Biosecurity Levy proposal to be decided at TomatoesNZ AGM

During the TomatoesNZ AGM, at ASB Baypark in Tauranga, at 1:00pm on July 12th, TomatoesNZ members will be asked to vote on signing up to biosecurity Operational Agreements, and paying for them through a proposed new Biosecurity Levy. More information about the proposals is outlined in these pages and will be posted to TomatoesNZ members.

Conference speakers
After the AGM and afternoon tea, TomatoesNZ members are invited to combine with Asparagus Council and Vegetables New Zealand members in attending the following conference sessions, running concurrently:

Investing in clean technologies: Speakers Dr Paul Bennett, Science Leader for Clean Technologies and Dr Florian Graichen Science Leader for Biopolymers and Chemicals at Scion research Rotorua, will discuss how bio-fuel, bio-refining, bio-energy, bio-waste and bio-polymer technologies being developed at Scion may be used by NZ growers in the future.
Innovation for Sustainability: Associate Professor Jason Wargent of Massey University will talk about Massey’s work harnessing the power of UV light to grow hardier, more pest-resistant crops with longer shelf life and greater nutritional value.
The Missing Link: Hiring from the pool of trained graduates: How do we as employers access the growing pool of horticulture graduates, and what are the benefits of employing graduates.

The HortNZ AGM will follow at 4:30pm and welcome reception at 6:00pm.

That evening the “Vegetable Industry Dinner” will include guest speaker Mike Sim of Biobees, on “10 things you didn’t know about bees”, and a chance to relax and network with other vegetable industry people.

TomatoesNZ will help cover the costs of levy payer’s conference attendance. To register for the conference click here. A claim form has been posted to growers and is available for download on the TomatoesNZ website conference page.