Roadmap set to double hort exports by 2035
It's critical that the horticulture sector works together as part of a goal to double the sector’s exports by 2035.
Horticulture New Zealand’s grower members have elected two new directors to their board: John Cook and Mike Smith, both kiwifruit growers from Bay of Plenty.
Cook has worked extensively in agriculture and horticulture -- owning a dairy and sheep farm – and has worked on and had investments in pipfruit, summerfruit and kiwifruit businesses in Australia and New Zealand. He has a Diploma in Agriculture from Lincoln University and was a recipient of a Kellogg Rural Leadership Scholarship.
Smith has been in the kiwifruit business for at least 20 years and has worked in dairy farming and the stock and station industry. He is chair of the Green Kiwifruit Growers Association and a member of the Bay of Plenty Young Fruitgrower committee.
The new board’s term starts at the HortNZ annual meeting in Rotorua on July 28.
The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has removed 33,418 wild goats over the past three years.
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.

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