Welcome ...
... to the Tararua Branch of the CSSNZ (Inc) which is one of the newer branches being formed in response to the population growth along the Kapiti coast, previously these members had to travel to Wellington/Hutt Valley to attend meetings.
We meet at the Kapiti Primary School, Rimu Street, Paraparumu on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Where we have Plant Sales, Ballot Sales, Raffles, Competitions, Library, Interest Table, Speakers and Afternoon Tea.
We also organise Garden Rambles and Visits to other clubs. We also have members who open their collections for viewing.
We also publish the Tararua newsletter called "Saguaro".
Monthly Meetings
- Plant sales
- Ballot sales
- Monthly plant competitions, raffles, plant auctions
- An interest table each month for anything special to be displayed.
- Club library available to members
Other events and benefits
- Cactus Crawls to member’s collections
- Informative newsletters
- Garden Rambles
- Visits to private collections may be arranged for fellow members outside our region
All this for a reasonable annual subscription, which includes the CSSNZ National Quarterly Journal, with very informative editions which includes a huge seed list of special cactus and succulent seeds, and an annual CSSNZ Conventions arranged by a different Branch each year for all members to attend.
History of the branch
Graham Waaka, Max Willacy-Kuhn and Graham Conner had a chat one day at the Wellington - Hutt Valley Cactus and Succulent branch meeting about the possibility of starting up a branch up on the Kapiti Coast to attract people who lived on the Coast (including Levin whose branch was no longer operating) who liked Succulents.
We decided to call our branch Tararua after the mountain range as we had membership from all the towns along the coast. Graham Waaka was elected the first president.
The meetings were held in members homes, alternately between either Levin or Paraparaumu. We donated plants to the society for auction and these sold for a few cents.
In the early 2000s the membership grew to 33 financial members, so it necessitated hiring halls in Levin/Kapiti as member’s homes were no longer big enough.
In 2000, Wellington Hutt Valley branch generously donated 12 books they had duplicates of which started our library, and we started a competition schedule divided into an open section and an under five years membership.
Our meetings now have people in many positions with competitions, speakers, plant sales, an interest table, raffles. We organise visits to various places and enjoy our hobby.
From mid 2008 we decided to concentrate all our meetings at Kapiti Primary School as a draw card to prospective new members.
Contact us
For more information contact us by filling out the form below ...
Aloe purple puzzle
sedum with butterfly
ceropegia flower