A stronger voice for vegetable growers

The vegetable industry is reshaping how it represents itself, with a new structure designed to bring growers together under one banner while keeping existing product groups intact.

As of 1 April, vegetable growers across New Zealand will be represented by a new umbrella organisation called the NZ Vegetable Council.

The council has been formed by Onions NZ, Process Vegetables NZ, TomatoesNZ and Vegetables NZ, with support from Horticulture NZ.

Rather than creating an additional layer of bureaucracy, the change refines the current model to improve efficiency and influence.

Transition Board chair Kevin Wilcox says the aim is to focus effort and ensure the levies collected from growers go further.

The vegetable sector is worth about $1.1 billion a year, but has often presented itself as four or five smaller industries.

That fragmentation has made it harder to engage with government and regulators.

Wilcox says coming together as a unified sector, while keeping individual boards and levies in place, gives growers the best of both worlds.

He says the industry is at a crossroads.

Growers are under pressure from policy settings that do not support vegetable production, while the cost of growing vegetables continues to rise.

Margins are being squeezed and long term viability is being challenged.

Without greater certainty and a return to profitability, growers cannot realistically be expected to keep investing in production for domestic and export markets.

Wilcox says a more unified sector can tell its story more effectively and better demonstrate its importance to the wider economy.

NZVeg will operate as an umbrella organisation by repurposing Horticulture Executive Services Limited, which already employs staff working across some vegetable product groups. The intention is to streamline services rather than expand organisational layers.

Existing product group boards and levy structures will remain in place, maintaining accountability back to growers.

Those groups will work together through NZVeg to ensure the vegetable sector is heard and listened to in Wellington.

The organisation will work across grower support, policy, research and extension, biosecurity and market access, with the aim of building a resilient industry that feeds the nation and competes internationally.

It is currently governed by a transition board, supported by an operations manager, while recruitment begins for a chief executive.

Under the new arrangement, outdoor crop growers and covered cropping growers will continue to be supported through dedicated business managers, ensuring continuity for both systems.

Process vegetable growers will also continue working with their existing point of contact.

One of the practical benefits for growers is a clearer structure, with staff operating within a single entity so there is no confusion about who to approach for help.

The consolidated approach also reduces duplication, particularly in government and policy engagement, while creating the scale to employ specialist staff in priority areas such as trade and biosecurity.