Kia ora koutou
If you are a member of NZ Apples & Pears, please go here for information.
If you are a member of NZ Avocado, please go here.
If you are a kiwifruit grower, please go here.
If you are a member of Potatoes NZ, please go here
For all other growers and parts of the horticulture industry, please see below.
The HortNZ Update 7 is as follows
The Government has announced this afternoon that New Zealand, south of Auckland, will move to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 August.
The boundary south of Auckland will be the same boundary as used in February this year. Please click here to see it on a map.
The Government has made today’s decisions based on the highly infectious nature of the Delta Covid variant and the dramatic impact it could have on the country through widespread community transmission.
In making the announcement, the Government also said that there will be no travel across this boundary, unless the person is an essential worker and their employer has successfully applied and received an exemption and associated QR code. Employees should carry their QR code and the exemption letter from their employer, at all times, as well as identification like a driver licence.
The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is running the exemption process. Exemption applications can be made from 12pm, noon on Sunday 29 August. Employers, please go to the MBIE website on Sunday afternoon to make an application.
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Acknowledgement of hard work
I would like to thank Pukekohe Vegetable Growers’ Association (PVGA) Chair Kylie Faulkner, Onions NZ, Potatoes NZ, Vegetables NZ and TomatoesNZ for their work around where the border south of Auckland could be placed and how that border could function. This work was done to ensure New Zealanders could have access to fresh and healthy vegetables, now and in the near future.
A huge thank you to NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) Chief Executive, Colin Bond for coordinating all of the information for the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) about our industry’s labour needs, in terms of capability and capacity, particularly over the next three to four weeks. Also, thanks to Onions NZ Chief Executive, James Kuperus for his excellent work to capture the more granular information.
Product Group chief executives and business managers have worked together closely this week, and the result has been very positive for all of our members. A big thanks to everyone in our sector who has provided information at short notice, while doing their day jobs and coping with the extra complexity and uncertainty that this Alert Level 4 lockdown has created.
Last and certainly not least, I want to acknowledge and thank the horticulture response team at MPI, led by Penny Nelson and Chris Kerr. They have also put in huge hours along with their team and we really appreciate their effort and hard work.
Operating over the next few weeks
Please continue to see all protocols, procedures and requirements for operating while the Delta Covid variant is in our community as minimum requirements, to keep people safe and to ensure that the horticulture industry can continue to operate as an essential service, providing New Zealanders with fresh, healthy food.
Where you can take additional precautions, please do so. Please contact your product group for sector specific protocols, which are being reviewed. The most up to date protocols will be on their websites.
MPI will continue to make phone calls to check that growers and others are following the protocols.
Continue to reach out
If you are feeling worried or overwhelmed, please reach out to us via info@hortnz.co.nz or your product group, and we will connect you to a support network.
Support and advice are also available via websites like Farmstrong or by calling, texting or visiting 1737 - Need to talk?.
Questions, concerns, etc
Please continue to funnel these through your product group or district association, for answering as soon as possible, or email info@hortnz.co.nz.
Next advice
HortNZ will continue to provide advice via this newsletter update, particularly when the Government makes a major announcement. Please also keep an eye on the HortNZ website, which is being updated every day as new information from Government agencies comes through.
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