More than 600 people from across New Zealand’s horticulture sector gathered in Mount Maunganui for the annual Horticulture and Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Conferences. We took the opportunity to exhibit at the event and catch up with customers face-to-face.
Mercury Baypark came alive on 28-30 August with growers and industry groups discussing the latest issues, challenges and opportunities.
The conferences were hosted by Horticulture New Zealand who represents more than 4,500 growers across New Zealand. This year’s focus was on giving the industry a platform to share ideas and inspiration in line with the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan.
Two conference programmes – the RSE Conference and Horticulture Conference – were merged into one over three days of presentations, speakers and exhibitors, including PrimeHort. It was great for our team to connect with customers from the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and as far afield as Tasman and Central Otago. We are thankful to everyone who stopped by our stand.
Here’s a couple of insights from us:
Smartgro Hort Orange Twine proved to be a hit! Our buying strategy on this quality string enables us to get a very enticing price-point for customers. We are able to fill a container with string, so this volume based approach reduces costs and we’re able to pass the savings on directly to growers.
Latex Contractor Gloves were also popular, especially among delegates who reviewed the gloves for the protection and safety of their RSE teams. Gloves are an important cog in the wheel for helping people work to their full potential.
Bamboo Stakes remain a top runner in the industry for supporting young plants, nurturing roots and encouraging strong upright growth.
The conferences provided many high-quality speakers, including Hon. Nicola Grigg, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Horticulture), Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Immigration and Tim Jarvis, Adventurer and Environmental Scientist. Tim discussed leading expeditions to Antarctica and what it takes to manage teams to perform at the highest level. He gave strategic and practical sustainability advice and was a very inspiring speaker.
Maurice Windle, Head of Orchard Operations at Apollo Apples, and Bruno Lee, Team Leader of RSE workers, shared how the RSE program has positively impacted their workplace – economically and culturally, but also helped families in the Solomon Islands. RSE workers are the backbone of the horticulture industry, and it’s heartening to hear these stories.
As a final thought, one of the things we find inspiring about the industry is that even though growers compete as businesses, their collaborative spirit and willingness to communicate and help one another is truly special.
Horticulture is a fast-changing landscape, so please do not hesitate to contact us for product information to help you succeed.
We love growing with the industry!
