Aotearoa in Bloom

Rachel Clare is a gardening writer who is obsessed with flowers. She has written hundreds of articles on botanical subjects ranging from kowhai to compost, and is associate editor of Kiwi Gardener magazine, a former editor of Get Growing e-zine and OrganicNZ magazine, and former deputy editor of NZ Gardener magazine. She is passionate about connecting tamariki with te taiao the natural world, and her children’s book Play Wild: Nature Craft Projects for Tamariki was a Storylines Notable Book in 2024, and a finalist in the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in the NZ Book Lovers Awards. She grew up in Ahuriri Napier and has been friends with Tryphena Cracknell since she was 13 years old.

Tryphena Cracknell (Rongomaiwahine) is a passionate gardener, crafter and foodie. She has spent a large part of her career working in museums and art galleries as a curator, historian and kaitiaki for amazing taonga tuku iho. Her published writing tends to focus on art, textiles, Maori arts practice and contemporary jewellery. She writes a regular column on native plants for Kiwi Gardener magazine and sometimes still moonlights as a curator. In recent years, she has worked in conservation, caring for flora and fauna, including as operations manager for the Department of Conservation in Rekohu Chatham Islands.