plenty of space for extra plant storage and the practical space for the team to park and more.
We also changed our backorder system/software to that of a waitlist and notification was sent for when stock was due for payment so that we could put aside for paid orders. On the whole it's the way to go but in all honestly, we have had a few issues as I guess, which happens to all with a new system. I imagine that its more difficult with suppliers having a due date for their crops and not realising this. Perhaps a tad more difficult with a living product and maybe not enough sunshine hours for growth to happen as predicted. There is a new year ahead and we will fine tune this to be better.
I feel very proud of Wairere and our commitment to the best quality, amazing range and professional knowledge of our team and to that end I thank my team for their best efforts and the way we have the most fabulous looking plant space for our customer to come and shop, buy online and hopefully be inspired.
I also want to thank you, our loyal clients from all ends of the country, those that have supported us for the lifetime of the nursery and those that have just found us here, for all your support over the years and particularly the more trying past few years and of course 2023.
There is one constant and that is change and as we come to the close of 23, we can all look forward to the promise of a new year with new ambitions and projects for us all. Sadly, some of my team are heading off in new directions for 2024 and I wish them all the very best for their new futures.
Some house keeping
Just to reiterate but we are open all the way through the official holiday season being only closed on Christmas day. We are open all our normal hours from 8.30 to 5pm.. As I have said before that we still have to water and make sure that the plants are all standing up. I'm sure that you all know that there is always something to do in the garden and of course a garden centre is no different.
We have ceased mail order for the year and will start again the first full week in January being Monday the 8th of Jan.
Don't forget we do online garden
vouchers if you are stuck for a gift at the last moment.
Art in our display garden. Don't forget to add these dates to your calendar being Tony's debut as an emerging artist here at the nursery.
Art Exhibition in the display garden at Wairere Nursery By Anthony... at Wairere nursery gardens. Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of March 2024, 10am to 4pm.
This is my last email for this year and so all that remains is to wish you all the very best for the coming festive season!!!!
Have a fabulous Christmas and an awesome New Years, Take care everyone
Wishing you all the best from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
