Follow the Sun
From Our Founder
So what is Garden Globe all about?
Interesting, sounds pretty noble, so how are you going to do that?
With the well-used saying ‘How do you eat an Elephant ?’ l have broken the project down into bite-sized chunks.
So where are you going to start?
Like any startup you need a good name, so after much deliberation we came up with Garden Globe. Figured it all started in the Garden of Eden and if you ask most people they would all like to end up in the Garden of Paradise. Our focus is to make people more aware of the condition of the places we live in and start to be better stewards of our environment by developing sustainable businesses through education and collaboration.
We have created 12 parts to our business plan which you will find on the website:
- Garden Stories – About/ News
- Garden Clubs – Join/ Directory
- Garden Stays – Accommodation/ Management
- Garden Tours– Adventure/Travel
- Garden Cuisine – Cafes/Restaurants
- Garden Life – Activities/ Experiences
- Garden Benefits – Health/ Relaxation
- Garden Events – Expos/Festivals
- Garden Retail – Shopping/ Socialising
- Garden Venues – Weddings/ Celebrations
- Garden Villages – Design/ Build/ Maintain
- Garden Sanctuaries – Conservation/ Legacies
What is the meaning behind your logo?
The overall image depicts the Sun and Sunflower. The sun represents life but it’s also known to typify energy, power, positivity and clarity. The sun is a natural force that’s outside of our control, but also illuminates the world around us, helps living creatures navigate the planet and sustains many ecosystems.
The sunflower is known as the happy flower and the perfect bloom for a summer flower delivery to brighten someone’s mood. I love the way it faces East every morning waiting for the sun to rise, it then follows the sun all day and then resets at night to start the whole process the next day. They do this until their seeds are full of oil and then they bow their heads ready for Harvest. This is why we have chosen ‘Follow the Sun’ as our tagline. The 12 petals represent the 12 months of the year, the face of a clock and the 12 divisions of our company.
The Centre of the design resembles the Koru(Māori for loop or coil ) is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace.
How do you plan to get your message out there to the public?
We have set up a Website, Facebook & Instagram Page to start the ball rolling. We will then follow up with complimentary Fridge Calendars, Maps, Quarterly Magazine and exciting competitions.
Which areas are you in so far?
We have aligned ourselves with the Regional Councils of New Zealand as their main responsibility is to manage environmental resources and transport planning issues for each of the 16 regions. A region may include a number of territorial authorities, harbour navigation, safe boating, managing oil spills, marine pollution and more recently our devastating flooding in many areas of the country.
They also are intertwined with the local City and District Councils as rivers, streams and creeks make their way through urban areas on their way to our wetlands, estuaries, harbours and oceans. As our HQ is in Tauranga and we are going to start with the Bay of Plenty.
How do you fund all of these products?
We have divided up the Bay of Plenty into the following 3 areas: Tauranga & Western Bay, Whakatane & Eastern Bay, and Rotorua & Central Bay. Leading the charge with our handy Fridge Calendars, we will be printing a total of 12 000 units, 1000 for each of the 12 Wards in Tauranga & Western Bay and doing this 4 times a year.
We have mirrored the council wards, complete with the population and number of dwellings for each ward. Tauranga has 2.5 people per dwelling and Western Bay has 3 people per dwelling.
Tauranga & Western Bay
Te Awanui 15,300 people and 6,102 dwellings
Mount Maunganui 15,650 people and 7,594 dwellings
Arataki 17,050 people and 6,496 dwellings
Papamoa 17,800 people and 6,541 dwellings
Welcome Bay 18,000 people and 6,524 dwellings
Tauriko 15,950 people and 5,537 dwellings
Te Papa 16,400 people and 6,564 dwellings
Bethlehem 17,550 people and 6,200 dwellings
Matua/Otumoetai 18,050 people and 7,088 dwellings
Katikati/Waihi Beach 13,923 people and 4,641 dwellings
Kaimai 18,969 people and 6,323 dwellings
Maketu/Te Puke 18,423 people and 6,141 dwellings
Rotorua & Central Bay
Rotorua North 16,320 people and 5,440 dwellings
Rotorua South 16,320 people and 5,440 dwellings
Rotorua East 16,320 people and 5,440 dwellings
Rotorua West 16,320 people and 5,440 dwellings
Whakatane & Eastern Bay
Whakatane East 18,550 people and 6,183 dwellings
Whakatane West 18,550 people and 6,183 dwellings
Kawerau 6,363 people and 2,121 dwellings
Opotiki 8,463 people and 2,812 dwellings
The calendars are A5 in size trimmed to 148x210mm in full colour on both sides on a 350gsm stock with a 20×40 magnet to the back top centre. With all the different calendars in the world like the Jewish, Chinese, Mayan, Roman, Financial or Government, we felt to use the universal calendar of the four seasons would be the most appropriate. We have gone for six months of the year on each calendar because we noticed that to try and cram 12 months in meant you needed a magnified glass to see them.
Traditionally calendars are placed on fridges because on average a person goes to the fridge 22 times a day! With a lot of us working from home now, this figure could be substantially higher! The calendar also has all the school and public holidays shaded in. I know most of us have smartphones with calendars that we can use, have Apps to tell us how to run our lives but when l get up in the morning and make my way to the fridge l can assure you l don’t have my phone on me! I am a both and kind of person and not an either-or. So both tools are useful and have their place. We also have the Red Bin and Yellow Bin weeks marked with a place for you to put your collection day in.
We have used a Matt Art paper so you can circle birthdays and other important events that you need a visual reminder of. Underneath the calendar is a directory of our Local Community Partners. You can go onto our temporary website www.gardenglobe.club to see an example of our calendar. Soon we will have a full directory-driven, integrated website for individuals to JOIN THE CLUB and become a member. All the companies and individuals who are part of the Calendars, Maps or Magazine Will get a complimentary Premium Membership.
What is a Gardenstay?
A Gardenstay is a form of accommodation that has a beautiful garden setting and can be adapted to any of the categories below.
- Garden Suite
- Garden Cottage
- Garden Chalet
- Garden Villa
- Garden Manor
- Garden Flat
- Garden Motel
- Garden Inn
- Garden Hotel
- Garden Lodge
- Garden Apartment
- Garden Resort
Where do I find your calendars, maps and magazines?
All of our resources are free to the public, and made possible by our local and regional members. With our strategic alliance with the Lions Club, we have identified high-traffic areas in each of the wards like Cafes, Garden Centres, doctors, dentists, vets, pharmacies, hairdressers etc.
Placed on the various counters you will find our Resource Dispensers which are filled up on a regular basis. A list of each of our distributors can be found here.
What are you various timelines?
Winter/Spring Calendar: July – December (Regional)
Spring/Summer Calendar: October – March (Local)
Summer/Autumn Calendar: January – June (Regional)
Autumn/Winter Calendar: April – September (Local)
How do I advertise on the calendars and maps?
The cost per local calendar is $300 plus GST for a one-off or $270 plus GST if you sign up for a full year which will be four separate seasonal calendars. Because we have only one of each profession on each one it’s first in best dressed. We need a copy of your logo, professional category, company name, contact person and contact number.
You will get proof to sign off before we go to print. Payment is due once you have sent us your information and confirmed your participation. If you go for the full year we can set up a payment plan of $90 plus GST per month.
The cost per regional calendar is $1,200 plus GST. Because we have only one of each profession on each one it’s first in best dressed. We need a copy of your logo, professional category, company name, contact person and contact number.
You will get proof to sign off before we go to print. Payment is due once you have sent us your information and confirmed your participation.
Can I be in more than one calendar?
Absolutely. If you are say an electrical company and service more than one area, you can register in as many calendars as you like.
Can I be in more than one calendar?
A referral is the greatest compliment anyone can give, so yes we would appreciate any referral of an individual or a company that can offer a product or a service in their local area.
How does the Lions Club benefit from working with you?
We feature them in all of our resources both printed and online giving contact details of their local representatives. We work with them in creating a Business Link Facebook page in each ward and hold monthly gathering for the local business’s. We also donate native plants and trees to each of the Lions Clubs and help with local plantings.