Transforming plant protection: An idea born out of necessity to keep young native plants alive

As an agri banker, I have the privilege of working with many innovative and inspiring customers in the rural sector. Today, I want to share the journey of one such customer, Garto, founded by Chris and Serra Stewart and Hugh Baird.

Garto was born out of necessity on a family farm in Southland. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, the team dedicated significant effort to planting young native trees in gullies and steep terrain where they weren’t running any sheep or cattle. However, as life returned to normal, many of these plantings were left unattended and didn’t survive. Planting natives on farms is an important part of building resilience and protecting waterways. Gains from planting natives include improved soil health, providing nature corridors and building biodiversity into farms.

An innovative design that enhances growth of young plants

Determined to find a solution, they trialed existing methods of weed and pest protection but found them lacking. This led them to develop their own product, Garto, to improve planting survivability. Unlike conventional plant protection methods that require significant human effort and cost, Garto allows users to simply plant and walk away. Through its design, it allows farmers to protect their plantings with a 3D exclusion zone that also funnels water to the roots, prevents both pest and weed competition, and traps solar energy – creating a microclimate that leads to faster plant growth and greater survivability rates.

As the second largest agribusiness lender in New Zealand, we’re proud of our heritage of backing farmers for over 150 years.  Chris and Serra have been BNZ customers since the 1980’s and Garto’s development was simply an extension of this relationship. It has been a privilege to be part of their journey, from the early stages of design to multiple rounds of prototyping and now Garto 3.0: their current model of tree protector.

As an Agribusiness Partner at BNZ, I have my ear to the ground and exposure to a broad network, giving me some great insight into the practical challenges and needs that farmers face daily. Providing financial products, such as Agri-Sustainability Linked Loans and Green Loans, is one of the ways we’re able to support our customers sustainability goals – helping them transition to resilient and regenerative business models, that both care for our natural environment and make good business sense.

A solution underpinned by circularity and a desire to keep production local

What I’ve really enjoyed about Garto’s journey is how they saw a challenge and came up with a solution that would benefit others in their community. It was evident early on that their mission was underpinned by strong sustainability principles.

In terms of design and development, Garto worked closely with Fi Innovations in Invercargill and their manufacturers in Auckland, IFP Group, to design and produce the Garto units. Ensuring local production was crucial for them to reduce their carbon footprint and support the local economy. They’ve also built a team of highly skilled people that enables them to do the design and testing in-house.

Their product is made from 100% recycled New Zealand plastics, and they are committed to creating a closed-loop system where Garto aims to reduce overall plastic consumption. The design eliminates the need for weed sprays, reducing further contamination and costs on farm for the end user. Going forward, they are looking into the process to recycle balage wrap to create future units, further reducing agricultural waste.

We’re delighted to be able to provide advice, support, and financing to help Garto grow, and we look forward to exploring opportunities for further green funding to assist with scaling up the product and manufacturing.

If you’re interested in how BNZ may be able to help you on your sustainability journey, we’re always keen to have a yarn – please get in touch.