Mike's Story

Northland farmers, Mike and Nun bring a diverse range of fruit and vegetables to Grey Lynn Farmers Market each Sunday.

Where did you grow up?

Wet and windy Wellington, on the foreshore in Petone. I went to university there and went on to build and run a computer consultancy.

But you didn’t stay in the capital

No - I headed to Australia for a career break and got head hunted for a US company specialising in biometrics. I was there for eight years.

What brought you back to New Zealand?

9/11 made me leave – I was in New York that day.

Wow – how close were you to ground zero?

That was my office. We’d all been working very late, about 11pm, so I told the team to sleep in and meet up for lunch before we presented to our client. It was very disorienting when I woke up because I couldn’t work out why the sky was so dark. I try not to think too much about that time – it still haunts me.

Tell me about your farm

I found it while I was on holiday. I wasn’t looking for a farm, but I felt so grounded there, surrounded by native birds, off-grid, and very quiet. I knew I had to have it. Everything was back to front – after I had bought it, I had to work out what to do with the land.

Did you have a farming background?

Not at all. Dad always had a big garden, but he wouldn’t let any of us touch it. I had to learn everything – I didn’t even know how to drive a tractor or any basic farming skills.

What was your growing plan?

I started with what I like to eat, and that has been my guide since then. Luckily, I have always had a green thumb and I love learning new things. Tamarillos and feijoas were my first crops. From there, I have focussed on producing good quality stuff, keeping everything as natural as possible. Now we have limes, bananas, and even green papaya, as well as a wide range of vegetables.

Was your plan to sell the crops?

At harvest time, I realised that I needed to sell. I needed to find a place where my crops would be valued. I started selling chillies to Auckland restaurants and had space in the van for more. That’s how I found Grey Lynn Farmers Market.

And you have lots of regular customers

Yes, and some even call during the week for gardening advise - like not planting mandarins and lemons too close because they tend to cross-pollinate, and being careful what you plant next to beans. And Nun gets customers asking for advice about cooking Thai food.

How did you meet Nun?

She was the head chef at Sudima Hotel when I was selling chillies. Now Nun is a driving force in our operation – she is the boss. Nun is always asking me to grow things that I have never heard of. She has a following in the Thai community and you’ll see lots of people coming for those specialities. She’s a great forager – last week she went into the shelter belt and came back with two wheelbarrow loads of bamboo shoots that she processed and sold at the market. And she’ll tell me to keep away from some weeds because she recognises that they are food.

Do you get much time off?

No – there are always chores that need doing but we enjoy life, and we eat very well – Nun’s food is to die for.

As published in Ponsonby News : August 2024