| ZESPRI Welcomes Government Innovation Initiative |
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| TUESDAY 11 MARCH 2008 - ZESPRI Chief Executive Tony Nowell today applauded the New Zealand Government’s announcement of a $700 million fund towards pastoral and food innovation, saying it would provide the support needed to lift New Zealand’s profile as a leader in sustainable primary production. |
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| Tony Nowell was invited by the Prime Minister to speak at the launch in Wellington, in part as the former co-Chair of the Food and Beverage Taskforce, and also representing the New Zealand kiwifruit industry as Chief Executive of ZESPRI. |
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| “ZESPRI strongly supports the New Zealand Government’s initiative, which aligns with our own strategy of investing in research and development in order to sustainably grow our industry in the longer term,” Tony said to the ministers and other dignitaries present at the launch. |
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| “As the kiwifruit industry’s single desk marketer, ZESPRI already has the critical mass needed to fund significant levels of industry-good innovation investment. We see New Zealand Fast Forward as an opportunity to advance this investment and look forward to helping lift New Zealand’s profile as a leader in sustainable primary production.” |
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| ZESPRI has been invited to sit on the committee which is tasked with designing the governance framework for the ongoing partnership. In order to maximise the opportunities this funding provides, the Government intends to capitalise on existing innovation frameworks and partnerships; although any one-for-one matching will only take place on new initiatives that build on New Zealand’s core capabilities and deliver strong competitive advantages. |
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“ZESPRI currently invests approximately $8 million a year on innovation towards increasing industry efficiency, enhancing the value of existing products and developing new products. We’re currently working to assess planned spend for 2008 and beyond, to ensure our industry can take full advantage of the new opportunities that New Zealand Fast Forward presents.”
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| ZESPRI already has a world-leading breeding programme with HortResearch, but Tony says there is plenty of scope for improvement. “New cultivars are integral to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s competitiveness, but it’s a lengthy process to get it right. ZESPRI™ GOLD took 14 years to develop.
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| “We currently have a number of seedlings under evaluation which test well against our quality criteria so we’ll be considering how to take advantage of the announcement today to help us increase the probability of this programme delivering the world’s third leading kiwifruit variety, after ZESPRI™ GREEN and ZESPRI™ GOLD.” |
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| The Food and Beverage Taskforce released a report in August 2006 which included eight recommendations considered necessary for the food and beverage sector to grow and prosper. Tony said New Zealand Fast Forward, along with the $100 million food and beverage work programme announced by the Government in July last year, provides the opportunity to address many of the Taskforce’s recommendations. |
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| The Food and Beverage Taskforce report can be downloaded from here http://www.nzte.govt.nz/section/13685.aspx |
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| For more information please contact:
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| Melanie Palmer - Communications Manager, ZESPRI International Limited
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| Direct Dial: 07 572 7757
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| Mobile: 021 471 639
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| Email: melanie.palmer@zespri.com |
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