Happy new year to you all. We are into the second month of the year and 2020 has already been a busy one.

Over the summer it has been hard to miss the media coverage on sustainability, both internationally and in NZ. The reports out of the World Economic Forum at Davos last month headline the emergence of sustainability as a key risk in business and communities. Many of the issues identified are relevant to our industry; climate, plastics, biodiversity, food supply and water supply. Depending on the topic, these are either a risk or an opportunity, but there is no doubt that this is a megatrend that will influence our sector.

Closer to home we are seeing sustainability becoming a key business issue in board rooms. The story about Synlait milk opening a plant nursery in Dunsandel perhaps illustrates this.

We were interested to see the proposed National Policy Statement for Indigenous-Biodiversity and we will continue to monitor the development of policies around plastics, land and water.

I hope that your year is off to a great start. The NZPPI team is very much on board and we have some fantastic events coming up over the next few weeks, and some important announcements on the way.

Matt Dolan, Chief Executive

Young Achiever Award 2020

NZPPI is delighted to launch the 2020 Young Achiever Award. Applications for this year’s competition are opening shortly.

This well recognised competition seeks to reward and recognise the best young people within our industry providing opportunities to grow and develop their skills, becoming real assets to their employers in the future.

Few young people have the financial resources required to compete in this award, so employers are encouraged to help entrants wherever possible with time and financial support to attend the competition. It is an investment for any employer in the future of their business with the employee gaining skills and confidence to bring back to their place of work.

NZPPI is delighted to help with support and mentoring of the young people. The competition finals take place at the national NZPPI conference in Auckland on 26th & 27th May.

The overall Young Achiever Award winner will represent the nursery industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition, in November, managed by the RNZIH Education Trust. This Grand Final is where young people from all sectors of horticulture come together to compete for the title and a raft of valuable prizes.

If you want information more about this year’s event, please contact the NZPPI office office@nzppi.co.nz or call 04 918 3511.

SHED meetings

Spaces are still available for our upcoming South Island SHED meetings:

• 26 February - Appletons Nursery, 160 Wakefield-Kohatu Highway, Wakefield, Nelson. The technical session will focus on soil health and nutrient management in open ground and containers.
• 27 February - Ambrosia Nursery, 57 Selwyn Road, Prebbleton, Christchurch. The technical session will look at Ambrosia’s latest automation for potting and dispatch.

Reserve your free spot today by emailing attendees’ names to office@nzppi.co.nz using subject line CHRISTCHURCH / NELSON SHED MEETING.

Food and refreshments will be provided.

SHED stands for See, Hear, Engage, Debate.

We are planning to hold SHED meetings in other regions during the year. We encourage you to bring your key staff and managers to these events to learn and network with other young people in the industry.

Eric Appleton

Conference 2020 - save the date

The 2020 Plant Producers Conference – "Bringing Plants to Life" – will be held at The Grand Millennium, Auckland, on 27 and 28 May.

The conference theme is sustainability – in the environment, in your business, and in our industry’s crucial contribution to sustainability in the broader economy and society.

All members are encouraged to bring their staff along, both for the business opportunities at the conference, and the networking opportunities at the conference dinner.

New members

We are delighted to welcome a number of new members to NZPPI.

• Kiwiflora Nursery – Christchurch
• McGraths Nursery – Cambridge
• New Plymouth District Council
• Wild Nursery – Drury

©2020 NZPPI
New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated
PO Box 3443, Wellington 6140
Level 5, 23 Waring Taylor Street, Wellington
P: 04 918 3511 | F: 04 499 9589
E: office@nzppi.co.nz | W: www.nzppi.co.nz