OANZ August Buzz
Kia ora tātou from the Chair
2021 has been a particularly busy year for OANZ. With the Market Report behind us and the Organic Products Bill continuing through its process, we have now moved our focus to the Organic Sector Strategy. Thanks to all of you that attended workshops and participated in this process. I was fortunate to be able to join face to face meetings in both Christchurch and Dunedin, as well as the Zoom workshop. The level of passion for the sector was heartening and it showed the value of getting together face to face to discuss our common interests and debate those areas where we may have differences.
I hope to see many of you at the Organic Sector's events in Wellington on September 10th and 11th. Tiffany Tompkins, our Vice Chair, along with her team are setting up a great couple of days. Please support our Sector and join in.
I read with interest the Commerce Commission investigation into supermarkets. What does this mean for Organic growers, producers, retailers, and consumers? My ongoing concern is consumers understanding the true cost of food. What are the hidden costs/benefits of growing for example a certified regenerative organic head of broccoli verses a conventionally (for lack of a better word) grown head of broccoli? Wouldn’t it be good if we could externalise the costs different growing methods had on food including water, soil, climate change and human health?
I look forward to seeing you in September.
Ngā mihi nui,
Chris Morrison – Chair
T: 027 548 1293
E: chris@oanz.org
ORGANIC SECTOR STRATEGY
Thank you to the over 200 of you who participated in our Sector Strategy Workshops. We received an abundance of feedback highlighting priorities, constraints and opportunities.
Everyone who participated in the workshops has been given access to the workshop overviews, white paper comparing several international organic strategies, notes and links to other strategies not included in the paper, and Viv's presentation. OANZ Members may also find this information in the Members Portal.
Next Steps
The Strategy Leadership Group met last week to determine a clear strategic direction for the organics sector based on workshop findings and industry data.
The strategy will then be written and launched at the OANZ Organic Regenerative Conference at the Boatshed in Wellington on 10 September.
Everyone is invited to be a part of this event and we welcome you to get your ticket as soon as possible. Ticket sales cover event costs only.
ORGANIC NZ AWARDS
Congratulations to all the Organic NZ Award finalists!
Voting for the People's Choice category is now open.
Show your support and vote now for your favourite Organic Food Product, Organic Beverage and Organic Non-Food product of the Year.
Voting closes 11:59 pm on 15 August 2021.
ORGANIC REGENERATIVE CONFERENCE & ORGANIC NZ AWARDS CELEBRATION
Join your peers in Wellington on 10 September to kick off Organic Week 2021 with two special events!
Organic Regenerative Conference
10 September @ The Boatshed | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Join sector leaders at this half-day conference to launch the 2021 Organic Sector Strategy. With input from over 200 organic sector stakeholders, the strategy is key to growing the $723 million sector over the next few years, meeting growing domestic and international demand.
Join Rudd Kleinpaste, NZ’s favourite naturalist and eight of our sector heroes for two panel discussions: “Organics, Solving Key Environmental Issues” and “Organic 3.0” Regen & Organics Working Together to Accelerate Our Impact”.
Organic NZ Awards Celebration
10 September @ Te Papa's Marae | 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
The Organic NZ Awards Celebration will showcase the very best of Aotearoa's organic community. All six category winners will be announced at the celebration. This year's Peer Review awards will be presented to the Organic Farmer, Leader and Brand, with the People's Choice awards going to Food Product, Beverage and Non-Food Product of the Year.
Additionally, the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand will be celebrating its 80th birthday! Enjoy a festive atmosphere and delicious food and beverages while celebrating this important milestone and the achievements of the organic community.
Proudly sponsored by Organic NZ, Aotearoa’s leading organics and sustainable living magazine
Organic Week @ Te Papa
Te Papa’s Soundings Auditorium
11 September | 11:30 am - 3:30 pm
Organic Week invites the public to Te Papa to discover how organics helps our health, our communities and our planet thrive.
Hear from organic farmers, growers, chefs and brands in an engaging conversation demonstrating how the four guiding principles of organics — health, ecological balance, fairness and care — impact our daily lives.
OANZ 2021 AGM | 10 SEPTEMBER
OANZ 2021 AGM will be held at the Boatshed, Taranaki Street Wharf | Wellington
Doors open at 8:30 am for a 9:00 am start. Finishes at 10:30 am.
Members will receive papers via email.
Please register your attendance with Melissa@oanz.org by 27 August.
ORGANIC WEEK 2021 | 11-19 SEPTEMBER
The celebration is almost here. Make sure you are ready! It's easy to participate.
Utilise social media tiles & copy in our Marketing Toolkit and post away
Attend an event near you. Check out the current lineup here. New events will be added as they come in so check back frequently.
Throw your own event. We've even created some awesome ideas for you.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Organic Week Awards Partner: OrganicNZ
Platinum Sponsors: Countdown, and Fonterra Organic
Gold Sponsors: AsureQuality, Ceres, Farmlands
Silver Sponsors: BioGro, Chantal Organics, Commonsense IncaFé Organic Coffee and Kōkako
Bronze Sponsors: Demeter NZ and OANZ
Organic NZ Awards Celebration Wine Sponsors: Churton Wines, The Darling Wines, Deep Down Wines, Millton Vineyards and Winery, Te Whare Ra Wines
An exciting position has opened up within the BioGro Board of Directors, and would be an incredible opportunity for a passionate individual who can contribute to the effective governance of BioGro NZ.
The Board of Directors currently consists of two appointees from the Soil & Health National Council, two Independent Directors, and two Industry Representatives with experience across horticulture, inputs, cropping and retail. BioGro hopes to expand industry representation, by seeking a candidate from the Dairy Sector.
You can find full details within the Job Description. Feel free to pass this on to someone you think would fit this role perfectly, as BioGro will also be distributing this to the wider organic network.
If this sounds like something you could be interested in, send your CV and Cover Letter through to BioGro Chair, Joseph Stuart.
APPLY FOR RESEARCH FUNDING
Do you have an innovative idea that could create real change for Kiwi farmers? Rural professionals are encouraged to team up with farmers to apply for $75,000 funding to rapidly test smart ideas and share the results.
The Rural Professionals Fund, established in 2020 by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, is now accepting applications for a second round of funding to support projects that could benefit farming communities.
“We need to encourage more ‘mavericks’ to test smart ideas that challenge our patterns of behaviour,” says Stephen Macaulay, chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Managers (NZIPIM), a key partner in the fund.
NATIONWIDE BIODYNAMIC FIELD PREPARATION STIR
Get stirring between the 11th and 19th of September 2021.
Gather friends and family, join an established group, or simply stir biodynamic preparations as part of this collaborative initiative.
Members can order preparations and/or request a regional group ‘What’s Stirring’ pack which contains complimentary brochures outlining the What, Why and How of biodynamics plus membership forms, and copies of Harvests magazines to introduce friends and family to biodynamics.
Get creative and organise or host an individual or regional group event in your area. Register your event with Biodynamics New Zealand by completing the form below. You can also register your event with Organic Week Aotearoa.
BECOME AN OANZ MEMBER
Join OANZ and help shape the future of Aotearoa's organic sector!
With so many exciting things happening right now across our sector,a well-supported organisation will allow us to make it happen faster and even better.
OANZ is looking for new members who want to support us in our work as we help advocate for organics in Aotearoa, from promoting the Market Report to our Sector Strategy Workshops, the Organic Products Bill and regulations, and Climate Change submission.
Please help us by encouraging others to join OANZ.
ORGANIC NEWS
Bayer Will Stop Selling Roundup for Residential Use in 2023, an Effort to Prevent Future Cancer Lawsuits. The company has lost several significant lawsuits from plaintiffs who alleged glyphosate gave them cancer.
Govt Funding 5 Projects to Help Address Food Waste. The Government will fund two food waste and three compost projects this year through the Waste Minimisation Fund.
Who's eating New Zealand? If you imagine New Zealand's sheep meat as a plate of 10 meatballs, Kiwis would get to eat half of a meatball. So where's the rest going? Farah Hancock crunches more than 30 years of data to find out who's eating New Zealand.
MPI Announcement Folate and the Addition of Folic Acid to Food. The Government has decided that from mid-2023, all non-organic wheat flour used for bread making must be fortified with folic acid, except for some exported products.
Reducing Nitrogen Loss 'Absolutely Critical' to Farmers, Says Dairy Boss. The head of DairyNZ says reducing nitrogen loss is "absolutely critical" to farmers in the wake of calls to slash the nitrate pollution limit in waterways.
Fruit sticker ban comes as a surprise to industry A 2023 deadline to phase out the use of plastic fruit stickers has come as a surprise to the fruit-growing and packaging industry.
Soiled: Our Relationship with the Ground. The dirt beneath our feet can be easy to take for granted. But it's incredibly important for the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
These 6 IndieBio Startups Are Solving The Planet’s Biggest Problems. Our planet is facing a multitude of challenges, from climate change to food insecurity and air pollution. And solving these big issues is going to require big ideas.
How to Reach Health-conscious Shoppers Online? Offer Personalized Tools, Study Says. Grocers look to improve their online shopping experiences, looking at ways to further personalize the digital journey.
Urgent Action Needed for Soil Pollution. Pollution of the world’s soils will only get worse if urgent action isn’t taken, concludes a new UN report. And this will have a devastating effect on our fragile ecosystems and human health.
How This Tech Uses Fungi To Help Farmers Tackle Climate Change. In an effort to reduce CO2 and increase carbon capture in soils, NSW-based Soil Carbon is exploring if a fungi called dark septate endophytes can be the solution.
Unique Robot on Cutting Edge of Improving Organic Farming. This self-roving robot is treating the plants with ultraviolet light. Used several times a week, it illuminates crops with UV light, killing the pests, with no impact on the crop.
How Pesticide Companies Corrupted the EPA and Poisoned America. Pesticide manufacturers that have long dodged regulation by the EPA now face billions in damages for causing cancer, brain damage, and Parkinson’s disease.
Pesticides and Soil Invertebrates: A Hazard Assessment. Negative effects are evident in both lab and field studies, across all studied pesticide classes, and in a wide variety of soil organisms and endpoints.
In Response to EWG Complaint, USDA Investigation Confirms Glyphosate Contamination of Organic Chickpeas. The U.S.D.A. confirms that a popular brand of organic chickpeas was contaminated with the cancer-causing weedkiller glyphosate.
Organic Food Sales Surge During the Pandemic and are Part of a “Green Wave” Supported by Governments Across Europe. Consumer concerns about protecting and improving their health and the health of the planet are twin trends.
EVENTS, WEBINARS & RESOURCES
Regen Ag Fundamentals with Calm the Farm
11 August
12 - 1 pm | Online
Learn More Here
Whangarei Steiner School Fundraiser
Biodynamic Workshops
14 August, 18 Sept
1:00 - 4:30 pm | Raymond Lawton Farm
Muriora Farm, 127 Hailes Road, Whangarei
Email info@whangareisteiner.co.nz
Āta Regenerative
Land to Market - The Second Session
17 August
8 am start | Online event
Learn More Here
OANZ AGM
10 September | 9:00 - 10:30 am
The Boatshed, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington
RSVP: melissa@oanz.org
Organic Conference
10 September | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Boatshed, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington
Tickets Available Here
Organic NZ Awards Celebration
10 September | 4:30 - 7:00 pm
Te Marae, Te Papa, Wellington
Tickets Available Here
Soil & Health AGM
11 September | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Soundings Theatre Auditorium, Te Papa, Wellington
RSVP to Pete Huggins
Organic Week at Te Papa
11 September | 11:30 am - 4:00 pm
Soundings Theatre Auditorium, Te Papa, Wellington
Free Public Speaker Series
Find More Organic Week Events
www.organicweek.co.nz