Plant Fiend

The fascinating story of an entrepreneur who has been growing plants for most of his adult life.

In this memoir Peter Butler explores his relationship with plants, which have always been both a love and a refuge. In the mid 1970s he and his then partner purchased 90 acres of dense rainforest in Golden Bay’s Aorere Valley. Living amongst the nīkau and rātā developed his passion for forest plants but it was gold-mining that helped finance his experimentation with commercial crops. He started with subtropical fruit, before becoming one of New Zealand’s first certified organic kiwifruit growers. When the wet climate and marketing issues put an end to the kiwifruit, growing cannabis was his next venture. It also did not end well for him.

Wanting a high value but legal crop to grow, Peter then researched the medicinal properties of New Zealand native plants. The plant with the best supporting science was horopito, one of the world’s oldest flowering plants.

His plantation of horopito now covers several hectares and the resulting business, Forest Herbs Research, has developed products utilising the plant’s powerful anti fungal properties.

Peter also helped grow a large online retailer of natural health and skincare products, HealthPost, based in Collingwood and owned by him and his family.

Plant Fiend is the story of a driven, risk-taking entrepreneur. His successes and struggles are described with honesty and humour, making for a wonderfully engaging, reflective read.