Narrowing agricultural pathways not a smart idea
OPINION: Last week, Education Minister Erica Stanford sent a clear, but troubling message to New Zealand’s students: if you’re academically ambitious, agriculture might not be for you.
Over 400 of New Zealand’s stalwart kiwifruit growers gathered in Mount Maunganui this week for a celebration to recognise three major milestones in the industry’s history.
2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the Kiwifruit Industry Restructuring Act, which paved the way for Zespri’s global success, the 30th anniversary of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. (NZKGI), and an impressive 35 years since the establishment of the Single Desk structure, a critical component of the industry’s success.
The celebration attracted not only growers but also several notable dignitaries, including Labour MP Jo Luxton, Western Bay Mayor James Denyer, Deputy Mayor John Scrimegour, and Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale.
In his keynote speech, NZKGI Chairman Mark Mayston talked about unity and collective effort. He emphasised that New Zealand's kiwifruit industry is proudly grower-owned, and it was their decision to prioritise the greater good over self-interest that birthed the revolutionary Single Desk.
“Growers must stay united,” Mayston says. “If we let selfish interests take over, we risk diluting the value of our industry and the future of generations to come.”
The Single Desk regulations, now celebrating 35 years, created the Kiwifruit Marketing Board with the authority to buy all kiwifruit for export. This pivotal change set the stage for the creation of Zespri ten years later, marking 25 years of global operations.
A panel discussion at the event featuring three pioneering growers — Paul Heywood, John Palmer and Hendrick Pieters — delved into critical moments in the industry's development such as the financial challenges following the overpricing of kiwifruit in 1992 and 1993, which ultimately led to the formation of NZKGI 30 years ago.
The panels moderator, NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond highlights the significance of the lessons learned from the struggles of the past that were shared by the panel, “It was a great opportunity to have the members of the panel talk with us and the insights they shared were invaluable. Kiwifruit is a cyclical industry, and there’s much we can learn from the past to prepare for the future.”
Looking ahead, the 2025 kiwifruit season is expected to deliver another record-breaking crop, with hopes of surpassing the 200 million tray mark in exports for the first time. In 2024, over 190 million trays will be exported, continuing the industry’s upward trajectory.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
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