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.
OPINION: Sour taste Your old mate suggests the country’s struggling kiwifruit growers will find the latest pay increases to executives at Zespri very hard to swallow.
According to the kiwifruit marketer, the $10 million increase payments to employees - in a year when the kiwifruit marketer’s net profit fell by nearly 34% - is due to the company ‘keeping on top of its game’.
The kiwifruit exporter’s annual report for 2023 shows employee remuneration and benefits rose nearly 7% from $140.6m to $150.3m, while net profit after taxation fell to $238.7m from $361.5m in FY22.
Net profit before tax was $331.2m in FY23 compared to $505.1m the previous financial year.
It looks like chief executive Dan Mathieson got a pay rise.
The report shows the top earner in the company had a total remuneration and benefits range of $1.990m-$1.999m compared to $1.880m-$1.889m in FY22. All right for some!
OPINION: As negotiations advance on the India-New Zealand FTA, it’s important to remember the joint commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the beginning of this process in March: for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement.
Minister for Universities, Shane Reti, has opened the final new build in a ten plus year project to upgrade the veterinary facilities at Massey University.
As New Zealand experiences more frequent and severe flooding events, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging consumers to be honest and accurate when making insurance claims for flood damage.
A recently held arable field day in the Manawatu brought with it a timely reminder to be on the lookout for velvetleaf incursions.
In a significant shift for employers, wage theft is no longer only a civil matter but now also a criminal one.
In partnership with Growing Future Farmers (GFF), Fonterra says it is increasing support for young people entering the dairy industry with a new two-year programme.

OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?