Mar 15, 2024
The evenings are getting cooler and shorter, and the stags are beginning to roar as another season rolls by. Hawkes Bay has been reflecting on the previous twelve months with many still picking up the pieces from the onslaught of mother nature this time last year.
There has been a lot going on within the industry and the NZDFA so I will give a quick mention of a few of these.
In February the Hawkes Bay NZDFA branch held their inaugural Deer 2 Succeed event of which there is a report further on in Stagline.
Also, NZDFA Executive Committee attended the Rising Stars Competition in Te Awamutu held by the Waipa NZDFA Branch. There were some impressive heads on display and congratulations to all those that entered as well as the prize winners.
The new look DINZ office is settling into business as usual while the search for a new CEO is well underway with interviews expected around the end of March. The NZDFA Executive Committee would like to acknowledge the team in the national office and how hard they are working on behalf of the industry while there are so many balls in the air.
The DINZ office and Board of Directors have also been extremely busy working on China frozen velvet access restructure of the protocols for next season and are keeping the NZDFA Executive Committee up to date as they progress. They are also holding virtual town hall meetings to keep farmers informed so please take advantage of these opportunities. Also, Damon Paling, who has worked in China as New Zealand’s trade envoy, has been contracted to help DINZ through this process.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone to Rhys/Damon or Mandy Bell in the DINZ Office. However, Rhys and Mandy will be away in China as Stagline goes out and will update us on their return. In the meantime, Damon will be available at DINZ for anyone wanting to discuss the matter.
Other news is that our team member Cenwynn is off on parental leave in the next month, and we wish her all the best for the arrival of her new person.
Mark McCoard’s larger and mature stag venison project is gathering momentum, and we are excited about where this could head. There was a great lot of brainstorming and support from the Executive Committee on the potential opportunities to progress this initiative. So, watch this space.
We are also about to embark on a review of the NZDFA Constitution as this is a regulatory requirement of all incorporated societies to be done by 5 April 2026. This is a timely opportunity to ensure that the constitution is still relevant to the needs of the organisation today. Obviously, any adjustments will require consultation and approval from the organisation’s members.
The conference program is taking shape and will be a great event and occasion for a catch up in May this year, we look forward to seeing as many farmers as possible as this is always a great reconnect for the industry.
Hawkes Bay is looking forward to hosting the conference this year so it will be great to see you there.
And finally, a reminder that nominations are open for Industry positions and the closing date is Friday 22 March at 4pm to get those forms to Lindsay.
- Karen Middelberg, NZDFA Executive Committee
