Photographs by Joe Hockley
Hannah knows first-hand how fresh flowers brighten your spirits, so she brings the very freshest blooms you can buy to the Britomart Saturday Markets every week.
Are you from Auckland? If not, where are you from and how did you end up in Auckland?
I was born in China. I came to to Auckland in 2012 and started my study abroad experience. My major was horticulture.
What do you do here?
My husband and I have run a flower nursery for five years, based in South Auckland. We are both flower-growers. In our daily life, we grow our own flowers in different season, and also we spend lots of time taking good care of each flower to make sure that they are good quality. We mainly do flowers wholesale.
How did you get into it?
Well, that is a good question. I met my husband when we were studying horticulture together. We have the same hobby – that is flowers – and that let us walk together. We learned a lot about flowers in the course. After we graduated, we participated in works related to flower planting and gained many valuable experiences. Then we started our own flower-growing family business.
What was your first job?
My first job was a part-time waitress when I studied abroad at the age of 18.
What’s your idea of fun?
I think it's fun to do what you love. That's all about flowers in my life. Not only am I a flower-grower, but I also like to spend my spare time learning how to make arrangements.
What’s your favourite thing to spend money on?
I like to spend my money on things that I think will make my eyes pop. Things like home decor, special garden stuff and also clothes shopping, like most women do!
What’s something not many people know about you?
People think I come to the market only because I have a flower shop, but actually I am a flower grower. I come to the market to sell flowers more because I want to bring the freshest flowers to the local people. Unlike the flowers in most flower-shops, our flowers come straight from the farm. We also have different kinds of flowers in each season.
How do you spend your days off?
To be honest, we don't have a set day off. We spend most of our time looking after flowers because there are so many things waiting for you to do as a grower. Of course, if we have one day off, we love to get a good half day's sleep.
What do you love about having a stall at the Britomart market?
The most important thing for me is bringing people the freshest flowers they can buy. In the Britomart market, there’s a lot to enjoy – a nice atmosphere, friendly people – which all make me feel relaxed. And every time I hear people say my flowers are beautiful, I feel happy. I hope that flowers will relieve people's fatigue during the week.
