But many of the florists spoken to by Checkpoint were too scared to raise their concerns with UFG, fearing if they spoke out against the company they would be blacklisted and their business put at risk.<\/p>\n
For that reason, only a slim portion of the florists Checkpoint spoke to have chosen to go on the record, all five of those asking to remain anonymous.<\/p>\n
The online auction: \u2018Buying the best we can\u2019<\/p>\n
Flower sellers said the first key issue arose when UFG announced it was moving its auction exclusively online from early 2025.<\/p>\n
Before the change, buyers would gather at the market three mornings a week to bid on bunches of flowers.<\/p>\n
They would be able to cast their eyes over the products, searching for what they needed, comparing wedding fabrics and checking quality.<\/p>\n
But since the change, florists have had to make their purchases based on small photos, jumping between screens as two products are sold simultaneously through a Dutch auction system.<\/p>\n
For many of the florists, the flowers that turn up aren\u2019t necessarily the same ones pictured.<\/p>\n
One pair of florists said they had quality issues with their purchases at nearly every auction.<\/p>\n
UFG owns New Zealand\u2019s only two major flower markets after a 2017 merger. Photo \/ United Flower Growers, Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to return it to the auction because it will be damaged or bad quality, or shorter than advertised, then that leaves us in the lurch because we only have one chance to buy things sometimes for a specific job.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair said they often try to give constructive feedback but recently they had been wary of speaking out, worried about the potential repercussions from management. They were even too afraid to speak out on a private floristry community Facebook page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some flowers from a Monday auction that I had returned on a Thursday, because they were very bad quality, and then we checked that afternoon and they were back on the auction, and I really wanted to write into the Facebook group and say, hey no one buy these flowers they\u2019re really bad, but I felt like I would get in trouble if I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another florist had also experienced quality issues since the auction moved online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not amazing quality, you\u2019re buying as best as you can, but you can\u2019t zoom in, you can\u2019t really see what the quality is, and I guess the other thing is there\u2019s always just a little bit of a tension when you want to return for quality issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many New Zealand flowers were sold in auctions by United Flower Growers. Photo \/ United Flower Growers, Instagram<\/p>\n
She said it was clear the company had created a culture of fear among the florists, many opting to keep quiet even when issues arose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a fear culture that the leadership has driven because I guess everyone goes, if I don\u2019t have that channel, I don\u2019t have an alternative… so there\u2019s very much I just need to get in line, I just need to put my head down and shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018A fundamentally screwed model\u2019<\/p>\n
While UFG said it didn\u2019t have a monopoly over the industry, all the florists Checkpoint spoke to said they felt like there was no other option.<\/p>\n
In 2017 the company bought the only competing flower market, Flora Max, merging the two operations.<\/p>\n
Soon after the Commerce Commission opened an investigation into the merger under section 47 of the Commerce Act 1986, which forbids a person from acquiring another business if it would substantially lessen competition in the market.<\/p>\n
Despite finding the merger would likely substantially lessen competition, no further action was taken by the commission.<\/p>\n
The United Flower Growers market in Mt Wellington, the day before Valentine’s Day 2024. Photo \/ RNZ, Leonard Powell<\/p>\n
Now the only other option for florists is to buy from wholesalers or directly from growers, which comes at a higher price and often doesn\u2019t provide flowers in the quantity needed.<\/p>\n
Florists said this meant they had no other option but to continue buying from UFG to sustain their own businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes you feel like you don\u2019t have options, which is a really bad place to be. I think many florists wish more than anything there would a competitor to UFG,\u201d said one florist.<\/p>\n
She said UFG held power over businesses\u2019 ability to run and was the key reason florists were too scared to speak up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a key customer, the growers aren\u2019t going to be able to sell their product without us, we\u2019re a key part of the equation. And for a key part of that equation to feel scared, and to feel intimidated and to feel there\u2019s no choice is a pretty bad situation and a pretty fundamentally screwed model.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other florists have raised their issues with the company, but this flower seller said he doesn\u2019t feel any of his concerns have been listened to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying, trying to speak out… it\u2019s really hard when you\u2019re in an industry that\u2019s so suppressive and you can\u2019t express your views openly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like we\u2019ve been listened to, and that\u2019s a real shame because we want to support the industry, we want to support our partners, the people we work with, but we can\u2019t do that if our views are just pushed to one side and we\u2019re expected to follow this is how it\u2019s going to be and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move to virtual<\/p>\n
The second key change came shortly after the auction became virtual, as UFG moved its operations from its Mt Wellington warehouse to a location in East T\u0101maki, further from the city and suburbs where the majority of florists were located.<\/p>\n
With further to go to collect their flowers and battling against morning traffic, florists said they found themselves struggling to get back to their shops in time to fulfil their first deliveries.<\/p>\n
One florist said she thought the move was a bad decision, made with no consultation and little communication.<\/p>\n
UFG used to have a warehouse in Mt Wellington but has relocated its operations to East T\u0101maki. Photo \/ United Flower Growers, Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cOften you\u2019re not able to pick up your flowers until at least 8.30, and if you think that most shops are opening at nine that doesn\u2019t give you enough time to get back. Most couriers pick up first deliveries at 10, you won\u2019t be able to make some of your deliveries.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the shift had forced her to make changes to the way she runs her business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had to change the way we manage our Monday, Wednesday, Friday buys knowing that we might not get our flowers back until 10, 11 o\u2019clock, that means I\u2019ve had to purchase differently, it means I\u2019ve had to spend more money.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this pair, the move has also driven their costs up, having to hire extra staff so they can open their shop in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll end up being a two-hour round trip, or two-and-a-half-hour round trip, which is way too long… and essentially we\u2019ve had to hire someone else to help manage that whole process because we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018You\u2019d be hard pushed to find a happy florist\u2019<\/p>\n
Another florist Checkpoint spoke to said the move negatively impacted many shops, some having to hire couriers with extra staff to manage the pick-ups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fact we have people wanting flowers at 9am and we\u2019re not back at our shops in time, it costs us business.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the changes, with a lack of communication from UFG management, had shifted the entire attitude of the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole environment is not nice, we\u2019re a miserable bunch of people, we\u2019re all unhappy, you\u2019d be hard pushed to find a happy florist.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point she became so concerned by the dissatisfaction of her fellow florists that she went to see a lawyer.<\/p>\n
\u201c[I went] to see what we were able to do, what we could do to try to get [the CEO] to listen and were they legally able to do all of these changes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another florist said he was saddened by the low morale that had hit the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a joyful industry to be in and now it feels like that joy and that celebration has been taken away by people who have no idea what it takes to take our industry into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Often working seven days a week to make ends meet, he said it has often been difficult to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m exhausted, my whole wh\u0101nau is exhausted from all the changes that have been made, but we\u2019re determined to get through it through our mahi and through the gift of flowers and that\u2019s really important for us moving forward, but it has been exhausting, both mentally and physically.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u2018efficient\u2019 solution<\/p>\n
UFG chief executive Pete Brown told Checkpoint there were good reasons for all the changes implemented.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery change that we\u2019ve made is with the best intentions for the industry and the succession of this business, and we\u2019ve communicated that and we\u2019ve had those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for why the florists were scared, Brown said he was unsure and in fact it was UFG that had been targeted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey expect to be able to see the product, they expect to be able to do all these things but then they expect to be able to get the cheap price as well… and I think you\u2019ve had a company that\u2019s been bullied probably for a number of years by a select few people maybe, and as a result I think UFG offers a fairer deal to the marketplace now and a better service than it did a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
United Flower Growers chief executive Peter Brown has defended changes made to how it operates. Photo \/ Leonard Powell, RNZ<\/p>\n
In terms of the move to East T\u0101maki, he said the lease on the Mt Wellington property had come to an end and finding a new location was difficult.<\/p>\n
He said the current location was the best option it could find that was viable for its operations and provided enough room for buyers to park while picking up their products.<\/p>\n
As for moving to an online auction system, Brown said he felt the move was inevitable and necessary for the business to carry on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted the business to survive for the next generation. You can be a lot more efficient by selling on the internet and you can distribute a lot faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
One pair of florists Checkpoint spoke to said they felt that efficiency was one-sided.<\/p>\n
\u201cEffective for who is the question… it\u2019s not made our lives easier in the slightest, it\u2019s the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n
With no idea of what changes may come next, florists fear that if their concerns are not listened to their businesses may not bloom for much longer.<\/p>\n
\u2013 RNZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But many of the florists spoken to by Checkpoint were too scared to raise their concerns with UFG,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23642,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[51,3595,24364,24361,42,78,2454,43,5423,24363,24365,5659,24362,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-23641","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-auckland","9":"tag-by","10":"tag-evie","11":"tag-florists","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-in","14":"tag-industry","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-plagued","17":"tag-resentment","18":"tag-richardson","19":"tag-say","20":"tag-shambles","21":"tag-top-news","22":"tag-top-stories","23":"tag-topnews","24":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}