Presidents Report
Our thoughts are with the Nelson growers who have experience 2 x heavy rainfall events in as many weeks, causing major flooding, silt deposits and structural damage over a number of orchard businesses. Growers here in HB who have gone through the floods themselves in cyclone Gabrielle will know firsthand what the growers will be facing. I have reached out to the President of the Motueka Fruit Growers Association Oliver Rowling and other business owners to check in on how things are going and the moral of the affected growers. By all accounts they are getting on and sorting the damage out. We have offered to connect them to experienced machine operators who helped with the floods here if needed. Government and Horticulture NZ have combined to offer financial assistance as has the NZ Fruit Growers Charitable Trust. If anyone would like to offer any type of assistance, please get in touch with me.
Last week I travelled to Gisborne to attend their Young Grower event. It is awesome to see how much attraction this event draws up in Tairawhiti considering they have only been part of the young growers for a short time. They had 9 young growers competing (one had to pull out due to sickness). HBFA Congratulates Rhiannon Morrell from Craigmore Sustainables who took out the Tairāwhiti YGOTY award. Rhiannon will join six other regional finalists (including our very own Sam Carter) in Christchurch on the 10th 11th September as they compete to win the Young Grower of the Year National title for 2025.
HortNZ is welcoming three new directors to its Board following this year’s election. The competition was extremely tough with 9 nominees for 3 director positions. The 3 new directors representing the interests of all horticulture are:
Simon Cook who grows kiwifruit and avocados in Te Puke. Dermott Malley has extensive experience in the commercial and horticultural sectors. He grows kiwifruit, kiwi berries, and hydroponic berry fruit. Shaun Vickers, a past winner of the national Young Grower of the Year competition, is currently general manager for clients’ orchards and business development at Apata Group. He also has a shareholding in a 14-hectare Kiwifruit orchard near Edgecumbe.
Horticulture NZ has their conference along with the RSE conference on August 27th-28th. I encourage you to attend. They also have their AGM on Tuesday 26th August at 4pm – Tākina, Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, 50 Cable Street, Wellington. Be good to see as many growers as possible from HB attend.
AGM information can be viewed on the HortNZ website here.
Click here to find out more about this year’s conferences, to register and to keep up to date with programmes and speakers.
HBFA has pencilled in September Thursday 25th September for our AGM – mark it in your calendars.
Enjoy the rest of winter – spraying time is in about 3/4 weeks’ time for most apple growers. Keep an eye out on our events calendar – we have a golf day planned for the 19th of September which follows up from last year’s inaugural event. A great way to come together and network. We have introduced different aspects to the day so keep an eye out for that.
Finally, will be great to see HB growers next week down in Nelson at the NZAPI conference. Their AGM is on Wednesday 30th July from 3:30pm with conference day and the awards dinner on the 31st July. I am always available to growers if they have any concerns or just want to chat.
Kia Kaha
Brydon Nisbet
President HBFA
