BNNZ membership announcement

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT and request…

Emails have been sent out to all non-member email addresses we have about our 2 new membership categories by the part time Admin for BNNZ (in his third month). Dylan Graves is working for BNNZ doing website maintenance, membership, and anything else he can to assist BNNZ in fulfilling its mission to advocate for biochar in New Zealand.

BNNZ is offering two new Memberships in addition to its Standard and Student memberships which will remain at $50 and $25 respectively (and are for anyone interested in biochar and wanting to support BNNZ and its vision). The first is for Community membership and is for Groups/Non-profits who support biochar awareness. Groups such as community gardens, environmental NGOs, catchment groups, permaculture groups, transition towns, and so on. The second is Professional for people or businesses who work in the biochar industry.

Member benefits:

Support of a national organisation for biochar

Networking with others interested in biochar

Receiving a monthly newsletter

Opportunity to be on the committee or volunteer time to help BNNZ

MEMBERS LOUNGE every second month via online video call

BNNZ events such as workshops, webinars and other opportunities to expand your knowledge of biochar

Extras for Community membership ($150):

Listing for your group on the website with a link to your online presence.

Encouragement to submit events involving biochar for the BNNZ calendar.

Extras for Professional membership ($200):

Listing for your products or services on the website Supplier section.

Right to submit events involving biochar for the BNNZ calendar.

NOTE: This membership is automatically granted if you are/become a “Carbon” tier member or higher of ANZBIG (ANZ Biochar Industry Group) – please state you are in NZ when you sign up. If you are an Associate member of ANZBIG, then you are a Standard member of BNNZ by default.

In order to streamline the memberships, BNNZ is moving to online payments by bank/credit card at sign up/renewal. If you really do not want to do this, then please email admin@biochar.net.nz after making payment by bank transfer (bank a/c # on Donate page) and a manual membership entry for you will be created.

This membership drive is hoping for your sign up and also to share this email to your friends, family, colleagues, local relevant Group(s), etc.  If BNNZ can reach 100 members, more exciting things will start to happen in the NZ biochar space. THANK YOU!      

 Sign up here.
Thanks, best regards
Dylan

Biochar action in Opotiki

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Dale Redpath provides the following report from Opotiki.

“In late June I had some help from Sven Carlsson (a local reporter) to make a video about making farm-scale biochar, because I’ve taught some workshops previously but decided a video was a better way to reach more people. There was also an article in the Opotiki News (June 27 2024), and I had some interest from people wanting to do something with trees that were going to be felled on their land.

Farmers often have branches that they don’t have a use for – they often burn them in a bonfire, which create a lot of smoke and require monitoring over several days until it’s all burnt out. And at the end they are only left with a pile of ash, which is not used. In other words – a big waste of time and carbon. By making a bonfire but lighting it at the top, people can turn big unruly branches into valuable biochar, and it is with this message that I am trying to reach as many local farmers as possible so the unused brush in the area can be put to good use.

In the video, I demonstrate a top lit updraft branch pile and it is very straightforward and uses hardly any equipment at all. I think this comes through in the video (Sven did a great job of producing and editing the video: https://youtu.be/hMt7C3kOFZQ?si=wbYzOYqz_SvQpiXy).

In addition to making biochar to sell and to educate people, I am also turning wood into mushroom logs, garden stakes, and I’m planning to make some barbecue charcoal as well, all for the local market near Opotiki. I’m also looking for places to hold biochar workshops – ideally not far from a town with a regular supply of dry twiggy branches and toilet facilities – so if you have such a site, I’d like you to get in touch with me via email at enquiries@rivendalewood.com“

Zespri pilots biochar

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“Pilot three involves a 12-month field trial of biochar on kiwifruit orchards – biochar is a carbon-rich material known to improve soil nutrient availability, sequester carbon and improve soil drainage and
aeration. While biochar has been used with other crops, this pilot will assess whether it will help improve kiwifruit orchard soil characteristics and therefore possibly improve vine productivity and fruit quality.”