Attention NZ tomato growers, four representitives have been nominated to represent the Tomato New Zealand Board.  Their is only two available positions so an election is required.

Below are biographies of the four growers.  New Zealand tomato growers can vote for two out of the four growers who have put themselves forward to represent you on the TomatoesNZ board.

Why is this important?

The board members make decisions about how the Fresh Tomato Levy money is spent. The majority of this goes on projects that the board deem to be of value to tomato growers. Having someone that represents YOUR needs and concerns is therefore important.

Voting is open now and will take just a few minutes at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/9gcFYGqswA

Voting must be completed by 5pm Wednesday 5^th July for your vote to count.

The results will be made available after this date including at the TNZ AGM being held Wednesday 2^nd August at Te Pae, Christchurch. We have special guest speaker Nigel Brunel Head of Commodities & Carbon Trading talking about the future of ETS for greenhouse growers.

Kind regards, Dinah

Dinah Cohen, Business Manager TomatoesNZ M: 021 922 414 Phone: 04 470 5666

Grower Biographies:

KIM Jungeun (Jiny)

My husband and I have been growing tomatoes in an old 3,500 square meter plastic house in Waiuku, South Auckland since 2019. While I have been living in New Zealand for over 20 years, I transitioned to becoming

a full-time grower only five years ago. Previously, I worked as a teacher,

but I made the decision to support my husband’s passion for growing tomatoes and recognised the importance of a woman’s dedicated role in growing.

During the first few years, we faced numerous challenges due to outdated facilities, limited knowledge, information, and networking opportunities in the tomato-growing industry. However, these difficulties ignited a strong passion within me for growing tomato. I discovered that I truly enjoyed the daily growth of tomato plants and how they responded to various techniques I implemented. Moreover, I realised that growing is not just about financial gains but also about giving back to the community in many ways. Both my husband and I take great pride in that.

As a Korean-speaking woman with a different background in horticulture, I strongly believe that I bring a fresh perspective and valuable, creative ideas to the industry.

Adapting to government regulations, customer demands, and environmental challenges can be hard to practice everyday but even harder for growers with limited access to information and networks due to language barriers, financial constraints, labour issues, and more.

Therefore, I am particularly keen on being a voice for small to medium-sized tomato growers, as I am fully aware of the difficulties we face in this challenging environment. I want to support these growers in becoming successful tomato growers in New Zealand.

Rajpreet Singh

Who am I?

I’m Raj; NZ born and bred son to a migrant family that NZ has given a lot to, so

I’m looking to give back in the ways I know best. I come from our family business based out in Waiuku, having been in horticulture since 2015. But, before that, we’ve ‘grown up in our shops’, being around fresh produce in our previous retail businesses from 1998-2022.

I recently competed in the Pukekohe Young Grower of the Year competition for 2023, which was a fantastic day, and won the ‘Best Speech’ award for the speech & panel module.

Outside of work, I’m keen about travelling, photography, and keeping up with sports.

Our growing business

We primarily grow in plastic greenhouses, having scaled up quite a bit over the past years, encountering a variety of opportunities and challenges that other growers can certainly relate to. Within the business, I’m primarily focused on compliance such as NZGAP, and how we can be a more efficient and ‘smart’ business using technology and good practice.

Relevant experience/studies

I graduated with a conjoint Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) from the University of Auckland.

I am familiar with a wide range of business aspects, having managed multiple small-medium-sized businesses with my family. I also have experience in strategy and teaming having been the NZ Lead for an Australasian non-profit from 2021-2023.

Industry interests

I am a technology transformation consultant in my day job, working on some rather challenging but rewarding projects for large clients, and I want to bring those skills into our horticulture industry, being able to connect how that could benefit our growers.

We have also been in investigating energy options for our site with EECA, so I’m interested in what else we can explore for the industry, particularly feasibility.

Why me?

I have a unique mix of skills, knowledge, and experience, for my age, which I believe is invaluable for bringing a young, prime voice to the conversation. It’s an equally unique opportunity to consider the Board role, so my attitude is to make the very most of these things!

Anthony Tringham

Hi everyone, my name is Anthony Tringham, and with my wise wife

Angela, I grow tomatoes for the Clevedon Farmers Market, and for

the hospitality trade.

My particular area of interest is in non-chemical approaches to insect

control. We manage this by applying a whole of ecosystem approach

to our tomato production system.

We plant wildflowers inside and outside the greenhouses to nurture beneficial insects, and we put rich blends of micro-organisms into the rhizosphere in order to keep our crops healthy

As a board member I’m a strong advocate for spending research money on how this science works, and one of my objectives is to move tomato growers away from insecticides and towards biological controls.

Vote for me if you want more of this

😉

Simon Watson

Managing Director – NZ Hothouse Ltd

Simon began his career with the Ceramco Group in 1984,

working for Corporate Services and later the distribution arm Gibson’s and Paterson Ltd. From 1988 to 1992 he worked for the Commercial Division of Levene and Co.

From 1992 to 1994, Simon commenced his produce experience selling tomatoes for the Auckland branch of MG Marketing. In September 1994 Simon started with NZ Hothouse ltd as Sales Manager.

In 1996 he took on the role of NZ Hothouse Finance Director. In 2003 Simon was appointed NZ Hothouse General Manager responsible for Sales, Marketing, Finance and Group compliance. From 2013 onwards Simon has held the position of Managing Director of NZ Hothouse Ltd.

Between 2010 and 2012, Simon was President of the Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Assoc. and in 2015 Simon became a Director of Tomatoes NZ.

Simon has been in the produce industry for over 30 years. He has worked alongside some of New Zealand’s prominent growers of fruit and vegetables during that time, forming lifelong friendships.

Simon’s business focus is towards future thinking. Planning for what may lie ahead for tomato growing in NZ and how we as growers can anticipate these changes, staying ahead of technology, trends, and climate to ensure NZ continues to supply some of the best produce in the world.

Voting is open now and will take just a few minutes at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/9gcFYGqswA