News Ticker

Launch of the New Zealand Agritech Story

New Zealand has a new story to tell, one that highlights the nation’s ingenuity, development of cutting-edge technology, and care for its people and place. The New Zealand Agritech Story provides a compelling way of promoting New Zealand’s agricultural technology internationally, to build awareness and preference for New Zealand solutions and ultimately help more New Zealand agritech businesses succeed on the world stage. The NZ Agritech Story includes a comprehensive suite of free promotional materials that highlight New Zealand’s leading edge in the sector. Peter Wren-Hilton, the executive director of Agritech New Zealand, said the story would make a key difference for export companies. “The sector is highly competitive, with companies from around the world all promoting their products. The New Zealand Agritech Story will provide us with a distinctive voice, a way to engage with customers and communities and explain to them why Kiwi companies are different, both in the way we have developed our innovative solutions and the way we operate as partners. “Agritech has a significant value for New Zealand’s export economy – it currently contributes about $1.5 billion to our export receipts – and campaigns like this will support its growth. “We’re excited to share the Story for the first time internationally this week as part of New Zealand’s presence at Ireland’s National Ploughing Championship, where we’ll also be showcasing some cutting edge Storytelling with the Agritech Mixed Reality experience.” The development of the agritech story fits within the framework of the New Zealand Story and was informed by the gathering of comprehensive market insights, to better understand current perceptions of New Zealand agritech – areas of strength, weakness or possible misconceptions. The Story is designed to help respond to these issues. Central to the New Zealand Story is the Māori concept of Kaitiakitanga (guardianship, for […]

ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library launched for food and beverage production

Process automation technology provides customers with optimal routing and ‘cleaning-in-place’ to increase efficiency and reduce costs. ABB has launched ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library which is a control engineering inventory for food and beverage manufacturers and those in other liquid related industries, including tank farms, pharmaceuticals and chemical resin plants. The new digital application draws on ABB Ability System 800xA, the most powerful Distributed Control System (DCS) automation platform in the market and will support routing and cleaning in place (CIP) functionalities needed for liquid-led production. It can be used wherever products are transported, stored or processed in tanks and lines and is particularly relevant to dairy, brewing, sugar, mills and edible oil application programming. Ready-made objects including libraries, typicals, and templates for product routing, with recipe-based CIP, track and trace, preventive plant maintenance, Excel-based bulk data tools are made available for customers through the library. Functionalities include alarm handling, alarm propagation between different units, queue handling for online production changes, control and supervision of process objects, interlocks and transfer of product and equipment settings like product codes, unit names and unit states. ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library will support food and beverage customers in their digitalisation journey. Customers are driving innovation in process automation, digitalising their production sites for greater speed, consistency and quality and Liquid Routing Library is an important piece of this jigsaw. Having a complete library for product routing, with ready-made objects and templates will allow users greater visibility and understanding of what is happening at each stage of the process. We know that routing and cleaning in place support are vitally important in food and beverage plants. This is built-in and at-any-stage ABB support from experts or additional documentation is available. Operators will be able to diagnose issues quicker than before and have solutions ready, […]

IrrigationNZ appoints Vanessa Winning as new chief executive

IrrigationNZ is delighted to announce that Vanessa Winning has been appointed as the organisation’s new chief executive starting on Monday 19th October, based in its new Wellington HQ. Vanessa is a strategic executive leader with over 20 years experience in the agriculture, banking and corporate sectors with excellent stakeholder management and engagement skills. Vanessa was most recently General Manager Farm Performance at DairyNZ, where she led a large team across the country to help farmers improve their businesses and reduce environmental impacts. Prior to DairyNZ, Vanessa spent 18 years in banking; trade; product development; marketing and communications. Vanessa has a commerce degree in economics and management, and a postgraduate degree in marketing. Vanessa has also just completed a contract for the Federation of Māori Authorities (FOMA) on a He Waka Eke Noa project. “The irrigation sector has much work ahead to continue building public trust and bridge knowledge gaps about the benefits that fair water management can bring to our communities and environment – we believe Vanessa is the right person to drive this,” says Keri Johnston, chair of IrrigationNZ. “Vanessa has the strategic vision to lead our sector in the right direction: she partners to achieve positive outcomes; has commercial experience to grow an effective organisation; understands the primary sector and has worked in it managing large teams; and can navigate the increasingly complex area of water management in New Zealand.” Commenting on her new position, Vanessa said: “I see so much potential for water in our country – its sensible harvesting, fair management, and pragmatic use for balanced outcomes across the economy, environment, and all of our communities, including mana whenua. I can’t wait to get stuck into the role!” Vanessa is a mum of two girls and during her time as a senior executive, has given time […]

KiwiHarvest urges Kiwis to waste less and feed more this World Food Day

Today, on World Food Day, Aotearoa’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest is calling for New Zealanders to Waste Less and instead Donate Food to local organisations – as the economic impact of COVID-19 means that more Kiwis are struggling with food hardship than ever before. Blandina Diamond, KiwiHarvest General Manager, says that while initial donations from generous individuals and businesses have been a significant help, demand for food has remained consistently high, even since lockdown came to an end. Between April and September of this year, KiwiHarvest distributed over 1.2 million kgs of food – an increase of over 60% from the same time last year. Before COVID-19, KiwiHarvest distributed an average of 98,000kgs of food per month to its recipient agencies which rose to 216,000kgs at its peak in June, an increase of 120.4%. “The support we’ve received from businesses and individuals so far has made an enormous difference to those in need. In spite of this generosity, we’re going to see the fallout of COVID-19 being felt for a long time, and food insecurity in Aotearoa being an ongoing issue for many of our most vulnerable whanau and families. “At the same time, figures from Love Food Hate Waste estimate that each and every year Kiwis throw away over 157,000 tonnes of food which could feed over 337,000 people. It’s disheartening to see so much good food going to landfill which wastes growing and supply chain resources and creates greenhouse gases, when it could instead be redistributed to communities in need. “This World Food Day, we’re encouraging individuals and families to look at their own food choices and behaviours to see how they can reduce their food waste and instead donate food to their local food bank or organisation to help create a food secure Aotearoa,” says Diamond. […]

Agricultural equipment sector remains positive

The agricultural equipment sector remains in a positive mood throughout the country says the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA), which represents the sector in manufacturing, retailing and distribution. TAMA sales statistics for the year to date (September 30) are down around 18 percent compared with 2019‘s record-breaking year, however indicators remain positive as New Zealand enters the peak of another growing season. TAMA president Kyle Baxter said despite sales volumes being down in some equipment ranges, members were confident regarding business trading across dealerships and local equipment manufacturing. Customers were already discussing their machine requirements for autumn and spring 2021, which was a really encouraging sign, Mr Baxter said. “Everyone has benefited from a mostly favourable winter around the country. This weather was greatly appreciated by many customers in a year that has seen a never-ending list of challenges.” Mr Baxter said one big challenge still facing TAMA members was the continuation of international border restrictions. “Many TAMA members rely on overseas staff to fulfil a broad range of roles within dealerships, manufacturing and technical support roles. With these roles not being able to be filled from overseas during the season, and possibly beyond, TAMA is urging its members to look at other options available.” These options included COVID-19 government funding for businesses who take on new apprentices or retrain unemployed people from other sectors. The TAMA triennial employment survey, which came out in August, showed that the industry had 318 apprentices but needed 176 more. The survey also showed that around 25% of the workforce could likely retire in the next 15 years while only 32% of staff are aged under 30. “We want to attract more under 30s into our industry to help ensure sound succession planning. Given the huge uptake and integration of […]

ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library launched for food and beverage production

KC Wearable announces partnership with food factory for worker safety

The KC N901 Smart Helmet, developed by leading technology and innovation company KC Wearable, has been deployed at Africa’s largest instant noodle manufacturing plant, as food manufacturing groups look to protect their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. KC Wearable has announced a partnership with Dufil Group, who are responsible for the production of Indomie, one of the world’s most popular Mi Goreng instant noodle brands, as well as oil and pasta brands Power and MiniMie. The KC N901 Smart Helmet will be used as a COVID-19 symptom detector, helping Dufil Group to protect staff at the factory. Nigeria has seen almost 57,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far. As new cases continue to emerge, interest the wearable thermal detection device has grown. The KC Smart Helmet allows users to screen multiple individuals for a key symptom of COVID-19 at once, helping to stop the spread of the virus. The helmet can detect fevers, the most prevalent symptom of the virus, with 96% accuracy. Unlike traditional static thermal cameras, the wearable headset improves the efficiency and flexibility of COVID-19 screening, enabling the user to freely move around an area. The helmet can scan up to 200 people a minute, making it well suited to public settings like transport hubs, hospitals or parks. The KC N901 Smart Helmet has been deployed at Dufil Group’s food manufacturing plant in Nigeria, allowing the company to screen employees for high fevers upon entry. Working in collaboration with KC Wearable, Dufil Group have tailored the smart helmet to fit the requirements of a factory setting. This includes personalised detection, enabling security staff to isolate outbreaks. Powered by sophisticated augmented reality technology, the helmet visor’s thermo-scan sensors show the temperature of people in real time. The helmet is effective within a five-metre radius, enabling the wearer to […]

Fonterra sells China farms

Fonterra has agreed to sell its China farms for a total of $555 million (RMB 2.5 billion*1), after successfully developing the farms alongside local partners. Inner Mongolia Natural Dairy Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China Youran Dairy Group Limited (Youran), has agreed to purchase Fonterra’s two farming-hubs in Ying and Yutian for $513 million (RMB 2.31 billion*1). Separately, Fonterra has agreed to sell its 85 per cent interest in its Hangu farm to Beijing Sanyuan Venture Capital Co., Ltd. (Sanyuan), for $42 million (RMB 190 million*1). Sanyuan has a 15 per cent minority shareholding in the farm and exercised their right of first refusal to purchase Fonterra’s interest. CEO Miles Hurrell says in building the farms, Fonterra has demonstrated its commitment to the development of the Chinese dairy industry. “We’ve worked closely with local players, sharing our expertise in farming techniques and animal husbandry, and contributed to the growth of the industry. “We don’t shy away from the fact that establishing farms from scratch in China has been challenging, but our team has successfully developed productive model farms, supplying high quality fresh milk to the local consumer market. It’s now time to pass the baton to Youran and Sanyuan to continue the development of these farms.” Mr Hurrell says the sale of the farms will allow the Co-op to prioritise the areas of its business where it has competitive advantages. “For the last 18 months, we have been reviewing every part of the business to ensure our assets and investments meet the needs of the Co-op today. Selling the farms is in line with our decision to focus on our New Zealand farmers’ milk. “China remains one of Fonterra’s most important strategic markets, receiving around a quarter of our production. Selling the farms will allow us to focus even more […]

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Scholarship offers young people boost into beekeeping career

Young people wanting to start a career in beekeeping are being encouraged to apply for the annual Ron Mossop Youth Scholarship, sponsored by Mossop’s Honey and Apiculture New Zealand. The scholarship was set up three years ago as a way of giving young people the best possible start in the apiculture industry. The scholarship includes $2000 to be put towards best practice training and/or set up costs. It also includes membership of industry body Apiculture New Zealand for a year and attendance at the industry’s national conference in the year of the award. Last year’s recipient Jess Curtis says the scholarship has allowed her to get a head start in her chosen career and provided important connections within the industry. “It allowed me to get stuck in and set up with everything I needed to begin my journey,” she says. Jess is currently enrolled in the ApiNZ Apprenticeship in Apiculture scheme and is working alongside Taylor Pass Honey in Wanaka. Her long-term goal is to establish a thriving boutique honey business on her family farm that can be used as a base to educate customers about the importance of beekeeping and sustainability. She encourages other young people with an interest in apiculture to apply. “I would highly recommend applying for the scholarship, even if you haven’t started an apprenticeship or don’t know where to start. In my opinion, the industry is only going to keep growing and the demand for skilled individuals is there.” The scholarship is named after industry pioneer, Ron Mossop, who started his family beekeeping businesses in the 1940s. His business was built on values of quality and integrity, which remain at the heart of Mossop’s Honey today. Neil Mossop said his family were thrilled to be able to pass on those values to a new generation […]

DairyNZ: working together delivers the best results

Sector body DairyNZ is encouraged by many of the pragmatic solutions being put on the table for agriculture policies to encourage sustainable, profitable farming. DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel said working in partnership with the next government, whoever that is, is a priority and it is pleasing to see parties putting a largely positive vision forward for New Zealand agriculture. “We welcome the discussion around farming, as dairy farmers are keen to see practical policies on the table. As a food-producing nation, we are at the forefront of free-range farm systems, safe nutritious food, sustainability and economic value. It’s vital we get policies right,” said Mr van der Poel. “It’s good to see the parties discussing key policies to help, and work with, the food and fibre sector and farmers. What will be most helpful to NZ Inc. is for any incoming government to sit down after being elected and work through the issues and plans together with the sector and farmers. “DairyNZ is keen to see pragmatic, enduring solutions that will deliver for rural communities, the environment, farm systems and the economy.” Mr van der Poel said some aspects of policy proposals appear particularly valuable – including Labour’s support for farm plans and committing funding to help their implementation; and National’s proposal to revisit some regulations, investment in broadband and RMA changes. An investment in farm plans is valued, as DairyNZ has advocated for Farm Environment Plans and has a target in place. “Through the sector’s Dairy Tomorrow strategy, we have a commitment to have all farms with an environment plan by 2025. This underpins our sector’s efforts to improve the health of rivers and streams, protect biodiversity and reduce emissions. “Increased support to implement farm plans will go some way to helping farmers deliver on this commitment.” […]

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