LeaderBrand’s sustainability manager, Dr Stuart Davis has won New Zealand’s highest horticulture honour, being named the Bledisloe Cup recipient for 2024.
The cup is awarded by Horticulture New Zealand annually in recognition of individuals who have made an outstanding and meritorious contribution to the horticulture industry in New Zealand over decades.
In other awards, John Dine and Kris Robb were recognised for their services to growers at HortNZ’s annual conference in Mount Maunganui last week, and the Manaaki Award went to the Nelson/Tasman Pasifika Community Trust.
Davis has played a significant role in the vegetable sector for more than 35 years, championing the introduction of science and innovation to enhance sustainable vegetable production.
He started his career in the Wattie’s group, then moved to LeaderBrand in Gisborne with an interlude with Sutherland Produce, before returning to LeaderBrand in Pukekohe.
Davis has been a director of Vegetables NZ and chair of the Vegetable Research and Innovation Board and has had many leading roles in many industry projects, especially in integrated pest and disease management.
Currently, he’s the Industry Stakeholder Advisory Group chair for A Lighter Touch. This pan-sector programme addresses the challenge of meeting consumer demands for safe plant-based foods produced under sustainable pest management programmes while also caring for the environment.
LeaderBrand chief executive Richard Burke said everyone in the team is delighted to see Davis’s years of dedication acknowledged.
“There is nothing Stuart doesn’t know about growing vegetables. Over the last 30 years I have worked alongside him, his knowledge and dedication has made him an integral member of the team.
“In every role, Stuart has been instrumental in initiating research, science and innovation into understanding the relationships of vegetable farming with the environment and developing new thinking on sustainable methods of crop protection.
“He’s also been a strong champion for the industry bodies, sitting on several horticultural organisations championing the industry with government and councils.”
Davis said he has enjoyed so many good connections with growers, consultants and researchers working on collaborative projects that made a difference to the industry.
“I am also grateful that I have had employers that granted me the licence to do industry-good work and especially proud to bring the Bledisloe Cup back to LeaderBrand in our company’s 50th year,” he said.
Hawke’s Bay industry consultant John Dine was presented with the Industry Service Award, which recognises long and dedicated service to a supplier or service role and working beyond the call of duty for the betterment of the industry.
During his four decades in the sector, Dine has been at the forefront of fruit industry transformation.
That includes benchmarking and presenting results, the introduction of high-density dwarf rootstocks, whole-season consultancy contracts, corporate growing consultancy, the development of Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes and a long involvement in the maturity monitoring programme.
Kris Robb, the general manager of Clyde Orchards in Earnscleugh, Central Otago, was awarded the President’s Trophy, which celebrates inspiring leadership within the sector.
Robb is president of the Central Otago Fruit Growers Association and serves on other industry committees. During covid-19, he worked to secure New Zealand labour for the wider Central Otago region through his independent work on social media and contribution to other industry initiatives.
The Manaaki Award acknowledges community groups that go out of their way to support the RSE community while in New Zealand working under the RSE scheme.
Nelson/Tasman Pasifika Community Trust was recognised for its work over the past four years, extending its education and health support services in support of the RSE community.
Aotearoa Tongan Health Workers Association CEO Makahokovalu Pailate accepted the award for the organisation’s support of 270 Tonga RSE workers, mainly in the Hawke’s Bay region, who were impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
