Zespri Breaks Records with $5.9 Billion in Global Kiwifruit Sales
Zespri's sales of kiwifruit for the 2025 season have broken all past records.
Entries for the 2024 Sustainable Business Awards are now open, with new categories.
The awards have celebrated businesses, local government, social enterprises, and individuals who have been successful in sustainability for more than two decades.
A new suite of award categories will be rolled out over the next two years to align with the Sustainable Business Network’s mission to drive transformative change.
Two of those categories are now open for entry, with the full line-up set to debut in 2025.
Rachel Brown, chief executive and founder of the Sustainable Business Network, says that “in the face of unprecedented environmental and social challenges, it’s time for a paradigm shift”.
She says that sustainability as usual isn’t enough.
“That’s why we’re changing the focus of these Awards.”
Going forward, Brown says, the awards will spotlight the pioneers whose actions and innovations inspire others to think differently and act courageously.
The new categories for 2024 are Transformational Leadership, which awards visionary leaders championing long-term, transformational changes, and Disruptive Innovation, which awards groundbreaking products, services, technologies or business models designed with sustainability and circular economy principles at their core.
“We want the business community to see what’s possible and be inspired to take that bold leap,” she says.
“We want these Awards to be the ultimate inspiration to see that happen.”
Brown says that the entry process this year will be simplified and streamlined into one entry form.
“This approach empowers us to reset, build stronger partnerships and ensure that next year’s awards reflect the urgency and innovation our planet demands,” she says.
“Right now, we’re calling on the trailblazers of 2024. We’re seeking individuals, teams and organisations that are leading the charge with bold action and groundbreaking innovation.”
Entry is free and open to all across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Entries close on Friday 20 September 2024. The winners will be announced at a celebration in November.
With the New Zealand/India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) dominating political debate here, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting New Zealand next week.
Michelle and Tony Roberts didn't inherit the farming business they have today. They’ve built it from the ground up.
“We’re not normal.” That’s how Jack Walters, executive director of Pungent Pukeko, describes his gin brand, which has just won gold at the World Gin Awards.
Dr Tim Harwood, a seafood food safety research leader, has been awarded the 2026 Significant Contribution Award at the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST) Food Industry Awards.
Today marks the first day of operations for Waikato Waters, a new council-controlled organisation established by six district councils to deliver water and wastewater services for their communities.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has announced has opened applications for the 2026/27 funding round of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research (GHGIR) fund.

OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing…
OPINION: A nation that relies as heavily as NZ does on functional global shipping lanes will have to do its…