OANZ June Buzz Newsletter
Kia ora tātou from the Chair
Winter is now with us and the rain has unleashed! I hope those worst hit in the South Island are well into recovery and have not sustained too much long term damage.
Our work on the Organic Products and Production Bill continues. Donald Nordeng and I met with MPI and Minister Damian O’Connor on the 13th of May to continue to promote OANZ consolidated position of a Bill that meets the needs of the majority of our organic community. Although we continue to have our differences, it was good to sit down and korero.
Following on from this meeting we have had more discussions with MPI. The focus now is to get as many submissions in for the MPI Consultation on the Organic Regulations. Hopefully, some of you would have been able to make it to the hui and workshops around the country. Regardless, please let MPI know your thoughts on this. There are links to both the BioGro submission and the OFNZ submission below.
Now that the OANZ Organic Market Report has been launched we are turning our focus to the organic Sector Strategy. Please try and attend one of the workshops near you. You'll find more info below on your local workshop.
Warm regards,
Chris Morrison – Chair
T: 027 548 1293
E: chris@oanz.org
HAVE YOUR SAY IN AOTEAROA'S REGENERATIVE ORGANIC FUTURE AT THE SECTOR STRATEGY WORKSHOPS
Organic Sector — It’s time for action!
OANZ is developing a pan regenerative organic sector strategy (funded by MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Fund) to help the sector reach its full potential.
Building on the 2020/21 Market Report and the first Sector Strategy Workshop held online, OANZ is hosting a series of regional in-person and online workshops to further this work.
We want to better understand what the opportunities and constraints are to grow the sector from the people working in it.
These workshops are your opportunity to have your say into what the future of regenerative organics in NZ could look like and inform the strategy to make it happen.
All meetings are free to attend and will include morning tea and lunch. Please note - registration is essential.
Join us at one of these nationwide meetings:
Auckland: 21 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Tauranga: 23 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Hamilton: 24 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Napier: 28 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Palmerston North: 29 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wellington: 30 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Christchurch: 5 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Dunedin: 6 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Online - Export Focus: 7 July | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Nelson: 8 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Online: 9 July | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
CONSULTATION EXTENDED UNTIL 21 JUNE ON PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR ORGANICS
MPI is extending the consultation period on the proposed new requirements for businesses producing or processing organic food, beverages, and plant and animal products.
Submissions are now due by 5 pm, Monday 21 June 2021.
To help with submissions Biogro have put together an excellent guidance document this is now available to download. A simple alternative is to support Biogro’s submission.
OANZ submission will focus on the things that are not in the regulation discussion document and/or could be massaged to simplify the approval process.
MPI's discussion document detailing the proposed regulations, and information on how to make your submission, is available on the MPI website here.
Online workshops
As part of MPI's consultation, online workshops are being held for those who were unable to attend a workshop in person. Details of these workshops will be announced shortly. If you are interested in participating in an online workshop, and you have not done so already, you can register your interest here.
HortNZ has drafted a submission on the Proposed Amendments to Import Health Standard for Vehicles, Machinery, and Parts.
Consultation documents can be found here.
Please provide feedback and indicate if you would like to be named in support by 5pm Wednesday the 25th June.
MPI Calls for nominations to join Technical Working Groups to help draft the future National Organic Standard.
Contact Derek Broadmore for more information.
OANZ 2021 AGM | 10 September 9:00 - 10:30 am
Plans are underway for the OANZ 2021 AGM, hosted at the Boatshed, Wellington.
More information to follow.
RSVP your attendance: melissa@oanz.org
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 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 WEEK 2021
11-19 September
Become part of the organic community's national consumer-education campaign to raise the profile of organic products and practice.
There are many ways you can get involved in Organic Week 2021.
Become a Sponsor | Host an Event | Promote Organics
Learn how to get involved at OrganicWeek.co.nz
Thank you to our current sponsors!
Organic Week Awards Partner: OrganicNZ
Platinum Sponsors: Countdown, and Fonterra Organic
Gold Sponsors: AsureQuality
Silver Sponsors: Chantal Organics, IncaFé Organic Coffee and Kōkako
Bronze Sponsors: Commonsense
Curious about sponsorship? Contact tiffany@cultivate.nz to hear more.
ORGANIC NEWS
Round the Farm Table. Chef Al Brown chats to Catriona and Mark White, the first horticulturalists to win the Ballance Farm Environment Trust’s National Award and the Gordon Stephenson Trophy.
Organic Ready Meal Option Now Available. Organic food supplier, Southern Organics Ltd., has launched New Zealand's first restaurant-quality organic meals made with 100% organic ingredients.
Kāpiti Olive Oil Makers Win in Prestigious New York Competition. Each year gold medals have been awarded, and for the first time a NZ organic extra virgin olive oil was entered by Waikawa Glen.
PKE: Good or Bad? NZ Farmers Take on Greenpeace. The group says NZ dairy farmers constitute the biggest export market for PKE from Indonesia, but this continued use is fuelling the climate crisis.
What Drives F&B Purchases in NZ's Major Export Markets? With insights from 14,000 shoppers, uncover what people look for most when buying food and beverage products in China, Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore and Japan. Sign into NZTE to access the data.
U.S. Organic Sales Soar to New High of Nearly $62 billion in 2020. OTA survey says swing to home cooking in pandemic ignited sales. Sales jumped by a record 12.4%, a growth rate more than twice the 2019 pace of 5%.
Regenerative Agriculture Needs a Reckoning. Why avoiding uncomfortable conversations about equity, race, and access threatens to spoil a nascent movement’s environmental promise.
A Giant Organic Farm Faces Criticism That It's Harming The Environment. A huge organic farm that's backed by General Mills is facing accusations that it's doing more environmental harm than good.
Jeff Moyer on No-Till Regenerative Organic. Jeff’s expertise includes organic crop production systems with a focus on weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification and use, and facilities design.
New Study Shows the Growing Risks of Pesticide Poisonings. Data on pesticide exposure has been non-existent. Anna Lappé talks to the researchers who have put hard numbers to unintentional pesticide poisonings and fatalities globally.
The Benefits of Eating Organic—Plus Shopping Tips to Make it More Affordable. Here are the science-backed benefits that prove organic foods are healthy for people & the planet and are more than just a health food trend.
New Study Finds Pesticides so Strong That Women Suffer if Mothers or Even Grandmothers Were Exposed Decades Before. The chemicals in some pesticides are so strong that traces of them can be prevalent in descendants.
Alternative Proteins Could Account for 11% of Global Protein Market by 2035, Predicts Report. The report predicts alternative proteins could account for 11% ($290bn) of the market by 2035 vs 2% in 2020.
Food Groups Appeal Decision To Certify Hydroponic Crops As Organic. The Center for Food Safety, and a coalition of organic farmers, appealed a ruling, which gave the USDA the green light to continue labeling hydroponically grown produce as organic.
Multidrug-resistant Bacteria is Significantly Less Common in Organic Meat, New Study Finds. New analysis of contamination data collected from nearly 40,000 samples of chicken, pork, beef, and lamb.
UK Organic Converts on the Rise. Growing consumer demand for organic is driving an uplift in farmers seeking organic conversion and signals growing confidence and interest in the organic sector.
World’s Soils ‘Under Great Pressure’, says UN Pollution Report. Soils provide 95% of all food but are damaged by industrial, farming, mining and urban pollution.
EVENTS, WEBINARS & RESOURCES
Whangarei Steiner School Fundraiser
Biodynamic Workshops
12 June, 10 July, 14 August, 18 Sept
1:00 - 4:30 pm | Raymond Lawton Farm
Muriora Farm, 127 Hailes Road, Whangarei
Email info@whangareisteiner.co.nz
Dr Vandana Shiva on Regenerating Soil, Regenerating Health
What is the relationship between healthy soil and human health?
12 June | 9:00 - 11:30 pm
Online
Sector Strategy Workshop: Auckland
21 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Level 6, 139 Quay Street
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Tauranga
23 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Town Hall, Tauranga Historical Village
159 Seventeenth Ave West
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Hamilton
24 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Gallagher Core Facilities Building, Waikato Innovation Park
1 Melody Lane
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Napier
28 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
East Pier Hotel
50 Nelson Quay, Ahuriri
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Palmerston North
29 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
two36
236 Broadway Avenue
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Wellington
30 June | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
The Majestic Centre 100 Willis Street
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Christchurch
5 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
BNZ Centre, 101 Cashel Street
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Dunedin
6 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Westpac Trust Building
106 George Street, Level 7
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Online - Export Focus
7 July | 9 am - 12 pm
Online
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Nelson
8 July | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Mahitahi Colab, A Block NMIT
Maungatapu Boardroom
322 Hard Street
Register Here
Sector Strategy Workshop: Online
9 July | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Online
Register Here
OANZ AGM
10 September | 9:00 - 10:30 am
The Boatshed, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington Waterfront
RSVP: melissa@oanz.org
Organic Regenerative Conference
10 September | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Boatshed, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington Waterfront
Information Coming Soon
Organic NZ Awards Celebration
10 September | 4:30 - 7:00 pm
Te Marae, Te Papa, Wellington
Tickets Available Soon
Soil & Health AGM
11 September | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Soundings Theatre Auditorium, Te Papa, Wellington
Organic Week at Te Papa
11 September | 11:30 am - 3:30 pm
Soundings Theatre Auditorium, Te Papa, Wellington
Free Public Speaker Series