Siobhan Hemingway’s path into horticulture grew from an unexpected journey through health and creativity.
She now works as Market Manager for Farmers Market Taranaki, and Lead Grower at Green School New Zealand.
Finding herself back home in Taranaki after studying digital media and design in Auckland, her career was on pause. At the end of her time up north, Siobhan went through a significant operation to help restore her health after living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease from a young age. During her recovery, she fell in love with gardening, fascinated by plants and as a mindful practice to focus on as her health returned.
This simple hobby of home gardening soon flourished into an excitement to learn more about growing and a future career in Horticulture.
Studying both Certificates in Level 3 General Horticulture and Level 4 Organic Primary Production across two years at WITT, she now had the foundation, knowledge and qualifications to begin work in this promising field here in Taranaki.
Graduating as Top Student, with the kind support of the Bashford-Nicholls trust, Siobhan continued her education through Earth Workers. Two agronomist-led, week-long regenerative horticulture courses, teaching farmers and growers biology-first growing practices, with a key focus on soil health through diversity and microbiology.
“Learning about the complexities and expanse of life in our soils never ceases to amaze me. Being able to understand how to fortify and care for these communities which foster life above soil, is something I am forever grateful to have learned so early on in my growing journey. Without this incredible opportunity provided through Bashford-Nicholls trust scholarships, I would most definitely not have met the inspiring growers and people in this regen space, nor have a clear picture on soil ecology and how this impacts everything we grow.”
Siobhan is now working at Green School New Zealand and manages their school food farm and greenhouse, putting into practice her knowledge of regenerative horticulture to grow a vast range of tropical and vegetable crops with learners. Involving students of all ages, from primary to high school in learning to grow from seed to table, with diverse plantings, and soil health at centre. She remains as passionate as ever to be a lifelong student of soil and to inspire young people to be involved in horticulture, equipped with the vital knowledge of growing plants.
Two farmers, one extraordinary legacy
Claude William Nicholls and James Dawson Bashford were born in 1880, neighbours in rural South Taranaki, five kilometres apart. In an era when it was common practice to leave a farm to family, they each chose to do something different. They formed trusts so their land would keep giving long after they were gone, with the proceeds funding the next generation of agricultural and veterinary leaders in their region.