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S
uch is the abundance of naturally growing
tea tree on the Coromandel hills and
valleys that, coupled with the desire
for sustainable enterprise, a new venture
producing tea tree oil products has recently
sprung up in the area. All the products are
manufactured from native kanuka (
Kunzea
ericoides
), hand harvested in the quaint coastal
enclave of Kuaotunu.
HOW IT BEGAN: FROM CATTLE & SHEEP
TO HARVESTING THE ‘SCRUB’
Kelly and Mark Simpson farm beef and sheep
on their land in the Kuaotunu valley. Some
of the land is hilly and covered with tea tree
regenerating from the days when the slopes
were cleared by settlers for pasture and mining.*
According to Kelly, two years ago Mark looked
up at one of the partially tea tree-clad hillsides
and thought that it was time he did a ‘scrub
cut’ before the trees took over the grazing
pasture. “But then it occurred to him that there
must be a sustainable way of using the trees”,
says Kelly.
“He did a lot of research looking at uses for
kanuka. We decided to have a go at producing
the oil as it seemed to have a wide range
of therapeutic benefits”. With classic ‘Kiwi
ingenuity’ Mark built a prototype still and
started to experiment on extracting the oils
from the kanuka.
It was very much trial and error for a while, but
meantime he and Kelly had brought on board
another local couple, Klaudia MacLeod and
Axel Eigenwillig to help with the enterprise.
Klaudia is a trained medical herbalist and
has been able to add her expertise in
natural medicine formulations and product
development into the mix. “We decided to
send a batch of the oil for laboratory testing”
says Klaudia “to find out if we had good quality
oil, checking the quantities of the important
active constituents’. The analysis that came
back was amazing. It showed that the oil
was of exceptional quality with in particular,
a high content of
α
-pinene. It also contained
eucalyptol and varidiflorene, which together
with
α
-pinene are the main active ingredients
in the oil”. Indeed, it is these ingredients which
confer on the oil its antibacterial, antiviral,
antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties. These results provided the impetus
for the Earnhillfarm team to go into serious
production and marketing of kanuka oil and
related products.
KANUKA? OR MANUKA?
One of the most common questions the team
is asked is ‘why kanuka and not manuka?’.
“Well”, says Klaudia, “it’s basically because
kanuka is the most prevalent species of tea tree
around here. It’s a hardier species and more
tolerant of the conditions. We aim for a pure
product with consistent active ingredients and
therefore clear applications. This can best be
achieved by using only one species”.
When asked if it’s hard to differentiate between
the two species, Klaudia answers, “It’s easy
for us to tell the difference but if you have any
doubts simply touch the foliage. Kanuka leaves
are soft and smooth while manuka are prickly”.
Although there have been plenty of offers of
branch supply from friends and neighbours,
the kanuka is always harvested on home
property. Kelly comments that “the beauty of it
is that you can just clip it and it will grow back
vigorously. It’s basically just natural regrowth
that we’re using. We’re doing the trees a favour
actually. The leaf is the most usable part, plus
the little outer branches”.
Both Kelly and Klaudia remark that they are
careful not to harvest when the kanuka is
flowering. “We have to look after the honey
bees and not take their food away. We’re an
environmentally friendly operation”.
ORGANIC PRODUCT LINE
Earnhillfarm produces and markets two main
products, pure kanuka oil and a ready-to-use
kanuka balm. In developing the popular balm
product, Klaudia says she wants to keep it
simple. “I was looking for pure organic
ingredients which blend well with the kanuka oil
and act synergistically”. Notably, the special
formulation of organic bees wax, cocoa butter,
coconut oil and kanuka oil gives the balm a silky
consistency ideal for smoothing on the skin.
Klaudia is currently developing an insect
repellent. In this context, she remarks that
although the tea tree is the only plant that
the cattle won’t eat, they can often be seen
rubbing themselves against the trees. Perhaps
they sense that the leaves contain an anti-
irritant or natural insect repellent? NZ’s Kakariki
parakeets use the leaves and bark of manuka
Kanuka oil from ...
by Kate Palmano
26
COROMANDEL LIFE 2016 LATE AUTUMN / WINTER
Kanuka trees at Earnhillfarm enjoy this stunning
sunset and view of the Kuaotunu coastline.