Summerfruit NZ 2022 conference has been cancelled
The Summerfruit NZ Board has made the tough decision to cancel this year’s planned Summerfruit NZ conference due to the on-going disruption and uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and the current Omicron outbreak. The Board decided it would be too risky to hold an event involving a larger group of people where the virus might be able to spread. Instead, Summerfruit NZ will focus on supporting the sector in other ways this year, such as hosting online workshops and SummerGreen meetings.
Working holiday visa holders arriving soon
On a more positive note, alongside other horticulture/viticulture CEs, I welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent announcement that the border will re-open to working holiday visa holders and skilled migrants from 13 March. This re-opening of the border will support of New Zealand’s post-Covid economic recovery. Unfortunately, working holiday visa holders and skilled migrants won’t arrive in time to help with this summerfruit harvest, and will have limited benefit for the wine grape, apple and kiwifruit harvests that are about to get underway.
The summerfruit industry will start to benefit from the re-opening of New Zealand’s border during the 2022/23 season, and we’ll be focusing on making the most of this opportunity as we work with summerfruit employers to plan for the coming season.
For further information see:
- Summerfruit NZ portal – Main Menu / Covid-19 page
Tongan relief fund - for more information click here.