Tucked away in a quiet corner of Highbrook business zone, looking over the upper reaches of the Tamaki River, is the sweetest smelling working environment in east Auckland. It's where about half of the upper North Island's flower produce for the retail market is traded, and the hard-working staff of United Flower Growers are on a high after winning a coveted prize.
At last month's RSM East Auckland Business Awards 2026, United Flower Growers (UFG) collected the Excellence in Innovation/Excellence in Creative and Digital accolade, a highly contested category sponsored by ClearEdge and Business East Tāmaki, and judged by Brett Lawson, Jim Doyle, Candice Baker and Emma Fern.
When the Times visited the expansive UFG premises this week, they were welcomed by the friendly staff led by Peter Brown, the energetic, enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable chief executive. On the tour, visitors inspected the freezer where fresh flowers are stored ready for selling to retailers, and that's where the 'sweetest smelling working environment' is realised, as the pleasant aroma of about 10 different varieties of flowers wafts into the nostrils.
Mid-afternoon, fresh cut flowers for the next day's trading – in an online auction starting at 5am – are winding their way from more than 500 growers, to be bid for by more than 700 buyers.
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