Presidents Report
It’s been a while since we last sent out our newsletter – August was our last one so a lot has happened in the Association since then. So far, we have had an outstanding spring with the likelihood of another early harvest season. I’m sure everyone will be getting over the winds we have been having recently and what we really need is some rain – (I wouldn’t have been saying that 3 or 4 years ago but that’s growing – it’s either to dry or to wet. Stone fruit thinning is underway and apples wont be far behind.
We held our AGM back in September at our new premises Food East situated down Elwood Rd. Thank you to all those who came along. Here is a brief from the night.
- HBFA acknowledged the passing of John Scott, Ross Duncan & John Moffit
- HBFA’s New constitution was presented and passed with a majority. If anyone would like a copy of the new constitution, please reach out to us and we will make sure you receive a copy.
- There were also two new executive nominations: Jayne Shearer and Greg Evans, both growers in their own right – they were automatically elected to the executive as there were no other nominees requiring us to have a vote. Since then, the executive’s have also nominated Hannah Grieves (Fruit Fed Supplies) as an independent executive for one year. We welcome them to the team here at HBFA.
- Tom Dams has been re-elected as vice president for another 2 years.
- The role of CE has recently been disestablished. We thank Callum for his contribution over the last 18 months.
- We also gave a special recognition to Richard Pentreath who has decided to finish his tenure with HBFA. Richard has been with us for around 10 years, during this time he has served as both vice president and president. Richard will carry on supporting us in various roles such as chairing the HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group) and representing us at on-going water meetings. He will also continue as a trustee of the HBFACT.
On September the 19th we held our second HBFA golf tournament. This is a great way for growers and suppliers to re-connect outside the orchard gate. We will be building on this event next year with the date being bought forward to sometime in May. So, keep an eye out for the date
Next Tuesday on the 4th of November – (weather permitting) we will be holding our annual fishing competition. Another great day on HBFA’s event Calander.
We will soon be asking for nominations for HBFA’s Emerging Achiever award. I encourage all our growers to look out when its advertised and consider who in your organisation may fit the awards criteria.
Please see article from HORTNZ re the current RSE court case decision that will likely have some effect on RSE employers going forward. Let us know if we can help in anyway.
I attended the National Young Grower down in Christchurch back in September. All contestants performed extremely well, and it was great to cheer Sam Carter on from HB. The eventual winner was Phoebe Scherer representing the Bay of Plenty.
Brydon Nisbet
President
