HBFA Industry Awards Celebration Event Information
The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association Industry Awards Night celebrates the achievements of our Eastern Institute of Technology and Primary ITO graduates, scholarship recipients and contributors to the horticulture sector with the presentation of the Fourneau Award and the Emerging Achiever Award.
You are warmly invited to join us for this special evening of recognition and celebration. It’s a great opportunity to come together as an industry, acknowledge excellence and support the people shaping the future of horticulture in our region.
Event details:
Date: Wed, 4 February 2025
Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Venue: Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts & Event Centre, 101 Hastings Street South, Hastings
RSVP through the link here
Fourneau Award
This award recognises innovation in the fruit growing sector, which contributes to improved efficiency, sustainability or safety in the fruit growing community. The trophy itself represents the linkage between “man, fruit and innovation” and was created in memory of Kevin Fourneau and donated to the Association by the Fourneau Family.
This trophy is only awarded when applications meet the criteria:
- An idea (the innovation/product can already be commercially developed)
- Innovation (does not have to relate to machinery)
- For modifications that improve efficiencies or reduces cost
Emerging Achiever Award
This new award recognises an up-and-coming individual who has positively influenced others in their workplace and has demonstrated qualities and outcomes that has positively impacted the business.
The recipient of this award will have worked in the kiwifruit, pipfruit or summerfruit sector for less than 10 years, whilst living and working in Hawke’s Bay.The candidate must be nominated by a HBFA member (company, grower or business) and demonstrates a keen ability to positively impact horticulture:
- Influencing others in a positive way, or has effective leadership skills
- Strengthening relationships to facilitate successful outcomes with internal/external partners
- Conscious efforts on improving orchard productivity and/or profitability.
Click here to download the form
FINAL Emerging Achiever Award Nomination Form 2026
Horticulture Scholarships
Every year, the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association Charitable Trust provides considerable funding to support Hawke’s Bay students studying horticulture. We are proud to have Horticentre Trust as a co-funder of these scholarships and jointly the Charitable Trusts support funding towards 31 scholarship recipients. For more information visit here here.
HorticultureNZ Scholarships
Every year, HortNZ offers scholarships for New Zealand students and trainees who have an interest in the fruit or vegetable industry and are studying towards a certificate or diploma.
INDUSTRY AWARDS NIGHT SPONSORS


![]()





