历史沿革
新西兰皇家园艺学院（Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture，简称 RNZIH Inc.）于 1923 年 7 月 18 日在新西兰成立，前身为新西兰苗圃协会倡议成立的独立专业团体。1927 年 10 月 6 日《新西兰园艺学院法》（The NZ Institute of Horticulture Act 1927）在议会通过最终审议，授权学院颁发园艺证书与文凭。1939 年学院获皇家特许状（Royal Charter），正式更名为现名，沿用至今。
学院使命
学院的百年使命–为了解、欣赏、保护与利用新西兰的植物–在鼓励与推动新西兰园艺事业发展；这一使命百年来始终如一。学院曾代表新西兰园艺界颁发国家级园艺文凭（National Diploma in Horticulture，简称 NDH），1994 年政府设立行业培训组织（ITO）后该资格停颁，但 NDH 至今仍为行业高度认可的资历且无对应替代。学院同时负责提名新西兰最高保育奖–罗德杯（Loder Cup，1926 年由英国植物学家 Gerald W. Loder 捐赠，原由农业部托管，现由保育部主管），并自 1926 年起举办纪念班克斯爵士（Sir Joseph Banks）的班克斯纪念讲座（Banks Lecture），延续至今。
学术出版物
《新西兰园艺学刊》（New Zealand Garden Journal）是学院的旗舰期刊，前身为 1925 年 1 月创立的学院通讯，现已发展为兼顾专业研究与大众科普的国际化刊物，由 Murray Dawson（Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research）与 Andrew Maloy 共同主编。为纪念学院百周年（2023 年），学院在新西兰彩票环境与遗产委员会（Lottery Environment and Heritage）资助下，将 1925-2005 年间 200 余种期刊与公告共 11,500 余页数字化并免费向公众开放，为园艺史与新西兰植物保育研究提供了丰富的第一手档案。
园艺教育与登记
学院自 1958 年起担任国际栽培植物登录权威（International Cultivar Registration Authority），负责新西兰本土植物的栽培品种登记与发布，由 Lawrie Metcalf 担任首任登记员长达 55 年，现由 Murray Dawson 接管并与英国 Hebe Society 合作推进方案现代化。学院另设立两个信托基金：新西兰花园信托（NZ Gardens Trust，2003/4 年成立，致力于展示对公众开放的高品质花园）与学院新西兰教育信托（RNZIH NZ Education Trust，2004 年 3 月成立，管理年度青年园艺师竞赛）；此外学院还支持新西兰树木信托（NZ Notable Trees Trust，2007/8 年成立）与新西兰树木协会（NZ Arb，1989 年成立），两者均源自学院。
会员与荣誉
学院会员涵盖专业园艺师与园艺爱好者，并向全球开放。学院荣誉院士（Associate of Honour，简称 AHRIH(NZ)）是学院颁授的最高荣誉，累计授勋人数不得超过 60 人，每年 10 月 30 日截止提名。现任院长 Alan Jolliffe AHRIH 主持学院执行委员会。学院通过出版、地区活动、新西兰花园信托网络、青年园艺师竞赛、新西兰杰出树木登记与遗产捐赠（Bequests）等多种机制支持园艺教育与研究，在新西兰园艺界具有深远影响力。
Historical Evolution
The Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH Inc.) was incorporated on 18 July 1923, originating from an initiative of the New Zealand Nurserymen–s Association (now NZ Plant Producers Inc.) to establish an independent professional body. The NZ Institute of Horticulture Act 1927 received its final reading in Parliament on 6 October 1927, empowering the Institute to grant certificates and diplomas in horticulture. In 1939 the Institute was granted a Royal Charter and adopted its present name, which it has retained ever since.
Mission and Mandate
The Institute–s century-old mission–to promote the understanding, appreciation, conservation and use of plants–has guided its work unchanged for one hundred years. The RNZIH once administered the National Diploma in Horticulture (NDH); although the qualification ceased in 1994 when Industry Training Organisations were established, NDH remains highly regarded and has no equivalent. The Institute is also responsible for nominating recipients of the Loder Cup, New Zealand–s premier conservation award (donated by the English botanist Gerald W. Loder in 1926 and now administered by the Department of Conservation), and has hosted the annual Banks Memorial Lecture since 1926, honouring Sir Joseph Banks, the English naturalist who joined Captain James Cook–s first voyage on the HMS Endeavour (1768-1771).
Publications
The New Zealand Garden Journal, the Institute–s flagship publication tracing back to January 1925, bridges popular horticulture writing and technical research, and is produced to international standards. To mark its centenary in 2023, the RNZIH digitised the entire back catalogue of journals, bulletins, newsletters and other publications (1925-2005)–more than 11,500 pages from over 200 titles–thanks to funding from the Lottery Environment and Heritage Committee, providing free online access for researchers of horticultural history.
Horticultural Education and Registration
Since 1958 the Institute has served as an International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA), registering cultivar selections of native plants. Lawrie Metcalf was the inaugural registrar for 55 years, and Murray Dawson now leads the role in partnership with the Hebe Society in the UK to modernise the scheme. The RNZIH has also established two affiliated trusts: the NZ Gardens Trust (2003/4), which showcases gardens open to visitors, and the RNZIH NZ Education Trust (March 2004), which manages the Young Horticulturist Competition. The Institute additionally supports the NZ Notable Trees Trust (2007/8) and NZ Arb (the NZ Arboricultural Association, established 1989), both of which originated under RNZIH auspices.
Membership and Honours
Membership of the RNZIH is open to both professional horticulturists and keen gardeners, attracting members from all walks of life. The Associate of Honour (AHRIH(NZ)) is the highest distinction conferred by the Institute, with a global cap of 60 living holders; nominations close on 30 October each year. The current President, Alan Jolliffe AHRIH, chairs the National Executive. Through publications, regional events, the NZGT garden network, the Young Horticulturist Competition, the notable trees register, and tax-deductible bequests, the RNZIH continues to shape the future of horticulture in New Zealand.
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