Another feel-good genebank story. Eric Vercoe, now 85, grew rice in the 60s in TePuke near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. Alas, the project eventually came to a stop because of flooding problems, but there has been some interest recently in re-establishing the crop, using more modern technology, but the same variety. Called TePuke (gold), this had been developed in the area over 12 years from an original introduction from Japan. It grew very well, had good cooking quality and very good taste. Unfortunately, it was no longer anywhere to be found in New Zealand. So Mr Vercoe asked the IRRI genebank, where it turned out that a deposit of the variety had been made in 1965. He received seeds last summer, and rice is again being grown in the most southerly location for the crop that our friends at IRRI know of.
This is great – I come from the area between Tauranga and Te Puke but am not old enough to remember rice growing! Im from the Ngaiterangi Iwi and am really interested in learning more about this and hopefully coming to see some rice growing next time I go back to New Zealand. Great that Te Puke had been conserved!
l own land in waikato an my farm gets quite wet so l happen to be thinking rice might be a great cash crop to grow in new zealand now because the asian community is growing in this country an rice is a big part of their diet plus most other nationailtys also eat rice as well going by what l read it sounds like it grows well in bay of plenty so l reckon it would be winner for some one to get into we may already have the right machinery to help us grow it as well l am also interested in learning a little bit more about this
andrew please contact me; would like to discuss with you rice production in nz
Hi Abed and Andrew, I am researching plant-microbe interactions in rice and I would particularly like to use NZ-derived rice seed in my experiments. It’s not readily available here; if you could help or would like to talk about rice production in NZ then please contact me. Cheers, Caroline
Hi Andrew, we dairy farm at Ngatea on the Hauraki Plains. It is heavy marine clay. We hump and hollow paddocks to drain them as water will only run off , it will not drain through. My Grandfather half joked this place should have been a bloody padifield because of how wet in spring it is. Maybe he was right.
One main reason for looking at rice for a crop would be to stop nutrient run off into the waterways and into the Piako river. If we could use our effluent spreader in winter / spring to fertilize rice we could grow a crop for Humans or stock and solve nutrient problems in the Piako and Firth of Thames. They undersow it in some countries so that would suit our style . Harvesting is mechanical as well or cows teeth would be simple.
What have you learned to date? Have you grown any yet?
Regards Mike Speedy 0272901879
Hi Mike, did you follow up on growing rice? We farm in Kaikohe, Northland, next to Lake Omapere and are thinking of growing rice for similar reasons to what you have described. We hope we could grow organically if we can control the flooding as kikuyu is a major problem up here but can be killed by flooding. We are also very keen to take part in the restoration of Lake Omapere which is over run by excess nutrients. We would have about 40ha suitable, with the balance 200 ha being run as a cattle operation. Please let us know if you have any new information. Regards. Claire
Andrew. It’s well worth noting that Australia has a declining rice production. They are now net importers of rice and will be looking to import more as global warming further impact their ability to produce rice. In fact it’s worth noting that Australia has some if the poorest soils In the world and will become unable to support its need for agricultural produce in the future. A big opportunity for New Zealand farmers.
Hi Abed
Can you please contact me regarding growing rice in NZ. We have a customer who is interested. Thanks
Hi Belinda and Caroline, Not sure how to contact you, my email is kanihati@gmail.com do contact me if you have any questions
hello do you make enought rice for people to buy .would love to buy some for my family
look forward to hearing from you
Hi Abed,
I have just grown a small bed of rice and want to know how to husk it so it can be eaten.
Hi Cheryl
Where did you get your seed from? Would like to give rice a go in the Northern Waikato
Hi Cheryl,
Might you be able to help me find rice seed for planting? The Auckland Zoo has asked me to see if I can find some.
I see this blog is older. Any help or direction is much appreciated.
Kind regards, Darin
You could probably try IRRI. I’ll DM you.
Hi everyone. I am also interested in trying to grow rice here in NZ. If anyone has any idea of how I can get hold of some TePuke Gold rice seed, please let me know as it would be great to try to grow some. We need to protect this wonderful seed :) Thanks
Hi Tony,
Am wondering if you got hold of any Te Puke Gold seed. Am interested in trying to grow a small patch in Auckland of for our own use.
hi everyone, we are Asia’s largest and most renowned Rice Dehusking Rubber Rolls manufacturer in India with exports to Spain, Italy, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Germany & Indonesia. We also manufacture Rice processing equipment incl. Paddy Cleaner, Rice Dehuskers, Rice Graders, Bucket Elevators etc. on small to medium scale. Please let us know if there is any requirement. We are also looking for a dealer to cater to NZ & OZ rice millers for Dehusking rolls. Kindly revert if interested.
Good, I am from India, and most of you might be aware that india’s have been cultivating rice paddy for atleast 4000 years , I am an Indian farmer and would be moving to Newzeland soon. I am look ing forward to be part of the activie farming community there. Again rice consumed by Asians have a lot of nuances, and the choice of taste, texture and aroma differs by nationality.
Hi i would like to import some rice from nz to tahiti. Is there any supplier?
Hi everyone. I am interested to plant rice here in Auckland. My main purpose is to produce seeds to help keep it going in New Zealand.
Is anyone please provide me information where I can get some seeds. I only need a handful at least. Please contact me. 0210564162
I suggest you contact IRRI.