Today I am located in Dannevirke, and to reflect my beginnings, there has been a name change to RoNZ Furniture Hospital.
Workshops and tooling have undergone changes and upgrades, but the traditional artisan work methods are still adhered to.
I am a great believer in permanence and sustainability, I stand by the statements I made in 1974:
“Permanence is when your grandchildren pass on the furniture you had made before your children were born”.
“There can be no economy in throwaway articles, in fact, the environment is now feeling the effects of this new and dangerous practice. Items of long-lasting quality infringe least on the very limited resources available”.
I continue to help the environment by using workshop wood shavings as mulch around our veggies and fruit trees, to conserve water, buffer temperatures, and provide a healthy environment for plants and birds alike, during dry summer months.
A Horticultural Tip: If using sawdust or wood chip as a mulch around fruit trees and vegetables, first put down a good dusting of Blood & Bone, so there is sufficient nitrogen for both the soil microbes breaking down the wood fibre, and for the plants which need nitrogen to grow. Once the woody material has broken down, it will release nitrogen to the plants. This also helps to stretch out the growing period, reducing peaks and troughs over the growing period.
