EastPack chief executive Hamish Simson receiving the Cooperative of the Year award. Photo / Supplied
EastPack named 2022 Co-operative of the Year
Post-harvest kiwifruit operator EastPack has been named Co-operative of the Year at the 2022 Cooperative Business NZ Awards.
EastPack chief executive Hamish Simson said they were “delighted” to be recognised as the 2022 Co-operative of the Year.
“The award reflects the hard work of many people, including our loyal growers and committed staff.
“In what has been a challenging period for the industry, EastPack has delivered a strong performance for its growers, delivering above industry-average orchard returns and low fruit loss, while at the same time delivering increased local employment and recording high staff engagement.
“As well as successfully responding to a range of challenges, we are preparing for growth. Over the next five years, kiwifruit volumes are set to grow significantly. To accommodate this growth in international demand, we will continue to expand our packing capacity to process the additional kiwifruit from our growers. Most of this growth is already planned and on its way.”
Earlier this month, EastPack announced a $30 million notes issue to meet the forecast growth in kiwifruit demand. The offer will close on December 12, 2022.
Cooperative Business NZ represents New Zealand’s member-owned businesses (co-operatives and mutuals). The Cooperative Business NZ Awards highlight the outstanding leadership and accomplishment of these businesses and their leaders.
EastPack has about 380 permanent staff, with around 4000 seasonal workers during the kiwifruit season, and has six sites across the Bay of Plenty, in Te Puke, Edgecumbe, Ōpōtiki and Katikati.
Zespri releases Climate Change Adaption Plan
Zespri has released its first-ever Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Adapting to Thrive in a Changing Climate, outlining how the kiwifruit industry intends to adapt to a changing climate in New Zealand and in its offshore growing locations.
Developed in consultation with growers and the wider kiwifruit industry, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan establishes a framework for the industry’s long-term approach to adaptation, and is a response to Zespri’s Climate Change Risks and Opportunities report, which was published in 2021.
Zespri chief grower, industry and sustainability officer, Carol Ward, said the plan reflected Zespri’s ongoing commitment towards transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
“We know the climate is changing, which brings challenges and opportunities for our industry, and it’s important that we look at how we can ensure the kiwifruit industry remains climate-resilient.
“Adaptation will be critical to our ability to provide our customers and consumers with great fruit from both our New Zealand and Northern Hemisphere supply in the years ahead, and to protect and enhance the value we’re returning to our growers and communities.”
Ward said Zespri, which has its headquarters in Mount Maunganui, was committed to taking action, both to reduce the impact the kiwifruit industry has on the climate and to prepare for the impacts climate change will inevitably have on growing kiwifruit.
“Our industry is already experiencing and responding to climate change, with growers adjusting their growing practices in order to maintain and increase yields in light of the changing climate.
“This can be seen in the installation by growers of hail netting, the development and maintenance of shelterbelts to help protect orchards from severe wind events and the use of irrigation to prevent vines from experiencing water stress or frost, with post-harvest facilities also adjusting the packing of fruit in light of warmer temperatures.
“We’ve also established a Climate Change Strategy, and continued to invest in innovation to explore new cultivars, and in research to better understand how we can best mitigate the impact of climate change.”
As well as identifying the physical climate change risks the kiwifruit industry was likely to experience from orchards through the supply chain and across the packing, transportation and distribution of fruit, Zespri’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan considered transitional risks such as market and regulatory changes, including emissions pricing, environmental labelling, and changing consumer preferences.
“We know that beyond the physical impact climate change will have, we’ll also see changes at a regulatory level, along with a heightened expectation from our customers and consumers that we are adapting our approach,” Ward said.
The Climate Change Adaption Plan included more than 40 current and future actions Zespri and the wider industry will build on over time to futureproof the growing and breeding of kiwifruit, maintain fruit quality, manage supply and protect the industry’s financial future.
“This includes supporting growers to adopt climate resilient practices like efficient water use, investing in climate-resilient cultivars, developing a future-focused climate research programme, recognising climate impacts in industry planning, assessing the effects of climate change on productivity and profitability, and lessening our exposure to carbon costs by reducing emissions.
“There’s a lot of work to undertake, but by co-ordinating our efforts as an industry we’ll be more effective and efficient, putting us in the best position to thrive as the climate continues to change,” Ward said.
A review of the Climate Change Adaptation Plan and progress against it will be undertaken in 2025, following the expected update to Zespri’s Climate Change Risks and Opportunities report in 2024, which is published on Zespri.com.
Scion research to unlock new opportunities in farming future
Research and innovation from Rotorua-based Crown research facility Scion aims to unlock the potential for rural farming communities to embrace new opportunities to prosper following the launch of a roadmap for the forestry and wood processing sector.
Minister for Forestry Stuart Nash this week unveiled the Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) at Fieldays in Hamilton, where 35 organisations, including Scion, were educating visitors about the dynamic sector and technologies which can support farmers to use trees and fibre in new and exciting ways.
Scion chief executive Dr Julian Elder said the ITP aligned with Scion’s expertise and gave impetus to the view that future rural landscapes and communities will include a mix of farming, productive forestry, trees on farms and new manufacturing and processing activities.
“It reinforces the value of Scion’s Strategy for 2030: right tree, right place, right purpose. Having this formula drive our work has relevance for rural New Zealand, where we can apply our innovations and technologies to trees and fibre on farms in new ways and support diversified farming systems.”
Elder said the ITP and Scion’s strategy highlighted opportunities for landowners to increase their returns by making the most of new technologies.
“It also provides a pathway for more high-paying jobs in the regions through the development of new manufacturing sectors.”
Increasing New Zealand’s onshore wood processing capability and investment in transforming and developing New Zealand’s domestic woody biomass industry were two target areas identified in the ITP that will drive sector growth, create jobs, and reduce emissions across the economy.
$40k raised for forestry mental health in charity auction dinner
More than $40,000 was raised at a charity auction dinner in Rotorua earlier this month in order to lead a mental health initiative for forestry.
Opened by Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell, the charity auction was part of an inaugural two-day Fast & Forward Forestry Expo.
Forest Industry Contractors Association chief executive Prue Younger said the auction was to raise funds to further mental health initiatives after a pilot programme with Mates4Life, Hawke’s Bay.
“Mental wellbeing is a topical challenge for any workplace in this crazy world, and forestry has not escaped from it. FICA wanted to put funds together to initiate a programme to support our forestry whānau.”
Younger said the aim was to provide a long-term, sustainable, no-barriers, mental health awareness approach specific to the needs of workplaces and communities.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell opened the evening as keynote speaker, signalling that Rotorua was open for business and supportive of such a key industry in the region.
“Forestry is in our DNA, it is part of our identity - we have a strong history and legacy in forestry and wood processing that we are proud of,” she said.
“Rotorua, as a top destination city, has also been impacted by Covid and the ripple effects of the pandemic. But we are also a forward-thinking and resilient community and working hard to recover. Events like this help us to do that. As a community, we are so pleased to be able to welcome events back to Rotorua.”
“[The] charity auction will help the Forest Industry Contractors Association to set up a programme to support the mental wellbeing of those working within the forestry industry. Mental health doesn’t discriminate, and all of us in this room have probably either experienced mental health issues ourselves or watched a friend, relative, or colleague struggle with mental wellbeing. This is a fantastic initiative.”
Western Bay customer service team wins top award
The Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s customer service team has taken out the Association of Local Government Information Management’s (ALGIM) Best Customer Experience Award at the 2022 ALGIM Awards.
The judging process involved a detailed mystery shop of about 80 organisations. Mystery shoppers contacted each customer service team and posed the same query multiple times a day via phone, the website and Facebook. Judges then graded the responses according to criteria including how efficient the team was in sharing information and if their response was easy to understand and relatable.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s manager for strategy and community, Rachael Davie, said she could not be more proud of the team.
“Every day, our team of 13 is challenging the status quo of what good customer service looks like. They go the extra mile to make real differences for our communities and find solutions that really help people.
“To have their hard mahi acknowledged as the best in Aotearoa is the perfect validation of what everyone at Council, and our satisfied community members know – our customer service team are extraordinary, and they embody our spirit of being change-makers for our Western Bay community. Ka rawe, team.”
It was the second time the Western Bay team has won the award, having previously won it 2019.
The announcement comes amid a rise in retail crime.