History of the Society
The NZ Homœopathic Society was established in 1951 by Auckland homeopath Mr Alfred Grove along with a group of his patients and friends. Their objective which still holds true today was to promote the use of homeopathy in New Zealand. Mr Grove served as the Society’s first president, and presented monthly lectures about homœopathy. He began to import homeopathic books, instigating the Society’s book selling operation.
In 1973 Grove and his supporters, successfully quashed draft legislation that would have been harmful to homeopathy, and thereby preserved the labelling practices for homeopathic remedies, allowing remedies over a 6x or 3c to be sold without restriction.
Grove died in 1974 but the society continued to flourish after his death, with activities including seminars often attended by close to 600 people.
In July 1985 the Society moved to 320 Mt. Eden Road, Mt. Eden, Auckland. Money for its purchase came from book sales and donations from members. The seed for the property purchase was a donation of $100 from the King family in 1975, opening an investment account.
In 2020 the Society moved its flourishing online bookshop to Naturo Pharm in Rotorua. The bookshop and Naturo Pharm post out books on the Society’s behalf.
Our Reference library moved to Naturo Pharm in 2021. The Society welcomes members and guests to visit.
The Homœopathic Society is run by a small team of very dedicated volunteers. New volunteers are warmly welcomed. Please email to volunteer your services.
History of Homeopathy in New Zealand
It is likely that immigrants from England brought homeopathy with them. The first homeopath of record in New Zealand was William Purdie, MD, of Airdrie Scotland who arrived in 1849 and settled in Dunedin. Shortly after, Dr Carl Frank Fischer, a medical graduate from Berlin settled in Auckland.
Fischer established the Homœopathic Association in 1857 a homeopathic hospital in 1858 and published the first New Zealand homeopathic journal, The Homœopathic Echo, from 1855 to 1856.
The Echo was published with the support of John Bell’s Homœopathic Pharmacy in Auckland. Another pharmacy, that of J. A. Pond,was eventually taken over by Marriage’s Pharmacy in 1880. In 1931, Marriage’s reported that they “have a great trade, entirely with families.”
The NZ Homœopathic Society was founded in 1951 by Alfred G. Grove, a lay practitioner. Grove died in 1974 but the Society is still in existence with an online bookshop , membership, eHomeopathic and the reference library which is now housed at Naturo Pharm in Rotorua. The premises at 320 Mt Eden road are currently rented to other organisations.
There are four manufacturing homeopathic pharmacies in New Zealand and a number of chemist shops that offer a full range of homeopathic products and potencies. Similimum, Selene, Naturo Pharm and Lincoln Mall Pharmacy are the four homeopathic pharmacies.
The College of Natural Health and Homeopathy currently provides homeopathic education in New Zealand.
Refer to https://cnhh.ac.nz/
The New Zealand Council of Homeopaths is the professional body that registers qualified homeopaths in New Zealand. A full list of registered homeopaths can be found on their website.