Mark Wynne, Ballance Agri-Nutrients CEO, has resigned. Photo / Supplied
Ballance Agri-Nutrients chief executive officer Mark Wynne has resigned after nearly nine years at the helm.
His last day will be September 29.
“It has been an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience to lead such a diverse business and dedicated team,” Wynne said.
Ballance chairman Duncan Coull said Wynne was held in the highest regard by the Ballance Board.
“It has been an absolute pleasure working with Mark who has been an incredibly effective leader. Mark decided it was the right time for both Ballance and himself to hand the baton over.
“When Mark informed the board of his intention to resign, he told us what a privilege it has been for him to lead such an awesome group of people, serving 17,000 farmer and grower families.”
Coull said Wynne had a reputation as a leader who was willing to put on his boots and roll up his sleeves to walk alongside his team to ensure he and the Ballance family truly understand their customer’s needs.
“Supporting and maintaining Ballance’s fantastic culture will be top of mind for the board as we begin our search for a new CEO to continue progressing the co-operative to ensure we are future-ready to serve our shareholders.
“In the interim, Mark will carry on doing what he does best, leading a great team to ensure we are providing New Zealand farmers and growers with the nutrients, advice and the tools they need to continue to be the most productive and sustainable farmers and growers in the world.”
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI) have been given a strong mandate by kiwifruit growers to work on their behalf for the next six-year kiwifruit levy cycle.
The Declaration of Result was provided by the independent returning officer, Warwick Lampp, of Electionz.com. Of those who voted, 91 per cent of growers supported the proposed levy, equating to 94 per cent of their total production of the foregone season. Votes were cast by 54 per cent of growers eligible to vote in the referendum, representing 68 per cent of total production.
These results compare to the previous levy referendum in 2017 of which 85 per cent of voters supported the proposed levy and their production equated to 88 per cent support. Votes were cast by 49 per cent of growers eligible to vote in the referendum, representing 63 per cent of eligible voters’ total production of the foregone season.
NZKGI chairman Mark Mayston said the great result reflected the return on investment that NZKGI had delivered growers over the last six years.
“It is an especially pleasing turnout despite the recent adverse weather and harvest which have put growers under the pump.
“The kiwifruit industry is experiencing a challenging time with increased regulations and pressure across the whole supply chain. But the future remains bright and NZKGI will be there to make sure that growers’ interests remain the top priority.”
NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond said it was pleased with this support from growers for NZKGI to continue to advocate for them.
“Our organisation is focused on overcoming their challenges, be they driven by changes to climate or regulations, and ensuring growers are receiving maximum benefit from the industry structure.
“In order for NZKGI to advocate, I encourage all growers to continue to voice their opinion with their representatives to make sure that our organisation is focusing on issues important to them.”
Kiwifruit growers first voted to establish a kiwifruit commodity levy to fund the operation of NZKGI in 2011. Since that time, the organisation advocates for growers in national and local government decision-making, succession planning for the industry, promotion of seasonal jobs, representation of the industry at an international level and communication to growers on business-critical issues. The levy will be used to continue to fund the operations of NZKGI and, in particular, there will be significant new activity in performance monitoring. The levy remains set at 1.1c/tray and can only be increased by vote at a NZKGI AGM or Special General Meeting.
NZKGI has informed Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor of the result and will be applying to the minister’s office for a new levy order that would run for a maximum of six years.
An agreement signed between Scion and one of France’s key research organisations has created fresh opportunities to extend Rotorua-based Scion’s research exploring biobased products and to support New Zealand’s transition to a circular bioeconomy.
With the global climate crisis front of mind for many in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and more frequent adverse weather events, the agreement will enhance cooperation on research and innovation to accelerate biorefineries and biomaterials research – work that is developing alternative products to those made from fossil fuels.
Speaking after the signing ceremony at the French Embassy in Wellington, Scion chief executive Dr Julian Elder said the agreement strengthens joint research between Scion and the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), and was a welcome boost to scientific co-operation between France and New Zealand.
“As a Crown Research Institute, we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with INRAE for more than 20 years across many research areas.
“In the last decade, we’ve particularly benefited from our work with INRAE’s Transform division and research that has helped to characterise plant materials before their transformation into biobased products and materials used for 3D and 4D printing.
“Our intention with the new agreement is to build on this work and create an associated international laboratory that will contribute to further bioproducts research, with a focus on advancing our knowledge and capabilities with biorefineries and plant materials that can be used to design fossil-free materials for the future.”
Scion’s biorefinery research is exploring new ways of creating high-value products from plant-based waste products, such as pine bark. It’s part of a wider programme of research focused on the circular bioeconomy that seeks to get the most value out of renewable biological resources while minimising waste.
The agreement with INRAE to create the Associated International Laboratory also involves collaboration with the University of Montpellier in France.
Scion’s general manager for Forests to Biobased Products, Dr Florian Graichen, said the agreement was timely and followed February’s announcement that New Zealand researchers can now participate in the Horizon Europe innovation and research programme.
The arrangement makes New Zealand one of the first countries outside Europe eligible to participate in the programme - with more than €90 billion (about NZD$153 billion) of funding available over seven years.
“We believe that INRAE will become one of our key European partners working with us on unlocking New Zealand’s opportunities around biorefineries, biomanufacturing and bioproducts. This will allow New Zealand to meaningfully mitigate and take actions against climate change, while being able to benefit from the global transformation of economies to circular bioeconomies.”
The signing on March 30 was one of four agreements signed at the French Embassy in the presence of Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall, the French Ambassador to New Zealand, HE Laurence Beau, the president of INRAE, Philippe Mauguin, and senior executives from Science New Zealand, AgResearch, and Scion.
The Scion team included Dr Claire Mayer-Laigle, an INRAE researcher from the Joint Research Unit in Montpellier. She visited Scion in 2018 for a one-week exchange with her counterpart Dr Marie Joo Le Guen. Marie Joo was subsequently invited to present at Claire’s laboratory. These successful interactions led to a joint conference presentation and research publication – proof of how the scientific exchanges evolve and benefit both parties over time.
French Ambassador Beau said the agreements would make it easier for researchers from both countries to work on innovative solutions that would benefit everyone.
“Working to adapt land-based sectors to climate change has become increasingly vital for our world, and particularly for New Zealand after the recent cyclone and floods.”
New Zealand media personality Kerre Woodham and Kiwi entrepreneur Rebekah Campbell are set to inspire hundreds of women at Baycourt this June.
Kerre Woodham and Rebekah Campbell will headline this year’s Business Women’s Network (BWN) Speaker Series, run by Tauranga Business Chamber, on June 27.
The pair will be joined by fellow speakers Cooney Lees Morgan chief executive Cecilia Burgess, well-known disability advocate Amanda Lowry, and leadership expert Sally Duxfield.
Event organiser Anne Pankhurst said the annual sell-out event was moving to a new location this year in order to allow more women to be inspired and empowered by the line-up of speakers – with tickets on sale now.
“This remarkable group of women all perfectly embody our theme for this year’s event which is ‘paving the way’,” Pankhurst said.
“From reaching great heights in journalism and entrepreneurism, to exploring the neuroscience of leadership, our speakers have truly paved the way in their respective industries.
“Their stories – full of passion, adversity, and grit – will challenge the way the audience thinks in both life and in business.”
Keynote speaker Kerre Woodham is known as a national treasure in Kiwi media. She began her television career on Fair Go and has made regular appearances on TV over the 35 years that followed, including Intrepid Journeys, Heartland, Ready Steady Cook and most recently on Dancing with the Stars.
She currently hosts her own radio show on Newstalk ZB.
Keynote speaker Rebekah is the founder of three successful companies, and author of 138 Dates, a book about searching for love, at the same time as launching a global technology business.
This is the third annual Speaker Series event – the pinnacle in the BWN calendar – and aims to connect Bay of Plenty women in business, with a view to building a community of women all looking to make positive change.
“Our attendees love hearing from inspiring women of all different fields, and connecting with local businesswomen at varying stages of their careers,” Pankhurst said.
“This year we’re raising the bar further with a bigger venue, and a new expo-type set up to show off some great local businesses and products – all owned by women.”
Hospitality businesses across the country raised $370,000 in support of those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle after hosting what they called the nation’s biggest dinner party last month.
Masterminded by celebrity chef Al Brown and supported by the Restaurant Association, 157 businesses across the country took part, with 6600 diners purchasing tickets.
Restaurants from Northland to Stewart Island cooked up a two-course menu with proceeds going directly to those impacted by the cyclone, with 35 per cent of the proceeds going directly to hospitality communities impacted by the recent weather events.
“I couldn’t be more stoked with how Cooking Up A Storm came together. It just started to snowball, driven solely by goodwill, compassion and charity. It made me realise that when adversity and pain appear out of nowhere, balancing that out and riding shotgun will always be empathy and generosity,” said Al Brown.
Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois said stories both from our hospitality whānau and people in the affected areas have been devastating.
“Hospitality is what we do best so being able to support those that have been impacted by hosting people in our venues was the perfect way for us to give back.
“We’re so proud of the way our communities came together and look forward to handing the funds over to those that desperately need them.”
Rydges Rotorua wants to break down the barriers of workplace burnout by booking a trip away.
Rydges Rotorua invited New Zealanders to make time to relax and rediscover nature, self-care, and family time and last week offered 100 free experience-led stays at its hotel.
In partnership with RotoruaNZ, and a number of Rotorua’s leading attractions, Rydges Rotorua offered three types of curated itineraries from spending time at Velocity Valley with children, to igniting a sense of adventure on the mountain bike trails of the Whakarewarewa Forest, to relaxing in Rotorua’s Secret Spot Hot Tubs.
Simon White, general manager of hotel operations New Zealand at hospitality company EVT, said the last couple of years had been difficult on many, throughout Aotearoa.
“Everyone deserves a holiday to spend time with the people they care about. We’re very proud to invite Kiwis to rediscover Rotorua and most importantly, take that deserved annual leave.
“We also know that relaxation looks different to everyone, and we want to offer experiences that fit everyone’s ideals - whether that means a weekend of self-care, a couple of days soaking up the outdoors or spending quality time with the family.”
Brand and marketing manager at RotoruaNZ Haydn Marriner said the last two years had been tough on New Zealanders and Rotorua was the perfect place to come to recharge.
“The city offers something for everyone, from adrenaline-fuelled challenges to child-friendly activities and geothermal spa and wellness experiences.”
The business digest is compiled from press releases.
NZ Rural School Association says the plan is costing time and money.