Fresh start at National Plant Producers Summit

Sincere thanks to those who attended and contributed at the National Plant Producers Summit in early September. Hosted by ourselves (the Transitional Board), the Summit brought together the ideas and energy of some fifty plus of NZ’s leading plant producers (with as many apologies from those who genuinely couldn’t make it). It was a great start as we seek to collectively transform the Association and set a fresh agenda.

Amongst outcomes from the Summit were identification of priority areas NZPPI needs to focus (first 12 months and longer term), clarification on what groups or forums NZPPI needs at “start up” (including Special Interest Groups and 2017 Conference), and further definition of what delivering value and success will look like for NZPPI.

Priority areas identified for the first 12 months included:

• Advocacy on facilitating plant imports and exports
• Leveraging investment in research and development
• Ramping up communication and connection across the plant producer community
• Future workforce capability and engaging young people
• Industry data and statistics

Longer term priority areas included:

• Building a stronger voice to central and local government across wide range of issues (including new areas such as RMA/environment)
• Engagement in the biosecurity system
• Nursery advisory / development officer

A full record of Summit proceedings is available here.

Transitional Board deliberation that followed ...

We met as a Transitional Board the day after the Summit; with Summit discussions top of the agenda confirming first 12 month priorities. Other decisions and actions included:

• Membership and election processes for the new Board, establishing our first election is scheduled for the second half of November (covered further below), with decisions taken to progress establishing independent agents to manage both the election process and member subscriptions (as required under our new Constitution)
• The development of an NZPPI prospectus – this will be distributed in coming months, with focus on profiling leading growers and the cutting edge of plant production and communicating our opportunities to make further gains through contributing as part of NZPPI.
• 2017 Conference to be held, with date and venue to confirmed then communicated in coming weeks.
• Work to establish a Trolley Users Special Interest Group (SIG) (speak with Grant Hayman or Andrew Tayler).
• Board support for, and direct involvement with, the process already-underway to form a Retail SIG (speak with Sally Brown).

NZPPI membership and Board Elections

We invite you now to join us, and become a member of NZPPI. To do so please download the application form, fill it in and get it back to us.

Whatever you do, please don’t “sit on the fence waiting to see what will happen”. That’s a recipe for losing a once-in-a-generation opportunity. NZPPI will succeed if we, as Plant Producers, collectively get on board, make a fresh start, engage and make it the success we want it to be.

NZPPI Producer members will elect a new Board late in November and we'll shortly be calling for nominations. If you've a passion for helping shape our industry and NZPPI, it's strategy and direction, this is a role that you might consider...

There are six elected seats on the Board, one representing and elected by all plant producers, and five representing broad industry sectors and elected by producers supplying:

• Retail
• Landscape, amenity and revegetation
• Orchards and vineyards
• Forestry
• Other food production (excluding orchards and vineyards)

We'll have more information on nomination and voting processes soon. You'll need to be a Producer member to stand for a Board position and to vote.

If you would like to know more please talk with a Transitional Board member (www.nzppi.co.nz/board) or contact the office (04 918 3511, info@nzppi.co.nz)