Strong Engagement as the Season Takes Shape
It has been encouraging over recent weeks to see such strong engagement from growers in the governance of Summerfruit NZ.
With voting for our two producer director positions now concluded, I am pleased to confirm that Blair McLean has been reappointed to the Board and will be joined by Sam Hobbs.
Congratulations to them both.
Sam’s appointment is also a positive outcome for our Board Observer programme. He has spent the past year as our observer, gaining first-hand exposure to the Board before putting himself forward for election. His progression reinforces the value of creating opportunities for people to become more involved in the industry.
I would also like to acknowledge Katarina Slade for putting herself forward and for the strong support she received. Having capable people prepared to stand for governance roles is healthy for any organisation. It gives members a genuine choice and reflects an industry whose people are prepared to contribute their time and experience.
Thank you, too, to everyone who voted. We had very good engagement through the election process.
The producer election completes the recent changes around the Board table, following the earlier confirmation of Craig Hall and George Guo as our two exporter directors.
Thank you to our departing directors
As we welcome new people around the Board table, it is equally important to recognise those completing their time with us.
Following the Annual General Meeting, Stu Burns and Russell Faulkner will both step down as directors. I would like to sincerely thank them for the time, experience and commitment they have contributed to Summerfruit NZ and the wider industry.
I would also like to acknowledge Reece van der Velden, who retired from the Board earlier this year following the dissolution of the Summerfruit Exporters Committee and the resulting change in exporter representation from three directors to two.
Good governance relies on people being prepared to give their time, experience and perspective for the benefit of the wider industry. On behalf of Summerfruit NZ and our members, thank you to Stu, Russell and Reece for doing exactly that.
Building the pipeline
I’m also delighted to congratulate Whitney Conder on being selected as our Board Observer for the coming year.
We had an impressive group of applicants, and the Board was very pleased with the calibre of people prepared to put themselves forward.
Whitney had previously applied for the observer role and narrowly missed out, which I think is worth highlighting. Not being selected the first time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have another go. I would encourage those who weren’t selected this year to stay involved and consider applying again.
AGM just around the corner
Our attention now turns to the Summerfruit NZ AGM at 1pm on Thursday 6 November (click here for more information).
As outlined previously, the AGM will include a proposal to reduce the levy for apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums from 1.5% to 1.25%, while retaining the cherry levy at 0.75%.
We have already covered the background and rationale for the proposal, so I won’t repeat that here. We are however holding a pre-AGM online meeting at 12pm, noon on Thursday 29 October to talk through the proposal and give growers an opportunity to ask questions ahead of the AGM.
To join the pre-AGM meeting, click here.
A Healthy Industry
Looking a little further ahead, I’m excited to confirm the theme for next year’s Summerfruit NZ conference will be “A Healthy Industry.”
We will be in Christchurch on 22 and 23 June 2027, with the Christchurch Town Hall hosting our plenary programme and the conference dinner at the new Te Kaha stadium (overlooking the ground).
It’s going to be a fantastic event, so lock the dates in now.
Next year’s conference theme provides a natural link to this year’s domestic market development campaign, where we are putting a spotlight on the health attributes of summerfruit.
Working with 5+ A Day, we will bring those messages to life through video, social media and other consumer activity throughout the season. The aim is straightforward: remind New Zealanders how good summerfruit is and give them another compelling reason to reach for peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and cherries this summer.
Cautious optimism
Of course, while all of this is happening, growers have something more immediate on their minds.
From the conversations I’m having, conditions through flowering have generally been favourable and there seems to be some cautious optimism about the season ahead.
Good luck for the weeks ahead and, as always, thank you for your continued engagement and support of Summerfruit NZ.