Ōpōtiki grower wins 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award
Brett Wotton, an Eastern Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower and harvest contractor, has won the 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award for his work to support lifting fruit quality across the industry.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand eastern region manager Chris Emmett says with 1200 lifeguards from the 19 clubs in this region, offering training at no cost to participants will make a huge difference to beach safety. Training courses typically cost hundreds of dollars and the cost has until now been borne by individual lifeguards and clubs.
Zespri chief operating officer Simon Limmer explains around 85% of Zespri Kiwifruit is grown in these regions and this partnership is Zespri's way of giving back to the communities who support the industry.
"We will provide free training opportunities for all local lifeguards in the Eastern Region over the next three years, as well as providing rescue tubes and additional equipment to the Zespri Clubs of Year. Surf lifeguards save around 450 lives a year in our region and provide a vital service to the families who live and work in our regions.
"Kiwifruit is a large contributor to our local economy and our beaches are such an important part of life in these coastal regions. This is Zespri's way of thanking the communities who've helped build our industry's success – by doing our part to keep the beaches safe for everyone to enjoy," says. Limmer.
Zespri will contribute $400,000 over three years to this initiative in the Eastern Region, as well as supporting Surf Life Saving New Zealand as a national partner.
The free training on offer to Eastern Region lifeguards includes inflatable rescue boat (IRB) training, Patrol Captain and Intermediate Lifeguard courses. A number of scholarships will also be available for Surf Life Saving's National Lifeguard School and BP Leaders for Life development programmes. Winners of the Zespri Club of the Year will also receive additional lifesaving equipment, with $5000 of equipment going to each of the three winning clubs across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Gisborne.
