Fruit fly discovery puts growers, exporters on edge
Fruit growers and exporters are worried following the discovery of a male Queensland fruit fly in Auckland this week.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
The HortNZ board says it is disappointed to see Tunley go, but she leaves HortNZ with “a strong team, strong structure and strong direction set out in the strategy and the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan”.
“While the timing of a valued CEO’s departure is never ideal, the board and Nadine feel it is important that with a new commodity levy proposal about to be voted on, HortNZ is able to recruit a replacement CEO that can lead the organisation and deliver the strategic outcomes for the next six years, with the full energy required,” the board says.
Tunley took over as HortNZ CEO in May 2021. She has been involved in the apple and pear industry since 2000. She was chair of NZ Apples & Pears Inc from August 2012 until April 2018, and has been a director of HortNZ since 2010.
Her involvement in the industry began just prior to deregulation in 2001, where she was tasked with exporting some of the first shipments made outside of the single desk model.
Additional reductions to costs for forest owners in the Emissions Trading Scheme Registry (ETS) have been announced by the Government.
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.

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