More than 600 people from across New Zealand’s horticulture sector are expected in Mount Maunganui later this month for a joint Horticulture and Recognised Seasonal Employer Conference.
The event, at Mercury Baypark on August 28-30, will see growers, industry groups, sector leaders and supply chain partners discuss pressing issues, challenges and opportunities.
The joint conference is hosted by Horticulture New Zealand, which represents more than 4500 growers across New Zealand.
HortNZ chief executive Nadine Tunley said this year’s conferences will focus on providing a platform for the industry to share stories, ideas and inspiration that are aligned with the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan.
“The event is one of the highlights of the horticulture calendar and we’re looking forward to some great discussions and insights.”
Two conference programmes – the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Conference and Horticulture Conference – have been merged into one to bring three days of presentations, speakers and content.
The programme of speakers includes Nicola Grigg, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Horticulture), Erica Stanford, Minister of Immigration and Rachel Depree, executive officer for sustainability at Zespri. Adventurer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis is this year’s celebrity speaker.
Gareth Edgecombe, CEO of T&G Global, Andrew Watene, head of KPMG Propagate and Simon Limmer, CEO of Indevin, are also on the programme.
The gala dinner and awards will be held on Thursday evening. HortNZ will present awards to recognise outstanding contributions and achievement in New Zealand’s commercial fruit and vegetable growing industry.
