Taylor wins NZ business award

Plant Hawke's Bay owner Marie Taylor won the Love of the Land category at the Enterprising Rural Women awards.

Hawke's Bay environmentalist committed to preserving native plants wins national award for enterprising businesswomen

A commitment to protect the plant life of Hawke's Bay has reaped national rewards for Marie Taylor and her Ahuriri-based business Plant Hawke's Bay at the Enterprising Rural Women Award. She won the Love of the Land category, one of four.

The Making it in Rural category winner, rural lifestyle magazine publisher Joanne Taylor, won the overall honour of Enterprising Rural Woman of the Year at the awards ceremony in Nelson last Saturday.

The two Taylors are "no relation - I'm from Southland", said Marie Taylor.

She started Plant Hawke's Bay 10 years ago and it has developed as a wholesale and contract grower of Hawke's Bay native plants, with about 85,000 plants in its nursery on Landcorp land near Hawke's Bay Airport.

Including locally rare species, it specialises in growing bulk revegetation lines for restoration, conservation and landscaping projects, and has worked closely with the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, the Department of Conservation and other councils and conservation trusts.

Its plants are sourced from naturally occurring indigenous populations throughout Hawke's Bay.

Overall winner Joanne Taylor runs Ashburton-based Latitude magazine. Bronwyn Muir, who provides farmer health and safety advice from Stratford business OnFarm Safety NZ, won the Help, I need Somebody category, and the Stay, Play Rural category was won by Kate Belcher, who runs outdoor adventure bike company Revolution Tours from Glenorchy, at the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu.

The annual awards were first held seven years ago have been a great success, says Rural Women New Zealand president Wendy McGowan.

"In the seven years of this competition we have seen vibrant rural businesses increasingly appeal to urban residents, tourists and the rural community."

Special recognition certificates were presented to Bridget Canning of WizWireless Ltd, for her contribution to rural telecommunications services for Wairarapa residents, and to Gore clothing retailer Chanelle Purser, for her retail success and commitment to youth in rural communities.