Herbs and healing in New Zealand

Reading time: 9 minutes

By Katie Stone 

Indigestion? Aching knees? Skin infection? There’s a plant for that. And it could be growing right in your garden.  

Natural medicine is a flourishing industry in New Zealand. In 2019, our natural health products industry made a revenue of NZD$2.3 billion: an increase of 64% from 2014. The sale of plant-based medicines continues to contribute an estimated $1.4 billion to our economy annually. Meanwhile, one in five Kiwis visits an ‘alternative’ practitioner such as an acupuncturist, homeopath, naturopath, or spiritual healer each year. 

These figures suggest that a large proportion of New Zealanders embrace the concept of natural medicine. This is heartening, particularly when news stories about witch doctors, snake oil, and false ‘cancer cures’ seem to make far more interesting reading.