Van Lier Nurseries Ltd is a business started in 1965 by Mr Walter Van Lier.
 
Mr Van Lier emigrated from Holland in 1951. In his first year as a grower he grew potatoes, beans and cyclamen. He had built six freestanding glasshouses when he started growing carnations in 1965.  In 1974 Mr Van Lier started growing roses. He found some interesting roses for the New Zealand market in Holland. Although he was still growing carnations, roses became the major focus of the business and in the early eighties he created his own export market to Canada.
 
In 1982 Theo Van Lier, the fourth son of Mr Van Lier senior became the nursery manager and in 1987 Theo bought the nursery from his father.
 
Over the following years the carnation cutting business continued to develop as did the cut flower carnation and rose areas. Van Lier Nurseries now propagates Roses, Carnations, Gerbera, Alstroemeria, Statice, Solidago and Veronica.