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Good afternoon
Horticulture New Zealand’s objective during the COVID-19 response is to ensure that growers and packhouses and the entire horticulture industry, including support services and distribution, can continue to operate as an essential service, and provide New Zealanders with fresh fruit and vegetables, now and over the coming months.
Our main communications channel is the HortNZ website. Please keep an eye out for regular updates, which we will also email out when they happen. Our aim is to have all the up to date and accurate information that the industry needs, in the one place.
At the moment, there are more questions than answers, for example, around the essential service registration process, how packhouses will operate in practice, RSE workers, etc.
We are working very hard to find answers to all your questions, are constantly in dialogue with the Government, and will update our website as soon as the Government and other agencies have provided us with answers.
For apple and/or pear growers, you can access industry specific information here.
For kiwifruit growers, you can access industry specific information here.
For potato growers, you can access industry specific information here.
And for avocado growers, you can access industry specific information here.
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Essential services key questions and risk mitigations
HortNZ has been collating issues and questions from growers and industry organisations to assist in preparing Covid-19 risk management protocols and answering the key questions required by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for growers, packhouses and horticulture industry services to remain in operation.
The priority questions we have asked MPI to answer are to do with aspects of production and other operations:
- How to apply the 2m social distancing rule in an indoor and outdoor environment and other conditions that can be used when exact spacing isn’t practically possible?
- Can growers and other individuals who perform essential services in the horticulture industry who are over 70 years of age be exempt from the governments general instruction of remaining at home?
- Can the horticulture industry be prioritised access to personal protection equipment (PPE), by receiving a statement from MPI that can be used when making PPE orders with suppliers?
- Can independent fresh fruit and vegetable shops remain open?
- Will essential services workers in the horticulture industry need some sort of documentation for movement to/from their places of work? If so, what will they need?
MPI has committed to providing answers to these priority questions as soon as possible, however, we do not know when this will be. In the interim, essential service businesses are asked to use transitional arrangements that progressively move towards higher levels of on-site worker isolation to contain the risk of the virus spread.
There have been many other issues and questions provided to HortNZ. We are progressively clarifying these with MPI and will update the HortNZ website as the official information is received.
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Who to contact at HortNZ
HortNZ has set itself up in the following way in response to COVID-19. Please call or email the person/s noted below if you have questions or concerns that fall into their areas.
Assisting industry applications to Register as an Essential Service – including protocols for field and packhouse operations
Leanne Stewart Leanne.Stewart@hortnz.co.nz 021 582 711
Ailsa Robertson Ailsa.Robertson@hortnz.co.nz 027 317 7019
Providing Policy and Procedural advice to Government on essential service registration – including maintaining action point list with Government
Leanne Stewart Leanne.Stewart@hortnz.co.nz 021 582 711
Ailsa Robertson Ailsa.Robertson@hortnz.co.nz 027 317 7019
Government financial support packages for growers and organisations
Karen Orr Karen.Orr@hortnz.co.nz 021 926 890
Abhishek Chatley Abhishek.Chatley@hortnz.co.nz 04 470 5865
Grower, worker, community and staff welfare / mental health
Kerry Norman Kerry.Norman@hortnz.co.nz 027 277 4749
Anna Rathe Anna.Rathe@hortnz.co.nz 027 303 1020
Health and Safety
Antony Heywood Antony.Heywood@hortnz.co.nz 021 998 038
Assurance, certification and NZGAP
Damien Farrelly Damien.Farrelly@hortnz.co.nz 027 536 8063
Environment, RMA, councils actions and related issues
Michelle Sands Michelle.Sands@hortnz.co.nz 021 610 653
Jordyn Landers Jordyn.Landers@hortnz.co.nz 027 542 7783
Rachel McClung Rachel.McClung@hortnz.co.nz 027 582 7474
Lucy Deverall Lucy.Deverall@hortnz.co.nz 027 582 6655
Placement of New Zealanders to work in horticulture:
Overall coordination, Government applications and Horowhenua Region
Christel Hamer c.hamer@massey.co.nz 021 463 335
Northland
Maria Fathollahi Maria.Fathollahi@hortnz.co.nz 021 052 6344
Bay of Plenty / Kiwifruit
NZKGI info@nzkgi.org.nz
Hawkes Bay / Apples
NZAPI info@applesandpears.nz
Nelson
Robyn Patterson hortnzcareersnelson@outlook.co.nz
Central Otago
Chelsea Donnelly chelsea.donnelly@hortnz.co.nz
RSE, immigration and employment
Jerf vanBeek Jerf.vanBeek@hortnz.co.nz 027 479 0375
Mike Chapman Mike.Chapman@hortnz.co.nz 027 487 4264
Media, grower communications
Andrew Bristol Andrew.Bristol@hortnz.co.nz 021 0216 2021
Hugh Chesterman Hugh.Chesterman@hortnz.co.nz 027 325 5779
Zoom videoconference information sessions and videos
Amy Miller Amy.Miller@hortnz.co.nz 027 416 5031
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RSE visas
Other categories to be confirmed
In essence, after 2 April 2020, RSE Visas will be extended automatically. However, for how long has not been confirmed but at least until June 2020.
Where an RSE visa expires before 2 April 2020, contact the RSE unit or liaison manager and an interim visa will be issued.
Click here for up-to-date information from Immigration New Zealand.
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NZGAP and GLOBALG.A.P. certification during Covid-19 lockdown
NZGAP is fully operational in a remote capacity and will continue to provide certification services to growers going forward. Key points for growers are:
Follow the usual processes for NZGAP registration and renewal
- Growers are advised to complete forms online via www.nzgap.co.nz or via email to nzgap@hortnz.co.nz given the team are working remotely.
- Growers are advised to make payments online via internet banking.
Growers can request an extension of up to 5 months
- Growers can request an extension of up to 5 months for existing NZGAP certification by emailing nzgap@hortnz.co.nz. When renewal is eventually completed, the certification anniversary date will revert to the original anniversary date (plus 1 year).
NZGAP is working with AsureQuality and SGS on development and implementation of remote audit capabilities (more information on this in the coming days).
GLOBALG.A.P.
- GLOBALG.A.P. has introduced a temporary rule, which will apply for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic: A maximum of 8 months certificate extension to allow AsureQuality or SGS to delay the on-site inspection/audit
- Contact AsureQuality at gap@asurequality.com or SGS sally.green@sgs.com to request an extension
- The precondition for extension beyond 4 months is a completed remote inspection/audit
- During the extension period a regular on-site inspection/audit shall take place
- Certificates issued under extension will be considered valid
- Certification bodies have been issued with detailed instructions about the procedures to follow the implementation of these temporary rules.
Andrew Bristol
HortNZ Communications Manager
Ph: 021 021 62 021
Email: andrew.bristol@hortnz.co.nz
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