About Us
Payless Plants is a retail plant nursery, meaning it manufactures its own plants, and sells them direct to the public. The nursery produces about 100,000 plants per year over hundreds of plant varieties.
As a grower retailer we are similar to a factory shop. Near all activity revolves around production with the end result our prices are among the most competitive in New Zealand.
Everyone is welcome, and our location and open hours are available in the footer of all pages on this website, and a map of our location is available on the Contact Us page of this website.
Origins
The business was formed in 1981 but it was not until 1991 that it went full time at the current nursery site in Te Awamutu.
Prior to 1991 the focus was with parks and reserves, nurseries, garden centres, floriculture, large scale amenity horticulture at Tokanui Hospital, as well as growing plants for the Botannix Garden Centre chain.
Our Principle
Our guiding principle – A good plant at a good price. It is that simple.
Quality of the product matters, but so does price. Get the price wrong and the discretionary dollar will go elsewhere.
We pay close attention to both quality and price.
We also pay attention to product mix – but as fashion and trends can change year to year, this can be a challenge.
In our experience in business, reputation is everything. You may not go to stratospheric heights, but if you look after your customers, your suppliers including your staff, and the environment in which you live, you will persist.
Our Nursery
We produce most of our own stock as we can produce plants at 20-25% of the cost of buying them in wholesale. The savings are passed on to the customer.
To produce our plants at low cost, we run a minimalist cost structure, including no fancy infrastructure. We have developed different ways of doing things and avoid the need for glasshouses, greenhouses, shade houses, and high tech production.
What We Do
Plant propagation and production is our skill.
Our nursery produces hundreds of plant varieties, including a range of NZ Native trees and shrubs, Azaleas, Camellias, Hedging, General Ornamentals, with some Conifers and Rhododendrons.
We occasionally supplement what we produce with stock from other nurseries.
Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because it’s fake. -Anon
Our Customers
Without our customers we would not be here today. So here’s thanks to all of them.
Our marketing plan is simple – reputation. Our customers talk about us, mostly positively. Customers come from far and wide, New Plymouth, Taupo, Te Aroha, Tauranga, as well as the local area.
Customers include landscapers, property developers, university and polytech, local government parks and reserves, other nurseries and retailers, but by far the biggest customer is the general public.
The Future
Payless Plants is currently transitioning into the next generation with Matthew and Evan steadily taking control.
Where it goes from here are decisions for the next generation to make. But increasing demand is outgrowing our current production capacity.
The future is looking great, and who knows, maybe a third generation will become interested in plants and business.
The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there. -Vince Lombardi
Payless Plants is a member of New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated
Businesses are not members of the International Plant Propagators Society, only individuals can be members. David Ward and Matthew Ward are members of IPPS