Video and presentation Jake presented at the IPPS NZ conference of his South Africa trip, October 2025.
August 2025
About Me
I’m currently at Nova Trust where I manage a commercial native plant nursery. We also grow produce such as cucumbers and chillies under heated tunnel houses. I’ve been working in horticulture for 9 years and I have been in the nursery industry for 5.5 years. With broad interest in all things horticulture which attracted me to the IPPS. My strong interest has been on native plant production. I also consider myself a strong proponent of amenity and green spaces as they are good for communities and peoples connection with plants and the outdoors.
This year I was selected for the NZ Young Plant Producer of the Year competition in June which I was lucky enough to win and now compete in the NZ Young Horticulturist of the Year competition (representing the nursery industry) on the 5th and 6th of November, which has further fuelled my drive to grow as a leader in the industry.
What I’d Like to Get From This Exchange
Horticultural Interests
- I’d love to see a range of South African nurseries, especially those working with indigenous plants or supplying for restoration type work. The native nursery industry in NZ has certainly scaled up over the last 10 or so years so it would be cool seeing what a native/restoration nursery industry looks like in South Africa
- Learning about water-saving strategies in a dry climate context would be really valuable. Where water is collected and that sort of thing and how they deal with dry periods. In Canterbury, NZ we don’t really have water conservation and usage issues apart from governmental regulation so it would be interesting to see nurseries water efficiency in the dry climates of South Africa.
- Seeing some botanic gardens. I am a big fan of botanic gardens and it would be great seeing a couple of well regarded ones in South Africa or wherever possible.
Sightseeing & Broader Interests
I study ecology part time at Lincoln University and I’d love to see some of South Africa’s landscapes and biodiversity. Potentially some sort of nature reserve? Africa being a hub for biodiversity, it has to be a must see.
Cheers.
Jake Linklater