Flower exports

**Patar** · 28th October 2008, 16:44

Wait... what?

Just saw this on the news, apparently flowers (living flowers, not plastic or dried) are being shipped overseas from New Zealand and I assume else where.
I had no idea this existed and all I can say is WTF

To me that is one of the most pointless industries ever, and a complete waste of petrol and resources. While I understand the value a flower can have when trying to win points with the female race, I do not see how it could possibly be important enough to have flowers shipped internationally.

I think this industry should be shut down, they're wasting resources and not to mention the green house emissions from transporting flowers.

Flowers, seriously? Fuck!
I'm totally gobsmacked

**Hitcher** · 28th October 2008, 16:59

It's only been happening for about the last 40 years.

Cut flowers are huge business globally. While the gift of flowers or buying flowers for oneself may not be front of mind for many kiwi blokes, it's a different story elsewhere.

New Zealand is also an importer of cut flowers -- Valentines Day roses being a case in point. Most of the cut stem roses we import come from India.

**R6_kid:Me** · 28th October 2008, 17:17

Yeh, stop importing flowers... then it will really mean something when you have to buy the missus some flowers.

**007XX** · 28th October 2008, 17:20

Not to mention that cut flowers are not always for the sole purpose of getting brownie points with females.

New Zealand has some of the very best lavender for example which gets exported at top rates for perfume manufacturing and the likes.

Also, having the climates we have has allowed some very succesful growing of particular blooms which I recall reading are being exported for weddings, functions etc at top prices.

It is quite a thriving industry which I think could be explored in a little more details before being deemed pointless and harmful to our economy.

**Mom** · 28th October 2008, 17:29

Originally Posted by Patar

I think this industry should be shut down, they're wasting resources and not to mention the green house emissions from transporting flowers.
Flowers, seriously? Fuck!
I'm totally gobsmacked

Just to give a little heads up mate, I had a very sucessful export flower growing operation for many years, believe it or not we used to be congratulated on our ability to bring foreign dollars INTO the economy. We employed many staff, that otherwose would have languished on the dole, and turned unproductive rural small block into stand alone financial entity, ever the ARC agreed it!

We have some friends that have a huge Orchid growing business, they are actually in the process of selling their plants and getting out (after 20 odd years) this because some fly by night cowboy (who recognised the industry as lucrative took a bit of a short cut and exported some insects into the USA. They stopped all imports from NZ, our friends got burned...

Originally Posted by Hitcher

It's only been happening for about the last 40 years.
New Zealand is also an importer of cut flowers -- Valentines Day roses being a case in point. Most of the cut stem roses we import come from India.

Our biggest threat came from South American and South Africa, labour costs so cheap, we could not compete. The real reason we got out is because we were let down in a big way by an exporter of bulbs. It is high risk business, but high returns. We were told when we investigated that this person have repaid their capital investment in the first 12 months! Cough *bullshit*, cough, thought I. Did my forecasts on a much more modest return, and indeed repaid our capital in the first season.

**Patar** · 28th October 2008, 19:02

I'm not saying there isn't money in it, as I'm sure there's plenty. Nor am I saying that the export dollars it generates is bad, export dollars are good. But I am saying that exporting something as trivial as flowers is stupid (not just NZ, but worldwide).

I guess it's just a sad reflection of the world we live in where millions of people live in starvation while millions of dollars and resources are spent getting pretty flowers from A to B.

**R6_kid:Me** · 28th October 2008, 19:10

Originally Posted by Patar

I guess it's just a sad reflection of the world we live in where millions of people live in starvation while millions of dollars and resources are spent getting pretty flowers from A to B.

So you donate to Oxfam/Red Cross etc at every opportunity, even to the point that instead of giving people gifts you instead donate on their behalf?

No. Didn't think so.

**Patar** · 28th October 2008, 19:50

Originally Posted by R6_kid

So you donate to Oxfam/Red Cross etc at every opportunity, even to the point that instead of giving people gifts you instead donate on their behalf?

No. Didn't think so.

While there is merit in donating to charities, a large portion of your donation goes into paying administration fees. Being a student I do not have the luxury of much disposable income, and when I do use my disposable income I make the effort to spend it on locally produced items, and sure as hell not on internationally grown and imported flowers.

Valentines day was mentioned earlier, imagine the amount of money and resources the go into producing and shipping all the roses consumed for a day created by commercialism. You can't possibly argue that those rescources are best spent on flowers?

**Hitcher** · 28th October 2008, 20:08

Originally Posted by Patar

I guess it's just a sad reflection of the world we live in where millions of people live in starvation while millions of dollars and resources are spent getting pretty flowers from A to B.

Good grief. If you're worried about crimes against humanity, I doubt that exporting cut flowers would figure anywhere on the Top 100 list.

**Ragingrob** · 28th October 2008, 20:16

Screw flowers, let's get our gun trade flowing. Wait, why export something as trivial as milk? It's not like Europe doesn't have cows...

**Patar** · 28th October 2008, 20:36

Originally Posted by Ragingrob

Screw flowers, let's get our gun trade flowing. Wait, why export something as trivial as milk? It's not like Europe doesn't have cows...

Don't even get me started on that...

**Ragingrob** · 28th October 2008, 20:41

Originally Posted by Patar

Don't even get me started on that...

Well I don't see the point of the thread? Trade is how the world works, no matter what the item on offer is.

**alanzs** · 28th October 2008, 20:44

Originally Posted by Patar

While there is merit in donating to charities, a large portion of your donation goes into paying administration fees. Being a student I do not have the luxury of much disposable income, and when I do use my disposable income I make the effort to spend it on locally produced items, and sure as hell not on internationally grown and imported flowers.

Valentines day was mentioned earlier, imagine the amount of money and resources the go into producing and shipping all the roses consumed for a day created by commercialism. You can't possibly argue that those rescources are best spent on flowers?

What do you buy with your minimal disposable income that is locally produced; Broccoli, asparagus?