Kiwifruit Industry Free to Act

The New Zealand kiwifruit industry is free to implement its restructuring plan.

The Minister of Agriculture, Jim Sutton, today advised the chairman of the Kiwifruit Marketing Board, Doug Voss, and the Board’s returning officer, Peter Berry, that he accepted the formal return on the industry’s vote on the plan last month.

The industry-wide referendum resulted in 4,244,713 votes (89.3%) in favour of the plan, with 506,976 votes against it, and 23,068 votes declared invalid.

The Minister stressed that it was the industry’s plan and welcomed the ability of the industry to move forward under it.

“It has been a long, hard road for the Board and growers, but they managed to get to the end of it without the wheels falling off,” he said.

He thanked Mr Voss for his perseverance and dedication to the restructuring of the kiwifruit industry and wished kiwifruit growers every good fortune in the new millennium with their new industry.

Under the plan, which will take effect from 1 April this year, Kiwifruit New Zealand (the Kiwifruit Marketing Board) will be corporatised as a public company, Zespri Group Ltd, in which eligible kiwifruit growers will be given shares.