Murray’s Nurseries is a Certified Producer

“It’s about providing

that level of

confidence for the

forestry sector.”

Patrick Murray, Murray’s Nurseries - a Plant Pass Certified Producer

A case study from the Plant Pass Annual Report 2025/26

One of the nurseries involved in the New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) trial audit of Plant Pass Version 2.0 and new sector auditor model was Murray’s Nurseries in Woodville.

Owner Patrick Murray says he has seen the Checklist develop considerably. Murray’s Nurseries was involved in the original pilot audit of Plant Pass six years ago.

Known as an innovative nursery utilising the latest production technologies and modern industry best practice, the nursery nevertheless had reservations about registering with the Plant Pass scheme.

“Back then the big challenge with Plant Pass was a lack of understanding of field operations,” Patrick says. “We saw that maintaining certification would present some big challenges. We had great concerns about the result coming down to different interpretations by the auditors.”

Since then, the nursery has not stood still, as it has continued developing processes and systems to improve its plant health and biosecurity standards.

“We’ve got our last client off boxes now, so we’re only using a single-use packaging system.”

Last year, after discussions with NZFOA and others, Patrick was keen to trial the Checklist Version 2.0 to see how it had changed. In particular, the new sector auditor model convinced him.

“Having SPS Biota involved as auditor has made a big difference, it’s great to see,” he says. “They are the right people for the job.”

The audit went remarkably smoothly. “It was not a big challenge for us. We went on to achieve certification in a few months. We’ll see how the next few years go with maintaining certification. But I see it now as something we can maintain without too much difficulty.”

Now, as a Plant Pass Certified Producer, Patrick says keeping records is highly beneficial for the whole industry, and he has found staff and suppliers have adopted declarations and forms without a lot of resistance.

“We’re questioning our transporters, so we have a good handle on it and they understand the risks.”

Since achieving certification, Patrick has been active in encouraging the rest of the forest nursery sector to get on board and support each other.

“Managing the nursery pathway is important, it’s not just a box ticking exercise. It’s about providing that level of confidence for the forestry sector – it’s a significant estate. If we could get all the forest nurseries on board, we’d be a standout sector.”