Heritage Roses New Zealand

Heritage Roses New Zealand provides a focus for a deeply felt need in the community to nurture an interest and love of the beautiful roses of the past, and to ensure the continued existence of these living antiques.

Heritage Roses New Zealand Objectives:

to foster an appreciation of heritage roses
to facilitate the conservation of heritage roses
to encourage the growing of heritage roses in private and public gardens
to provide opportunities for education and sharing of knowledge of heritage roses
to recognise excellence and achievement by the presentation of national awards, and
to function in harmony with other rose societies

Heritage Roses NZ was formed in June 1980 by Mrs Toni Sylvester and the late Mr Ken Nobbs, both of whom had a specific interest in growing and learning about old fashioned roses. Both were members of Heritage Rose groups in Australia and the USA, and believed that there was a group of gardeners in NZ with similar interests. Toni and Ken placed adverts to locate these gardeners, and attracted an immediate and widespread response; thus Heritage Roses New Zealand was launched.