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HortNZ says drought threatens food supply
Water is vital for plants and trees to grow and New Zealand needs to better mitigate droughts that threaten our domestic supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman says.
Water storage to improve water standards
Environment Minister David Parker has announced that preliminary work has begun to create a new freshwater policy for New Zealand, building on the previous Government’s work. He is quoted in media as saying: “I think [most] New Zealanders share an objective that their waterways should be clean enough to swim...
Sustaining our environment – best products from the best country
On World Environment Day, 5 June, Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor launched a primary sector action plan for water quality. This is the rural sector’s commitment to environmental sustainability. It not only reports on progress to date - click here for an example of what individual...
Water for all New Zealanders
An important issue facing New Zealanders is water – both availability and quality. Across rural New Zealand there are thousands of schemes and initiatives focused on water. This is unsurprising as humans, animals and plants need water to survive.
Expert evidence rejects water conservation order bid
Horticulture New Zealand opposes the application for the WCO in the Lower Ngaruroro River and the Clive River.
Plants need water too
Horticulture New Zealand submits to councils from one end of New Zealand to the other to get water allocated for plants that grow healthy food. You would think that it is self-evident that plants need water not only for survival, but to be productive and to produce top quality, healthy food.
Working together for healthy rivers and healthy food
We can have both healthy rivers and healthy food. All that is required is for us to work together as one country and face up to the fact that we are going to need to store water for use during dry periods.
Where’s the water infrastructure?
Can anyone deny that we need to urgently start capturing and storing water? Before we forget about the effects of the drought on New Zealand, it’s time for the Government and regional councils to commit to enabling water capture and storage.
Water and workers – where’s the certainty?
We are rapidly approaching spring and with spring comes harvest. First strawberries and asparagus, then cherries. At the same time, spring vegetable production steps up.
‘The times, they are a changing’
We pride ourselves in New Zealand as being innovators. The New Zealand horticulture industry is no exception to this reputation for innovation, with growers developing new and better techniques, constantly linking through to our sector’s research providers, for example Plant and Food Research.
Are you listening?
The different world we now live in requires us all to learn new skills. It requires us to interpret what is happening in new and different ways. It requires us to listen to signals about the future in a way we have never done before.
Fresh fruit and vegetables for everyone
One of the best ways to stay healthy is to eat healthy. Not only does healthy, locally grown produce boost your immune system, it also helps prevent diabetes and heart disease. So, getting that food to all New Zealanders is vital in these very trying Covid times.
Update on regional council plan changes
HortNZ continues to advocate on behalf of growers in several regional council plan changes. Here’s a brief update.
HortNZ welcomes Govt’s recognition of the importance of vegetable growing in NZ in freshwater decisions
Horticulture New Zealand is welcoming recognition of the importance of vegetable growing in the Government’s new national direction on freshwater management.
Freshwater update on NPSFM and Freshwater NES - August 2020
The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM 2020), National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (Freshwater NES) and new water metering regulations were released Wednesday 5 August and will come into force on 3 September 2020.
Open letter to the PM: Hort requests independent fruit & veg retailers to be essential services
Dear Prime MinisterWe are writing to you on behalf of the New Zealand horticulture industry to collectively address our growers’ concerns that independent fruit and vegetable retailers are not classified as essential services under Covid-19 Alert Level 3 and 4.In New Zealand there are multiple ways fresh fruit and vegetables...
Freshwater update following Government decisions
The Government has announced its decisions around freshwater management. In summary, HortNZ welcomes the pragmatic approach that the Government has decided to take to achieving the freshwater quality improvements we all want. What follows is a summary of the Government’s decisions.