For the third-year running, the kiwifruit industry has been asked to nominate their finest people for the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal.
The kiwifruit Industry Advisory Council (IAC) set up the Hayward Medal in 2012 to honour the leaders who have defined the industry with their commitment and excellence and helped to make it into an innovative New Zealand export success story, worth more than $1.3 billion last year.
IAC chairman Paul Jones said the industry had really supported this award.
"The two previous medal recipients made outstanding contributions to the industry and we're asking our peers to take the time again this year to recognise the people who have built and grown this industry,'' he said.
"After some really tough years, the industry has learnt to grow profitably with Psa and we've set a goal of increasing our export earnings to $3 billion by 2025. This is due in no small part to the leadership, innovation and excellence of the people in the kiwifruit industry, which the Hayward Medal was set up to acknowledge.''