YOUR INDUSTRY PUKEKOHE
ONE PROUD PUKEKOHE GROWER Words by Glenys Christian
Kylie Faulkner jokes that she’s “easily tricked” – first into joining the family business, Sutherland Produce, and more recently into getting involved with the Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Association (PVGA) of which she’s just become the first woman president. Four years ago, Kylie went to a PVGA meeting and was immediately co-opted on to the organisation’s executive. “They are a great bunch of people with growers’ interests at heart and that shows in the supportive businesses they work for.” While this focus was always at the heart of the PVGA, Kylie says its role has changed in recent years due to large changes in environmental policy. Representation is required on many different bodies, ranging from the Waikato Regional Council’s (WRC) Plan Change 1 (PC1) Community Stakeholder Group (CSG) to the Waikato Irrigators’ Group and the region’s Adverse Events Committee. Also, because members also grow vegetables in Auckland Council’s area, PVGA has representatives on Auckland Council’s Rural Advisory Group as well as another more recently set up body looking more specifically at water issues. Kylie said a new association initiative is strengthening engagement with local iwi, with a number of meetings
Kylie Faulkner with a lettuce crop at Sutherland Produce
organised detailing how growers fit with the community and some of the improvements they’re making. Another connection that’s very important to her is grower involvement with local schools and kindergartens through grower visits and supplying the pupils with vegetable seeds so they can have a shot at raising their very own vegetables. “I encourage all growers to do it,” she says. In December last year, the PVGA was involved in the Franklin Foodbowl Festival, which showcased crops grown in the area while raising money for a local charity. At the back of many minds is the issue of urban sprawl, with historic decisions allowing the spread of Auckland city closer and closer to good growing land. “There was poor planning in the past and we hope it doesn’t happen in the future,” Kylie said. The association spent a lot of time submitting on both the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Soils and the
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NZGROWER : AUGUST 2020
