Hawke’s Bay Fruit Growers Association Update
Explore, Grow & Thrive – Finding solutions, focus on the future
As August draws to a close, can you believe how fast the year has flown by? We’re sprinting toward the finish line with a packed calendar! Our team at HBFA is gearing up for several key events, including our AGM on the 19th of September and, drumroll please, 125th anniversary celebration of our association on the 2nd of November. Who knew we’d age so gracefully?
Amidst all the party planning, our central focus remains on ensuring growers have the support they need and group representation (because, let’s face it, we can’t let the cake overshadow the cause). Outgoing HortNZ CEO Nadine Tunley recently highlighted the ongoing challenges facing our sector, emphasizing the importance of water, climate change adaptation, and food security and supply as top priorities. Nadine’s words struck a chord, especially as I’ve experienced first hand climate adaptation risk assessments and it’s made it crystal clear that water isn’t just for making a great cup of tea—it’s absolutely essential. That’s why we’re rolling up our sleeves and actively collaborating with our partners to address these challenges and work towards solutions that will keep our growers thriving, now and well into the future.
Grow – Supporting RSE Scheme
The Government has recently announced an important update following the policy review of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme conducted in 2023. As a result of this review, the RSE cap will be increased, along with initial improvements to the scheme. These changes are scheduled to take effect from 2 September 2024, with further adjustments planned later in the year. To help you navigate these updates and understand their implications, we’ve outlined the key changes and actions required from RSE employers:
- RSE Cap Increase for 2024/2025
The RSE cap will be raised to 20,750 workers for the 2024/2025 season, representing an increase of 1,250 additional workers. This adjustment reflects the Government’s recognition of the growing demand for seasonal workers in our industry and its commitment to supporting employers in meeting their labour needs.
- What Employers Need to Do:
No Immediate Action Required: Employers are not required to take any immediate steps in response to the cap increase. The changes will be automatically applied. Engagement from RSE Partners: RSE Engagement Partners will proactively reach out to those employers who indicated a need for additional workers in the May 2024 RSE employer allocation survey. This contact will ensure that your specific needs are addressed under the new cap. These changes mark the beginning of a series of improvements aimed at enhancing the RSE scheme. The Government will continue its work later in 2024, focusing on further refining the scheme to better serve both employers and workers. We encourage you to stay informed and connected with your RSE Engagement Partners as these developments unfold. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thrive – Water allocation concerns in Hawke’s Bay
Great news – HBRC are no longer wanting further information justifying proposed allocations to be provided by 1st September 2024. They have extended the timeframe until 30 December 2024 (you should have received an email from waterpermits@hbrc.govt.nz late last week telling you this). This extension will allow more mediation to occur, and it is likely to continue for the rest of this year.
- HortNZ are actively working in the mediation to improve the TANK plan for growers as much as we can but future limits to the availability of new water are a reality, and reductions to existing consented volumes a possibility. The best way to prepare for whatever changes eventuate it to understand in real detail your future water needs, so you should use this time extension to do the following:
- Understand how much water you have actually used.
- Understand what your reasonable use is for your crop/s using Irricalc (Irrigation Requirements (mycatchment.info)).
- Understand what water savings you could make with improved efficiency.
- Assess the quality of your water meter data, and if its not good, find out what you could do to improve it.
- If there are reasons why your future water use might not be the same as your past use (eg. redevelopment, crop rotation, intention to change crops), you need to understand what volume of water is reasonable for that use (most likely this will require using Irricalc).
- Understand if your water allocation was to reduce in the future what impact that would have on your production, and your business
- If you need help to understand your water meter data, or use Irricalc etc, please contact a rural professional.
- If you want to know more about the TANK Plan or mediation generally please contact either Leanne leanne.roberts@hortnz.co.nz / 027 5461655 or Charlotte charlotte.drury@hortnz.co.nz
Two final things to confirm:
- You can continue to operate under the conditions of your expired consent until a new consent is issued.
- You do not need to provide any further information to the council at the moment
HortNZ will organise a grower meeting in October to provide more information about global/collective water consents like Twyford. Managing water collectively, rather than through individual consents, provides greater flexibility and the opportunity to shift water around, making sure people have the water they need when then need it, but they are a bit different. The purpose of the meeting will be to learn from those involved with the Twyford consent how it operates, and what joining these schemes means for individual growers, so that you can start to think about whether or not it might be an option for you. We will be in touch with further details closer to the time.
HBFA Protect Foster and Promote dashboard below:
Key events for the remaining of the year:
| Month | Date | Event | Location | |
| September | 14th | HAG Grower dinner | Old Church | |
| 19th | HBFA AGM | Toitoi | ||
| 28th | HAG Wellbeing event | McLean Park | ||
| October | 18th | Hackathon Grower | Ellwood Function Centre rsvp here | |
| November | 2nd | HBFA 125 Years | Pask Winery | |
| 11th | Fishing event | HB Sport Fishing club (Ahuriri) |
HAG – Post Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Fund!
The HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group) is seeking applications from Hawkes Bay growers effected by Cyclone Gabrielle for a new recovery fund!
We are aware that post Cyclone Gabrielle has impacted people in different ways and to assist us in refining how we deliver this fund, we would like to better understand your individual circumstances, specifically the needs where expert advice has been required to re-build reliance infrastructure, land use and plant variety. If you would like to apply we require you to answer the below questions.
The applications and insights provided will also assist us in understanding the Post Cyclone impact on growers. We will individually assess each applicant that meet the criteria. All individual responses will remain confidential to the core HAG group and will not be shared to outside parties.
If you have any questions in relation to this fund apply here, or would like to access support, please contact us on manager@hbfa.co.nz
Mental Health and Resilience:
We are thrilled to announce an event series sponsored by HAG, in partnership with our Core partners, featuring the renowned speaker Elen Nathan. Elen Nathan is a Sensory Integration Occupational Therapist, founder, and director of The Playful Place – a neuro-diverse affirming paediatric practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Elen is a passionate therapist whose practice centers around building and protecting young persons’ self-esteem and the whole family’s well-being. We have a limited number of tickets available for our Grower family. Please see the event details below:
Event: Connecting with Kids Through LEGO
Date: September 19th
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Taradale Town Hall
Building emotional resilience, self-esteem, social skills, and strong family relationships has become harder in this busy, fast-paced world. Anxiety, big feelings, and technology-fueled stressors are impacting our kids’ development and resilience. Join Elen Nathan, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, to learn what the latest neuroscience tells us about emotional regulation development, and ways to use your child’s love of LEGO to support the development of these skills at home. This hands-on workshop includes building with LEGO throughout the evening as we learn and build together – no building skills required! Each ticket holder will receive a complimentary LEGO set. Please note that ticket numbers for this event are extremely limited. For further information on these events, please visit www.healhb.co.nz.
To reserve your ticket for one of these events, please fill out the form below. We will get in touch with you shortly to confirm your attendance.https://forms.gle/x8g7Q46AUWBcS1KF9
Yara New Zealand is pleased to announce that the Yara NZ Women in Horticulture Scholarship is open for 2024.
The Scholarship aims to recognise leadership qualities in a woman working in the horticulture industry.
The primary purpose of the scholarship is to provide recognition and financial assistance to an outstanding female within the horticulture sector. It also achieves the secondary purpose of highlighting careers for women across the industry.
The winner will be announced at the ‘Yara Women in Hort’ lunch at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Show on Thursday 24th October.
Prizes
• The Yara Women in Horticulture Scholarship recipient will receive a grant of $2,000 (incl. GST) which will be paid towards your selected course fees.
• Second prize is $500 (incl GST) which will be paid towards your selected course fees.
Entries closed on 27th September.
Please feel free to share this with your network, staff, clients.
The successful applicant may be someone working in the service industry e.g. as a field advisor. In other words, it is not restricted to someone working directly on farm in an Orchard, Vineyard, Market Garden, etc situation.
Please feel free to reach out to me for more information if required.
Regards
Glen Baylis
Country Manager
Mobile phone: +64 21 555 214
Email: glen.baylis@yara.com
Reach out for support:
If you or someone you know is struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact me, Callum Ross, at HBFA, or directly connect with Wanda Douglas at 021 1700 506 or wandspsychology@gmail.com. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, and we’re here to support each other.
Warm regards,
Callum Ross
Chief Executive Officer & Chairman HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group)
