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Call for collaboration
CALL FOR
COLLABORATION
Words by Glenys Christian
Kylie Faulkner, Mike Chapman and Nadine Tunley at the PVGA annual meeting in May
Incoming HortNZ chief executive, Nadine Tunley, has attended her first Pukekohe Vegetable Growers’ Association (PVGA) annual meeting.
She outlined her previous roles in horticulture coming from an accounting background, working first with a large Nelson orchardist looking at getting involved in exporting. “I never looked back,” she said of the appeal of the sector. Then she spent four years with the Manuka Honey Company, next becoming a director then chair of Pipfruit NZ. “That was a big learning curve,” she said. “Everyone has the same problems with being busy and increasing government regulations, so it’s important to have a voice and be heard.
She then became a director of Scales and Plant & Food Research, and the HortNZ board has asked her to retain the latter role to improve growers’ traction in this area. “I’m willing to learn as I go and I hope to do half the justice Mike (Chapman) has,” she said. HortNZ was a very different beast when he took over as chief executive. And while progress might seem slow, it is important to keep chipping away in order to make change. An important part of that is collaboration across all the groups which make up the horticulture industry. “If we can pitch a good story to government we’re more likely to get funding.” She urged growers not to hesitate to reach out to her. Kylie Faulkner, who was re-elected unopposed as the PVGA’s president, said open dialogue is key. “You won’t find us backwards in coming forward,” she said. And she paid a personal tribute to outgoing chief executive Mike Chapman, who will stay on for a year as the PVGA’s honorary solicitor. “He has really been a vegetable hero and I want to record my personal thanks to him.”
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