Developments

Cheers to a good brew

Sam Wood (left) and Willy Cowper. -Aaldert Verplanke Brewing your own beer is a challenge for most people and more known for the disasters than the good ”batch”. This story is about Kiwi ingenuity, passion, perseverance, believing in the product and a “sustainability” philosophy. Ian Williams is a brew master and has travelled the world practicing his trade. Encouraged by his uncle to come up with a “fail proof” brewing kit for home brewers, Ian spent about 2 years developing the process and ingredients to produce high quality beer at home. When he finished his first prototype, it was time to consider manufacturing a saleable product. He took the design to Sam Wood at ATI engineering in Hastings to manufacture the brewing appliance. Sam was keen and thought, “great – all the design and development work is done; now we just have to make it.” However, to get to a sellable product it took another year and a half. Producing an appliance that involves heating, cooling and pressure, has lots of challenges. Keeping the cost down was one of them, and still is. The WilliamsWarn BrewMaster was finally created, capable of producing consistently good beer with ingredients supplied by WilliamsWarn. This would not have happened if it were not for NZ and overseas investors who believed in the product – Sam had also become a shareholder. However, the small number of appliances produced meant that costs were prohibitive, so the decision was made to design a lower cost product that could be manufactured offshore using mass manufacturing techniques not available here in NZ. A complete rethink and redesign by Sam resulted in the introduction of the BrewKeg™ that is now produced in four different brew batch sizes, from a small 10L homebrew kit up to 150L for the microbreweries. It […]

NZ bioactives initiative targeting $51 billion global industry

Bioactives from plant-based foods and horticulture an opportunity to kick-start a high value Māori-led export sector An initiative to extract and commercialise high value bioactive molecules from plant-based foods and horticulture for the global bioactive ingredient market, expected to reach USD 51.71 billion by 2024, has the potential to kick-start a new Māori-led export sector. Bay of Plenty-based Te Whāi Ao Ltd has joined forces with Hamilton-based nanotech business Ligar LP to develop a pipeline of high value bioactive molecules to capitalise on the burgeoning consumer interest in bioactives and immunity boosting supplements, alongside plant-based foods. At today’s launch, Te Whai Ao and Ligar signed a memorandum of understanding to collaboratively plan and develop a new entity called The Refinery, a business and facility focussed on the large scale extraction and commercialisation of bioactives. The Bioactives Refinery Project was the catalyst for the public launch of the Solutions Lab led by Te Whai Ao, the first of the regional Federation of Māori Authorities’ member-led FOMA Innovation Solutions Labs designed to provide Māori with new pathways into innovative enterprises and to increase participation in the hitech sector. Te Horipo Karaitiana the Chief Executive of Te Awanui Huka Pak and Te Whāi Ao (pictured above)says bioactives from Aotearoa New Zealand plant-based foods and horticulture present an opportunity to kick-start a new Māori-led export sector. “Bioactives from horticultural waste streams will open up sustainable opportunities for Māori to increase the value of primary sector exports. The initiative is a perfect fit for our innovation company Te Whai Ao, which is focussed on growing revenue by expanding and deepening the impact of horticultural activities, and growing capability and enterprise for Māori. This initiative has the potential to grow a new generation of great jobs for Maori,” says Karaitiana. “By partnering with Ligar we can […]

Fonterra confirms appointment of Teh-han Chow to CEO Greater China

Fonterra is pleased to confirm the appointment of Teh-han Chow to the role of Chief Executive Officer, Greater China. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says since December 2019, Teh-han has been at the helm in an acting capacity, overseeing the Co-op’s overall Greater China business, including Ingredients, Foodservice, Consumer Brands and China Farms. “He’s made an impressive contribution. It’s certainly not been a steady-state. Teh-han has been responsible for implementation of our new strategy across the Greater China business, and over the course of this calendar year, has shown outstanding resilience, resourcefulness and empathy in getting his team and our China business through the ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 global pandemic. “Teh-han’s leadership has helped keep us in good shape during a very challenging set of circumstances, and I’m delighted to welcome him formally to the Fonterra Management Team – it’s well deserved”.

DairyNZ: the top 10 things Government can do for dairy

DairyNZ has released its ten policy priorities for the 2020 election and its ‘The View from the Cow Shed’ report which provides policymakers with insight from the farm, says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. “This election we wanted to give voice to dairy farmers’ concerns and priorities to help politicians better understand the issues impacting on farmers. So, we surveyed our dairy farmers and asked them what they thought,” said Dr Mackle. “Our dairy farmers are world-leaders in the production of sustainable, emission efficient and nutritious dairy, but we still have a significant farmer confidence and wellbeing issue in this country that pre-dates Covid-19.” The View from the Cow Shed survey compiled feedback from dairy farmers across New Zealand. Key trends include challenges with mental health, technology and government regulation. “It was really encouraging to see that 94 percent of farmers reported they were proud to be working in the dairy industry at the moment,” said Dr Mackle. “But at the same time, 62 percent of farmers said they or someone on their farm had experienced mental health issues over the last year – with an uncertain regulatory framework identified as one of the main contributing causes. “50 percent of farmers said they don’t have access to the broadband internet they need and 52 percent don’t have adequate mobile reception on farm.” Dr Mackle said when asked about their community’s outlook over the next three years, 64 percent of farmers expect things to decline. “Farmers were also asked what motivated them the most to get out of bed in the morning – what was great to see is that working and caring for animals is the main driver for 43 percent of farmers. Providing for their family came in a close second,” said Dr Mackle. “This sends a tremendous […]

Compostable cucumber wrap adapted for magazines

A compostable shrink-wrap developed in South Australia for cucumbers has been adapted to magazine film opening up a potentially huge market for its Adelaide manufacturer. The alternative plastic wrapping was invented by Adelaide-based compostable bag producer BioBag World Australia last year with a number of supermarket chains now using the product for fruit and veg. The bio-wrap was first used on cucumbers sold at South Australian independent grocer Drakes Supermarkets following a partnership with produce and packaging business IG Fresh Produce. Company managing director Scott Morton said the development of the plastic alternative mailing film was the result of a partnership with South Australian-based Direct Mail Centre of Australia. “It took us about a month to develop the first film wrap, which was an industrial compost version,” Morton said. “We then tried to take it one step further and we created a new version which was suitable for home compost … so that even outside of South Australia, where industrial compost isn’t necessarily available, we would have a solution.” The cucumber wrap was launched in September as an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional polyethylene plastic wrap and has since been adapted for a range of uses – most recently as a magazine film. BioBag World Australia’s bioplastic film is made from a compostable resin called Mater-Bi that uses substances obtained from plants including non-genetically modified corn starch. The company’s Adelaide operation is the Australian base of BioBag World, which is headquartered in Norway and has a number of other subsidiaries around the globe. According to the State Government’s environmental services body Green Industries SA, plastic production rose from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014 and is estimated to weigh almost the same amount as the entire human population. Green Industries SA expects plastic waste to […]

First Fieldays Online a virtual success

The Fieldays Online concept and digital platform was created in just under 108 days. As New Zealand went into the national lockdown the New Zealand National Fieldays Society (NZNFS) began building an online event following the cancellation of the physical Fieldays; effectively transforming the largest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere into a completely virtual experience. The success of the event, which was held from the 13th – 26th July, was measured in several ways, from visitor numbers to global reach. Total digital visitors hit 90,455, with attendees from over 75 countries accessing nearly 300 exhibitors and over 24 hours of Fieldays TV content. Digital adoption in higher age groups exceeded expectations with 40 per cent of registered users in the 50+ age group. “The analytics show great viewership and engagement with the explosion of international visitors and, locally, a much higher regional spread beyond the traditional Fieldays. The success of this years’ event was a testament to the strong collaboration with our exhibitors and our relationships with industry leaders that got behind it despite not having a benchmark,” said Peter Nation, CEO NZNFS. The timing of the event was positioned to allow time for exhibitors to return to business post lockdown and leverage the event to the fullest; whilst this fell during the beginning of calving, registered users in the dairy industry ranked third in industry type. “It’s great to see Fieldays increasingly showcasing how we take our agricultural innovation global. Supporting growth and uptake of agritech will help future-proof the industry, increase high-value exports while improving sustainability and efficiency,” remarked Simon Yarrow, Agritech Group Manager at Callaghan Innovation. International supporters, Enterprise Ireland, who attended Fieldays for the 14th year, found that moving to an online event widened engagement with clients and colleagues overseas. “Despite the cancellation of the […]

Research finds meat consumers prefer local

The country of origin is the number one characteristic consumers use when choosing meat, and they mostly prefer their own local products, a new Lincoln University study shows. This emphasis on locally grown meat was identified in new research* by Dr Nic Lees and Joshua Aboah. Dr Lees said the results had significant implications for New Zealand meat exporters, as in many markets New Zealand is competing with local products. “In these countries we need to provide consumers with a reason to choose our products rather than their locally produced beef or lamb. “Traditionally we have been able to compete by selling at a lower price. He said while the research showed that price is an important factor, there were other areas New Zealand could focus on to compete. For example, Dr Lees said, the fourth most important factor for consumers was the type of production system. “New Zealand has an advantage here because of our natural, grass-fed farming systems. “There is an opportunity to take greater advantage of this, however this requires communicating these attributes directly to consumers.” In the research, they sought to determine the most important indicators of quality that consumers use in their purchasing decisions, and analysed the results of 47 recent research articles on the topic. There were some exceptions to the “local products first” finding in countries where their consumers do not having confidence in their own food safety standards, such as China and Brazil. *Consumers use of quality cues for meat purchase: Research trends and future pathways https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174020300966?via%3Dihub

Ecogas processing of food waste to produce energy and bio-fertiliser at Reporoa

The start of construction of New Zealand’s first large-scale food waste-to-bioenergy facility at Reporoa, in the central North Island[1] will provide a model for all communities. The collection and processing of food wastes into bioenergy and bio-fertiliser will provide an example that all communities across New Zealand could follow said the Bioenergy Association. Brian Cox, Executive Officer of the Bioenergy Association said that “ The Ecogas processing of food waste uses proven technologies and is widely done in most other countries. New Zealand has been slow to adopt circular economy principles where food wastes are processed to make other products rather than discharge to landfill. There is no reason why all communities across New Zealand could not have zero organic waste going to landfill by 2030.” “The production of biogas from the waste will allow the generation of electricity, provide hot house heating, produce high value biofertiliser, and provide carbon dioxide for enhanced plant growth in the hot houses. These are valuable products which will reduce T & G Fresh’s horticulture operating costs and increase productivity. ‘This is on top of the avoided cost of disposing of organic wastes from the site, as well as those communities who have contracted to supply organic waste instead of disposing of it into landfills.” The BioenergyAssociation has identified that 1.8Mt CO2-e of greenhouse gases could be reduced if this type of project was extended to other food processors and communities. Mr Cox said that “Through its assistance from the Provincial Growth Fund it is great that the Government has recognised that using organic waste to produce energy and other co-products is good for business and communities and that proactive climate change policies can have a very positive upside to communities and the economy.” [1] EcoGas and T & G Global announcement https://tandg.global/new-zealands-first-food-waste-to-bioenergy-facility-gets-underway/

Igniting Irish and Kiwi innovation at Fieldays Online

World leaders in agriculture, New Zealand and Ireland have long been connected by a shared focus on innovation. ‘ The two island nations, despite being on opposite sides of the globe, both continue to push boundaries in the agritech sector. Nowhere is this clearer than the special relationship between the New Zealand National Fieldays Society and Enterprise Ireland. Over the years the Society has sent New Zealand innovations to the Irish National Ploughing Championships to participate in the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Awards and regularly hosts entrants from Ireland in the Fieldays Innovation Awards programme. Both platforms have been invaluable steppingstones for Irish and Kiwi companies into each other’s market. “This dynamic connection allows us to share knowledge and support our local entrants as they look to work in the Irish market. Covid-19 has highlighted the fundamental role of agriculture and food production around the world. Together New Zealand and Ireland are demonstrating how innovation is at the centre of stabilizing this for the future and the need to encourage and support innovators,” says Fieldays Innovation Awards event organiser, Gail Hendricks. Despite the physical Fieldays being cancelled this year, Fieldays Online provided a borderless digital platform for the awards for two weeks, with winners announced virtually on Friday 24th July. James Maloney, Senior Regional Development Executive at Enterprise Ireland, is a regular visitor to Fieldays and recognises the innovative commonalities between the two great agricultural nations. “It is a real bonus that Fieldays gave them a platform in 2020, having the innovative spirit and courage to adapt and deliver a virtual show in these very challenging times. Farming never stops and the companies and innovations involved in this resilient sector work with them every step of the way. “Both countries excel in pasture-based farming to deliver quality dairy food exports across […]

DairyNZ: RMA changes must deliver better outcomes

DairyNZ is backing changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) to deliver reduced compliance costs for farmers, increase efficiency and improve environmental outcomes. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said a comprehensive reform of the RMA is long overdue and would be a positive step not only for farmers but all New Zealanders. “The RMA has become too unpredictable and inefficient for applicants. Farmers will be keen to see this reform deliver a process which is faster, simpler and less costly,” said Dr Mackle. “Potentially replacing the RMA with two separate pieces of legislation for environment and planning makes a lot of sense and will deliver better outcomes for farm environments, which face different issues than our urban counterparts. “A separate environment act would also support clear and efficient environmental rule settings,” said Dr Mackle. “The proposal for each region to put forward a combined development plan has some merit. A regional view could support better decision-making on issues such as the appropriate use of land to lock up carbon and the opportunities to support land use flexibility through new irrigation. “We are asking all political parties to reflect seriously on these recommendations and to work quickly on achieving meaningful reform in the next term of Parliament.”

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