Waikaitu
BioGro No. 5467
Waikaitu is an agricultural fertiliser and biostimulant company based in Nelson, New Zealand. They harvest a nutrient-dense brown seaweed in Marlborough Sounds and combine it with other organic elements to create plant and soil care products that give superior yields - naturally. They are proud to be BioGro certified to show their commitment to an internationally recognised standard of authentic organic origins and production.
Sustainable and effective solution
The agricultural sector is a very factory-based concept, very chemistry focused. This chemistry is wreaking havoc with our soil; pesticides, herbicides, nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers damage the soil biology. Seaweed-derived fertilisers are a sustainable and effective solution. They reduce the amount of nitrogen used, stabilise the nitrogen that’s already in the soil and have been seen to reduce disease pressure in some common crops.
Seaweed in the Marlborough Sounds was a problem before it was a solution. Undaria pinnatifida, the invasive brown seaweed that Waikaitu harvests, was introduced to New Zealand waters in the 1980s via ballast water from cargo ships. It soon started choking out native species and fouling chains in mussel farms. But Waikaitu saw a double-solution opportunity: help eliminate a pest species disrupting our marine ecosystem and help farmers build long term soil fertility without chemical toxins.
Research and innovation
Seaweeds are most widely used in agriculture due to their good biostimulant activity. When added to soil in the form of a biostimulant, they assist and improve the nutrients in the soil, which in turn improves the health, strength and growth of plants and improves nutrient content.
At Waikaitu we exclusively use Undaria pinnatifida - which is rare in the fertilizer industry. Considered too valuable overseas to use as fertilizer this type of seaweed is normally used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, because Undaria is an invasive pest species in New Zealand we have a huge surplus of it and can harvest it economically for fertilizer as a by-product of other food and pharmaceutical operations.
Based on the newest scientific methodology over the last 5 years, Waikaitu has developed, successfully tested and introduced to New Zealand and overseas markets a range of authentic and highly effective organic plant care products such as:
biostimulant (NZBioActive),
organic fertiliser (NZBioAmino) and
osmo-regulator (FruitGuard).
Waikaitu is dedicated to turning invasive seaweed species in New Zealand waters into high-standard, organic products that are positive for the health of plants and soil.
Certifications and independent testing
We believe in the rigorous third-party, independent testing, verification and licensing of BioGro.
Our customers need to know where their product comes from, its composition, quality and organic status.
They want to be sure that Waikaitu products are sustainable and ecologically responsible.
We believe that having BioGro certification is the best way to assure our customers of our commitment to sustainable, quality products for plants, soil and superior yields - naturally.