Kiwifruit sector's big night out
The turmoil and challenges faced by the kiwifruit industry in the past 30 years were put to one side but not forgotten at a glitzy night for 400 kiwifruit growers and guests in Mt Maunganui recently.
The award last year went to ex-chair of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board, John Palmer, for his efforts to bring the kiwifruit industry through the fiscal crisis in the early 1990s.
The judging panel awarded Plant & Food Research plant breeder, Russell Lowe the inaugural award in 2012 for developing and helping commercialise the Gold kiwifruit variety Hort16A, adding over $3 billion to the industry and New Zealand.
The kiwifruit Industry Advisory Council (IAC) set up the Hayward Medal in 2012 to honour the leaders who have defined the industry with their commitment and excellence and helped to make it into an innovative New Zealand export success story, worth more than $1.3 billion last year.
IAC chairman, Paul Jones explains the industry has really supported this award. "The two previous Medal recipients made outstanding contributions to the industry and we're asking our peers to take the time again this year to recognise the people who have built and grown this industry," he says.
"After some really tough years, the industry has learnt to grow profitably with Psa and we've set a goal of increasing our export earnings to $3 billion by 2025. This is due in no small part to the leadership, innovation and excellence of the people in the kiwifruit industry, which the Hayward Medal was set up to acknowledge."
The award is named after the green Hayward cultivar which remains the cornerstone of kiwifruit industry, both in New Zealand and overseas. It also acknowledges the talented horticulturalist Hayward Wright, whose innovation and contribution set up the industry as we know it today.
Nominations close on Friday October 10 and nominations for the pan-industry award are encouraged from right across the industry. The winner will be announced and presented with the award at the Hayward Medal Dinner at the Momentum kiwifruit industry conference on November 6.
Fresh Carriers is again supporting the award this year.
