Copy

15 February 2022

 

In this week's issue we cover:

HortNZ Omicron Update #6 - Move to Phase 2

The Government has announced that New Zealand will move to Phase 2 of the Omicron response at 11.59pm tonight, Tuesday 15 February, given the sharp increase in community cases. 

At Phase 2, the isolation period for positive cases is reduced to 10 days and close contacts, to seven days as part of the drive to keep the supply chain operating.  In addition, vaccinated people who either work alone, or have the capacity to do so, will be able to continue operating in a ‘bubble of one’ if they are identified as a close contact.
 

Register now for the Close Contact Exemption scheme

If you have not registered your business yet, we strongly suggest you take the time now to go through the Close Contact Exemption scheme registration process before Covid numbers in the community rise any further. 

Phase 2 of the Omicron response will see the Government – through the Ministry of Health – deploying rapid antigen tests (RATs) to registered businesses, so that as many critical workers as possible can stay working in the supply chain.

However, at this stage, the Government has not stood up the RAT ordering system and collection location network so there is no access to Government-provided RATs yet.  We will let you know as soon as the Government stands the system up. 

In terms of sourcing your own RATs, we are monitoring the situation and again, will let you know if there’s a favourable development.  
 

Registering as a Critical Service

Businesses need to register online as a critical service here:
Close Contact Exemption Scheme registration portal — Business Connect
You will need:
  • RealMe login
  • New Zealand Business Number (NZBN). If you’re a sole trader and don’t have an NZBN, you can enter in your business name
  • Address details for each location that you may have critical workers. You can select a region, and add multiple locations
  • Select a sector category - you may also need to select a sub-category. You can upload supporting PDFs
  • Total number of workers in the business (not just the ones who might be critical)
  • Number of critical workers at each location they’ve listed
  • After completing the above steps, you will see a summary screen and must digitally sign a declaration confirming your details. This will be followed by a confirmation screen.
An email will be sent giving confirmation you are on the register and contain a unique ID number. This email is the ‘Critical Services Register Letter’ that will be one of the documents you need to provide to a worker to collect a RAT. Click here to read more about RATs.
Click here for HortNZ's Covid page

 

Nadine's update:

Tense time

It remains a very tense time for apple growers starting harvest and kiwifruit growers whose harvest starts in a few weeks’ time.  It’s also a tense time for growers who were hit by heavy rain in early December 2021 and again, over the last weekend. 

The impact of widespread transmission of Omicron on the severe labour shortage is likely to be significant, with growers faced with some unsavoury and tough decisions: what to pick and plant, and what not to pick or plant.  

Speaking with summerfruit growers who are ending their harvest, they say planning ahead and working together helped, as did a good spell of weather in Otago.  

Let’s hope that current weather patterns settle down but let’s plan and work together for a very challenging apple and kiwifruit harvest, and period of vegetable production.  

Read Nadine's full update here.

View or download the indoor close contact flow chart
View or download the outdoor close contact chart

Have your say on emissions pricing

HortNZ has been working with industry, Māori and Government to create emissions pricing options. There are two alternative pricing options to horticulture joining the Emissions Trading Scheme. Click here to read more about the two options.

Growers are asked to complete a short survey about how they should pay for emissions. The He Waka Eke Noa process is at the stage now where only individual growers and farmers can provide feedback, so it is essential that you complete this survey. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete and closes on 1 March.
Click here to complete the survey

Webinar

HortNZ is hosting another Zoom webinar this Friday 18 February to discuss the pricing system options and what this might mean for growers.

Friday 18 February, 10.00 – 11.30am. Click here to register

HortNZ’s position 

Most growers have relatively low emissions, and therefore the emissions reductions achievable are likely to be small. For many growers the costs of claiming emissions reduction or sequestration rebates under either of the two He Waka Eke Noa options may exceed their value.

To avoid a situation where the money paid by the horticulture sector is diverted into administration costs and paying rebates for the benefit of higher emitting sectors, the horticulture sector considers it vital that He Waka Eke Noa includes specific criteria that ensure revenue recycling benefits the horticulture sector and that price settings and the distribution of the administration cost should reward low emissions farming. These criteria should influence the pricing, revenue recycling, and administration costs distribution of both the Farm-level and the Processor-level hybrid pricing options.
Click here for more info
Worth a read

Attracting & retaining Kiwi workers key to future of picking

With the border still closed and backpacker numbers dwindling, Central Otago cherry growers had to cast their net far and wide to attract the pickers needed for the 2022 harvest season. 

Read the article

Southern Fresh hydroponics puts Waikato on the map

The past 20 years have been busy for the Dunn family. What began as a family cut-flower operation near Cambridge has blossomed into one of New Zealand's leading producers of greens and herbs.

Read the article
Industry

NZKGI successful in legal challenge

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) has successfully appealed the Gisborne District Council’s new rate hikes for gold kiwifruit crops.

In 2020, Gisborne District Council included the licence to grow gold kiwifruit in rating valuations for gold orchards in the Gisborne region. This saw a significant increase in rates for gold growers – up by 300% in some cases.

The council believed that the licence was an improvement to the land. However, NZKGI did not agree as the licence can be sold and transferred and is therefore not attached to the land.

This is an emphatic victory for the growers of Gisborne who were unfairly targeted. NZKGI has now written to the Council asking them to refund the excessive rates with interest (as the Council agreed to during proceedings).

This is NZKGI’s second court case in two years where it has challenged council decision making.  On both occasions, they have been successful.

To read more about this case and to read the decision, click here.

PickNZ: seasonal vacancy job board


The PickNZ job board is a free site for employers to list seasonal roles such as harvest, packhouse or thinning work.

PickNZ is the go-to site for listing seasonal horticultural roles, and is being backed by industry and government to help fill seasonal vacancies. 

GoHort: permanent vacancy job board


The GoHort job board is a free site to post permanent roles and internship opportunities for a horticulture industry audience, from entry-level to senior roles. 

The GoHort website promotes careers in horticulture, and the job board showcases the variety of positions available.
 

Industry Trainee Scholarships available

Applications are open for HortNZ's Industry Trainee Scholarships. 

Every year, HortNZ offers scholarships for New Zealand students and trainees who have an interest in the fruit or vegetable industry and are studying towards a certificate or diploma.

There are 30 scholarships available this year, each worth $500.  Applications are due by 11pm, 5 March 2022. The scholarship panel will review applications in April with the selection decision advised in May.

Click here to application info

Supporting Tonga's recovery

Donations are still being accepted to help with the recovery in Tonga, following the 14 January volcanic eruption and tsunami. 

The Growers Relief Fund is being used to collect donations to support the recovery.  Money donated by our industry will be used to help small businesses recover.

Click here to donate

Industry in the media


Apples and pears
Apple and pear growers facing big crop with fewer labourers Stuff
Growers fear worst ever season RNZ
 
Kiwifruit
Gold kiwifruit growers have won a rates hike battle RNZ
Start each day afresh Farmers Weekly
 
Avocados
Tough times lead to new markets Coast and Country
 
Labour
Border plan too late for harvest ODT
 
Food prices
Food prices up almost 6 per cent year-on-year Stuff
 
Labelling
Country of origin labelling RNZ
 
Future
Fruitful funding for Wairoa horticulture hub RNZ 
HortNZ Twitter
HortNZ LinkedIn
HortNZ YouTube
HortNZ Website
Copyright © 2022 HortNZ, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.