{"id":48006,"date":"2025-09-28T09:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T09:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/48006\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T09:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T09:29:10","slug":"whangarei-market-gardener-nadia-pavlovich-shares-journey-from-illness-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/48006\/","title":{"rendered":"Whang\u0101rei market gardener Nadia Pavlovich shares journey from illness to success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI went from being a really busy person to being bedridden as I couldn\u2019t process any food. <\/p>\n

\u201cI lost 17kg and couldn\u2019t walk anymore or shower myself … it was a really hard time in my life. <\/p>\n

\u201cI turned to a bit of growing, starting with a few seeds at my home. <\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t get out of my head the question, \u2018why is the taste [of produce] so different when you grow something at home\u2019? <\/p>\n

\u201cIt tastes so different to the shops.\u201d <\/p>\n

Pavlovich began researching market gardening in her quest to heal and find a healthier way of living. <\/p>\n

Though the cause of her illness has never been found, she is now in good health, and has a thriving organic market garden selling directly from the farm to customers. <\/p>\n

\"SchnappaSchnappa Rock is one of many eateries in Northland involved in this year\u2019s Savour food festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cGardening helps keep me busy, I knew being not busy would be the thing would really hurt me. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs I was starting to get better, I started the garden. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Now 26, Pavlovich \u201cgrows a little bit of everything\u201d on her 3000sq m garden which operates year-round. <\/p>\n

The main part of her business is the organic, no-dig market garden, and she has some citrus, banana, and avocado trees. <\/p>\n

All produce is direct to the customer; she delivers vegetable boxes to customers homes Tuesday and Thursdays, and the farm shop is open Tuesday to Friday. <\/p>\n

She also has about 40 chickens \u2013 an important part of the garden ecosystem \u2013 and eight ducks which help with slug and snail control. <\/p>\n

\"NadiaNadia Pavlovich turned to gardening following health issues in her late teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps me keep a variety for everyone. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love inspiring other people to grow and sharing my story. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we can all do to make ourselves happier and connect with the earth \u2013 it\u2019s a really important way of how we live.\u201d <\/p>\n

Pavlovich is throwing her garden gates open during this year\u2019s month-long Savour Northland event. <\/p>\n

Nadia and Deano, on October 30, starts with a farm tour at her place, \u201cto see what\u2019s growing\u201d before heading to Schnappa Rock on the Marina in Tutukaka, where head chef Dean Thompson will prepare a five-course tasting menu. <\/p>\n

The full farm tour will also include great tips for summer gardening, Pavlovich said. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo have that farm-to-table experience that a lot of restaurants boast about, to go straight from the garden to the restaurant is such a unique experience.\u201d <\/p>\n

Savour Northland is a wine and food festival that made its successful debut last year. <\/p>\n

It will run from October 1-31 and features a diverse line-up of events that celebrate the region\u2019s food, award-winning wines and craft beers, local producers, chefs, venues and artisans. <\/p>\n

From long, lazy lunches and unique wine tastings to chorizo-making workshops \u2013 and even a kumara exhibition \u2013 the foodie celebration spans every inch of Northland. <\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat food is on offer during this year\u2019s Savour Northland programme.<\/p>\n

Also returning is the Savour Northland Challenge, where Northland\u2019s finest chefs will be showcasing the best of the region\u2019s produce and beverages. <\/p>\n

The challenge invites restaurants, cafes, hotels and bars from across Tai Tokerau to craft stand-out dishes using only local ingredients. <\/p>\n

They will be paired with a Northland-made beverage, from boutique wines, craft beers, and small-batch spirits to locally roasted coffees and Northland-inspired soft drinks. <\/p>\n

Savour Northland co-director Jackie Sanders said the challenge was more than \u201cgreat food and drink\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a celebration of Northland\u2019s incredible bounty and the passionate people who bring it to life. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery dish tells a story about our land, our sea, and the creativity of our culinary community.\u201d <\/p>\n

A TASTE OF SAVOUR NORTHLAND<\/p>\n

Nadia and Deano, October 30: Start at Nadia\u2019s Whole Garden in Glenbervie for a farm tour, then head to Schnappa Rock on the Marina in Tutukaka where chef Deano will prepare the five-course tasting menu. A Magical Evening of Cuisine and Opera, October 11: Salt & Seed Private Dining present canap\u00e9s and shared plates showcasing Northland\u2019s finest produce at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri. Accomplished soprano Joanna Foote and pianist Roger McLean will perform a selection of arias throughout the evening. The Salt & Seed Long Lunch at Liddington Gardens in Waipapa, October 18: Enjoy cocktails and canapes at the gardens, followed by a three-course menu featuring Northland produce and artisans. Nourish exhibition: Showcasing kumara at the Kauri Museum in Matakohe throughout October. Bottomless Tea at The Judge, October 4: A relaxed afternoon filled with bottomless prosecco, mimosas, and refined sweet and savoury treats at Judge House of Ale, Whangarei. Chorizo Making and Woodfired Pizza, October 11 & 25: Learn to make chorizo at Owhiwa Road Pizza, Parua Bay. Refreshments and nibbles available on arrival followed by woodfired pizza. Visit www.savournorthland.com<\/a> for more information. <\/p>\n

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI went from being a really busy person to being bedridden as I couldn\u2019t process any food. \u201cI…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[24752,380,6097,5504,71,8597,2219,3192,2203,7494,424,225,12019,111,43,139,1067,69,41816,180,11561,3502,131,61,19054,23504,21734,1869,5977],"class_list":["post-48006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-ago","tag-decade","tag-down","tag-following","tag-from","tag-gardener","tag-gone","tag-illness","tag-journey","tag-less","tag-life","tag-market","tag-nadia","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-northland","tag-nz","tag-pavlovich","tag-shares","tag-strength","tag-success","tag-than","tag-to","tag-turned","tag-unexplained","tag-upside","tag-whangrei","tag-which"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48006","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=48006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}