New HortNZ director

Bruce Wills has been appointed as an independent board director for Horticulture New Zealand.

The former Federated Farmers president and hill country farmer was appointed after an extensive selection process.

Mr Wills joins the board of seven elected grower representatives and one other independent director.

He has been appointed for a three-year term which starts on July 1.

"It's exciting for me to get involved in an industry that is humming and has colossal potential to grow," Mr Wills said.

With that also came challenges, though, such as the growing need for labour.

"We're going to need 26,000 new staff in the next 10 years."

It was something he had experienced with the booming dairy industry. He believed his experience with Federated Farmers equipped him well for the role.

HortNZ president Julian Raine was thrilled with Mr Wills' appointment.

"I believe Bruce will make a substantial contribution," he said. "Bruce has proven and extensive governance skills."

Mr Wills holds various directorships, including Ravensdown, and has been appointed to the board of two National Science Challenge projects.

Mr Raine said Mr Wills also brought a good understanding of resource management issues, which was a key area of work for HortNZ.

"He has the ability to bring together disparate groups into a cohesive force. We are looking forward to working with him," Mr Raine said.