Commodity Levy Order: Thank You!

A huge thank you from NZAPI for all the interest, input, feedback, and votes.  During the consultation and referendum process it was gratifying to receive lots of positive feedback about the excellent service and support we provide – thank you.

The referendum closed on Friday 3 May and NZAPI received 98% support for a compulsory levy on apples and pears.

An application has been submitted to MPI, which will be reviewed as per the Ministerial timetable (Minister to consider, a new levy order drafted, then approved by cabinet).

Growers will be notified in the NZAPI Weekly Update, and on the NZAPI website, when the new order comes into force (approximately January 2025).

CONFERENCE

Only ten days left to book at early bird rates for the NZAPI annual conference (special rates end Friday 31 May).

This year the conference is right in our backyard!  From 29 – 31 July, at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre, Hastings.

The theme – Reset, Growth, Ambition – reflects the challenges and opportunities facing the apples and pears industry, and the sector’s ongoing commitment to building a more sustainable, productive, and inclusive food sector.

Don’t miss the valuable networking and opportunities to share information with industry colleagues, friends, and suppliers.

Check out the NZAPI website for more information – we look forward to seeing you there.

Commodity Levy Order Referendum: Have you voted?

New Zealand Apples and Pears’ referendum is underway and closes on Friday 3^rd of May, so make sure you have your say.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!  We need to show maximum participation in the vote, so whether you’re a big or small grower, your input is vital.

More information on the Commodity Levy Order is available on the NZAPI website.  If you have any questions about the Commodity Levy Order, please email Karen Morrish, NZAPI CEO.

New Zealand Apples and Pears Conference 2024

This year’s apples and pears AGM and Conference will be held from Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 July, 2024 at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre, Hastings

The conference will focus on a range of important themes:

• Reset: How we move forward from the current landscape
• Challenges: Adapting to moving goalposts
• Growth: Supporting our industry ambition
• Future: Unlocking opportunities for all

The content will reflect the challenges and opportunities facing our industry, and our ongoing commitment to building a more sustainable, productive, and inclusive food sector.

The annual conference provides valuable networking and information sharing opportunities with industry colleagues and friends, as well as suppliers and government representatives. Register before Friday 31 May to secure special early-bird rates.

The harvest season for summerfruit is now well finished with the final plums being managed through stores. There were also some peaches and nectarines that had been on display for a good while, which on sampling, all had internal breakdown. This fruit is doing the reputation of the industry no good.

The A Lighter Touch programme continues to bring the various product groups together. Recently, at the Plant & Food Research fresh vegetable demonstration farm in Pukekohe, participants looked at a variety of approaches. We heard from Dr Charles Merfield on the importance of a biodiverse landscape, Dr Brad Howlett on native plantings to support beneficial insects, and Mike  Arnold with the LeaderBrand story to date, with their native plantings. The visit to the field highlighted some of the differences between field and permanent crops, not that there are many, and the similarity of how weather can mess up trials.

PDFs from the workshop can be found at Biodiverse planting on vegetable farms – A Lighter Touch (a-lighter-touch.co.nz) with videos of the presentations available shortly. These are well worth a look if you are at all interested in this space.

Charles Merfield again presented, this time at the SummerGreen meetings. Charles told us that weed control is an evolving space that we need to be aware of, as there is increased resistance and no new active ingredients available, but there is new technology to help. This ties in very nicely with our own understory management projects that are getting under way in Hawke’s Bay. These projects will compliment those already growing in Central Otago.

One of the other key presentations was from the Plant & Food Research pollination team at Ruakura. Some of the past work for summerfruit was reviewed. We then looked forward to some ideas to make pollination a more resilient process for our early flowering crops. The review of artificial pollination on stonefruit in the USA suggested that it’s all possible and useful, as a back up to insect pollination.

These presentations, as well as the other presentations, will be available on the Summerfruit NZ portal soon.

As has been a recent trend, product groups are working together where this makes sense. The sharing of ideas and trial work means we don’t all need to reinvent the wheel, which is the most efficient use of grower levy money

Richard Mills
Summerfruit Technical Advisor
021 632559

We’ve had dry run lately with two consecutive months – February and March – recording below normal rainfall and both months managing just half of their average rainfall. It looks like April could follow suit. At the time of writing, with only a week left, we’ve had 40% of April’s average.

The lack of rain has seen river flows track below normal and groundwater levels head that way too. Soil moisture has taken a dive over the past couple of months, especially sites on the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains and adjacent hill country. Soil moisture at Bridge Pa has fallen into the lowest 10^th percentile of readings recorded at the site for the time of year. Likewise Waipukurau and Porangahau. A month of cooler than usual temperatures seems increasingly rare, but March threw that in the mix, which at least will have stemmed the rate of moisture loss.

The El Niño event is largely over but may have a lingering effect on our weather patterns for a little while yet. A predominantly westerly flow is expected to prevail over the next few months on the back of expected higher than normal pressure across northern New Zealand and lower pressure south of the country. That, along with sea temperatures in our region lying near normal levels, makes for a forecast that isn’t full of abundant rain. The subdued sea temperatures will influence air temperatures, which could lie near normal as we flip between warm northwesterlies and brisk southwesterlies. Potential remains for La Niña conditions to emerge later in the year but it’s still early days on that call

March 2024 rainfall

Dr Kathleen Kozyniak
Principal Scientist Air
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Elevating the Fruit Growing Industry with Skilled Workforce Development

Announced by the Minister of Education in 2020 and launched in March 2021, Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) is an initiative of the Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence Society Incorporated. Members of the Society include key industry organisations (often referred to as peak bodies), employers and training providers from the food and fibre sector. Food and Fibre CoVE invests, through research and innovation projects, in the transformation of vocational education and training for our talent pool, to enable Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and fibre sector to thrive.

Creating and retaining a capable workforce is no easy task. It requires resourcefulness, some courageous and innovative thinking along with targeted funding, but that’s where Food and Fibre CoVE shines. Not only do they identify opportunities within the food and fibre sector, but through research, insights, and continuous workplace learning, they, along with their partners, seek out and successfully craft solutions.

Food and Fibre CoVE have a game plan that includes a number of key moves:

• • Teaming up with industry partners to identify and test new ideas designed to not only tackle current needs but also anticipate what’s coming next.
  • Funnelling resources towards innovation and applied research to better the processes in the food and fibre vocational education and training model.
  • Paving the way for learners to dive into and move up the ladder in the food and fibre sector, including re-imagined apprenticeships and hands-on work experiences.
  • Serving as an information and networking hub food and fibre industries, creating vital links between employers, educators, and students.

This game plan will ensure that industries, like horticulture, keep attracting and retaining skilled workers, helping organisations to evolve, grow and gain a competitive advantage.

New Training and Pathway Initiative for Fruit Growers

Like various other industries in New Zealand, fruit growing is facing difficulties in attracting and retaining talent. Often, the challenge goes beyond finding the right employees and lies with the employer’s reluctance to invest in new hires and training, due to the inherent risks and costs. The reasons are not always as straightforward as they first appear. This is where there is an opportunity to consider a new approach.

Food and Fibre CoVE are about to undertake a pilot programme where a Group Training Organisation (GTO) oversees the recruitment and employment of the apprentice or trainee for the length of their apprenticeship or training programme. This apprentice or trainee is then contracted to host businesses that cover their wages.

This innovative approach aids the employer in multiple ways. The GTO manages all recruitment operations – including screening, interviewing, reference checking and drug testing. It also oversees human resource management, dealing with payroll activities, training bookings, and handling legal and employment issues.

The best part of this arrangement is the flexibility it provides to employers; they can return the trainee under certain circumstances, if conditions are met, like a downturn in work, unsuitability, or a change in business conditions. This strategic approach effectively removes the associated hurdles of managing an apprentice or trainee, letting the host business instead focus on their operations. In a nutshell, the group training model de-risks the taking on and training of new talent in the workplace.

The first pilot is due to start mid-year and is expected to run through to early 2025. The pilot will also be informed by other key projects that Food and Fibre CoVE are currently working on, including:

• New Approach to Learner Pathways – in partnership with Muka Tangata, this project looks to create a food and fibre skills framework, and suite of products, that maximises flexibility and transferability of skills, while remaining meaningful to industry.
• 21st Century Delivery and Assessment – a critical review of the delivery, assessment and recognition of prior learning methods to determine if existing models still have currency and relevance, and if not, suggest alternatives.
• Food and Fibre Leadership Programme – in a collaboration with Rural leaders New Zealand, this is a comprehensive programme that creates a progression pathway for leadership that appreciates diversity and adapts to the pace of change. It also includes a capability development framework that provides additional support to guarantee success.
• Food and Fibre Degree-Level Apprenticeship – investigates a framework for a degree-level apprenticeship, equivalent to any other NZ Bachelor’s degree. It is imagined that it would support multiple entry pathways including Level 5 or 6 qualifications, work experience, or school leavers with a minimum period of work experience.
• Quality Host Employers in Group Training – seek to examine and define the characteristics of a quality host employer, how to identify existing ones and how to support less capable employers to self-identify areas for improvement.

Stay updated on all projects by following Food and Fibre CoVE on LinkedIn, or visit www.foodandfibrecove.nz for more information.

If you want to know more about Food and Fibre Cove, please email Chief Executive, Paul Hollings, or if you want more information on the new training and pathway project, please email Portfolio Manager, Viv Bruin.

Level 3 & 4 Fruit Production Apprenticeship

We are slap bang in the middle of Autumn and we hope you all had a good harvest and see the end in sight.

As the harvest rumbles to a close the EIT timetable starts up again to welcome back the EIT students.

We start the 2024 apprenticeship programme in May with year 1 operation skills such as; tractors, chainsaws and fruit support structure development. The soil classes for 2^nd year students and the final “complying with market needs” class for the 3^rd year students.

It’s going to be great to show the properties of soils and how they help us produce a quality crop; have a good debrief on the challenges of harvest and how important it is to understand the market needs.

We have student groups ready to go, but are more than happy to welcome individuals that want to extend their learning to help or progress their career. If you would like to start or want to put any individuals forward for study the Apprenticeship this year; please contact Clare Buckner on 021986396 or cbuckner@eit.ac.nz.

Level 5 Fruit Production & Post Harvest Diploma

We will welcome back the Fruit Production Diploma students and work through the data that has been collected for their research project. It will be really interesting to see the direction the projects will take.

These programmes are flexible, so we welcome any new students who want to gain a professional development qualification and develop their skills and critical thinking to enable them to move into management roles.

Managers of blocks who recognise individuals who they want to see progress in the industry should encourage these wee stars to talk to EIT about the program.

The next subject starts in May, so please contact Chris Thorman on 021468802 or cthorman@eit.ac.nz for further information.

The industry backed Post Harvest Diploma kicks off again in July.

Yesterday I visited one of our current students who has recently been promoted to the production manager role. He said he would never have had the confidence to tackle such a role if he had not signed up for the Post Harvest program. It was great to hear the hard work he has put in to his own professional development had increased his confidence and all round knowledge of the industry and help him full fill his dreams and aspirations.

So often I hear; “we just cannot get the people we need”. This program develops your junior managers. It is up to the industry leaders to shoulder tap your potential future leaders and encourage and support them to engage with personal development and support and grow your own talent.

The next Cohort starts in July so please contact Chris Thorman on 021468802 or cthorman@eit.ac.nz for further information.

This season has brought up some challenges from last year’s events, but we are moving forward in the right direction. We hope to help in continuing to support the industry in this progress.

All the Best

Steven, Clare and Chris

Sean Gresham, Ph.D.

Now that the end is in sight for harvest 2024, everyone deserves a rest, some care and attention – the trees included. The next month or so is the prime time to ensure next year’s crop is set up nicely before the trees go into dormancy. The primordial cells that will become fruit in 2025 are already on the tree as differentiated buds. From now until leaf fall, the trees accumulate nutrients and carbohydrates that they use next spring to push out new growth and help set fruit. A bit of post-harvest care can help to get a running-start next season.

1. 1. Post-harvest foliar fertilisers – as the leaves senesce, they draw nutrients and carbohydrates into the tree. It has been a challenging season for many blocks recovering from flooding and a cool spring followed by warm dry summer. Leaf tests will indicate which nutrients are lacking. Nitrogen and Boron are the most important followed by a number of other macro and micro nutrients.
   2. Sanitation for wood-invading disease – cankers and die-back will be more obvious before leaf fall so is the prime time to aggressively remove to reduce inoculum going into leaf-fall. Fungicide applications over leaf fall and pruning also help protect wounds from infection.
   3. Sanitation for foliar and fruit diseases – Leaf-fall urea applications were standard practice for reducing overwintering blackspot – until it was shown this prolongs susceptibility of leaf scars to disease infection. Consider ground-based application onto the fallen leaves if blackspot carry-over is a concern. Remove any remaining fruit from trees as they can harbour a multitude of fruit diseases.
   4. Drainage – A flush of new root growth usually occurs in autumn but can be limited by inadequate soil oxygen if soils are excessively wet. Now is a good time to assess effectiveness of drainage under ‘normal’ autumn conditions this year.
   5. Irrigation – If rain doesn’t come, tree health and spring potential is limited as the tree continues to accumulate carbohydrates until dormancy. Keep an eye on the soil moisture levels and irrigate if necessary, especially if soil was maintained at controlled deficit going into harvest.
   6. Pruning plan – Post-harvest is a good time to set priorities for pruning while trees are in full canopy and harvest is still a fresh memory. It is also the last chance for vigour-controlling pruning.

Please find the following links to resources that have been developed by HortNZ:

HortNZ Grower meeting pres. AR-info Mar 2024

HortNZ Grower meeting pres. A & R.15 Feb 2024

HBRC presentation. HP water permits Feb 24

A&R info sheet. 15 Feb 2024. branded

Commodity Levy Order Referendum starts April

As part of the consultative process for the renewal of the Commodity Levies (Apples and Pears) Order, NZAPI has been engaging with growers around the country.  If you missed out on the in-person meetings, you can still attend the online meeting next Monday 25 March at midday. Click here to request the link.

Voting commences on Monday 8 April, with both postal and e-vote options available.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!  For NZAPI’s application to be viewed favourably, they need to have maximum participation in the vote, so whether you’re a big or small grower, your input is vital.

The commodity levy collected by NZAPI is primarily used to support and deliver services to growers in the following areas:

• Market access and crop protection
• Biosecurity
• Advocacy and communications
• Extension (sharing of technical information)
• Business management services
• Governance
• Research and development
• Workforce
• Environment
• Project management

More information on the Commodity Levy Order is available on the NZAPI website.

If you have any questions about the Commodity Levy Order, please email Karen Morrish, NZAPI CEO.

Apples – Crop load observations.

Crop load still appears to be the main factor influencing fruit size and quality. We know that there is a linear relationship between total harvested yield and light inception but striking the optimum balance between tree/shoot and fruit has a major influence on marketable yield (pack-out).

The Agfirst team has just completed walking hundreds of blocks this pre-harvest. Irrespective of variety, optimizing the crop load and minimizing the variability has a significant influence on the outturn of the product which ultimately impacts on returns.  We noted a range of crop loads, both within and between orchards.

Well thinned trees were superb, with good colour and size (Fig 2). These trees will be much easier to harvest and pack-outs will be high. Leaf quality was also higher on these well thinned trees. However, within the same row we also found over-cropped trees, because of poor hand thinning, fruit held in the shade, limbs almost at breaking point (Fig. 1). Colour and size were being heavily compromised on these trees which will lower the overall pack-out for the block.

Dean Rainham