The Banks Memorial Lecture is a free lecture open to the public. The lecture commemorates Sir Joseph Banks, botanist on Captain Cook's first voyage to New Zealand. During a later distinguished scientific career, Banks was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London. Venue: Begonia House
(greenhouse), Wellington Botanic Garden. Biography: James is currently working on several garden
history-related projects, related to Chinese
migration, garden-making, health and botanical
exchange. He feels privileged to work in the area of
garden history, not least because of the many
wonderful people he has met and with whom he has
collaborated, as well as the In 2022, he received the RNZIH Garden History Award (Award in Horticultural History and Conservation). Abstract: ![]() “Our King at Kew & the Emperor of China at
Jehol solace themselves under the shade of the
same trees & admire the elegance of many of
the same flowers in Joseph Banks to
Sir George Staunton, Letter, January 1796 Both the British Empire and the Chinese Empire were as much empires of plants as they were empires of conquest. For Joseph Banks, plant-hunting and empire-making were closely interlinked objectives which he eagerly promoted. In light of Banks’ activities and the statement above about the availability of Chinese plants in Britain, this talk examines some of the manner in which imperial connections between China, India, Britain, Australia and New Zealand reveal lesser known histories of plant introductions from Asia – and particularly China – into New Zealand from the 1830s. I will focus on two groups of people who introduced Asian plants into New Zealand: the first, typified by former East India Company trader Thomas McDonnell, who settled in the Hokianga in 1830, and – the second group – comprising Cantonese migrants and gardeners, such as Dunedin flower-lover Wong Koo, who came to New Zealand from the mid-1860s. 2021 NZ Gardens Trust conference The organising committee are delighted to announce the details of their 2023 conference, which focuses on the diverse landscapes of the Wellington region. Acclaimed Auckland-based landscape designer Andy Hamilton will deliver the keynote speech at the conference dinner. The NZGT are collaborating with the RNZIH in offering the Banks Lecture, to be presented by Dr James Beattie, on the Thursday evening. Award presentations will follow the lecture. The programme, registration form and accommodation
details are at:
RNZIH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Venue: Friends Room,
Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa. Agenda:
The AGM will be followed by RNZIH award presentations. Minutes, reports, and proposed revisions to our Constitution will be circulated before the AGM.
Home | Journal | Newsletter | Conferences © 20002022
Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture
|