Cervena Plates Awards Dinner

Game Industry Board Chairman Richard Riddiford; Cervena Council and Game Industry Board CEO Rex Moore; Cervena Council Executive Chef Graham Brown; Peter Barlow of Barlow Associates; Special guest judge Rick Moonen; Cervena Plates finalists; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Only 3 years ago, no one had ever eaten Cervena. Cervena had never appeared on any menu in any restaurant. It didn't even exist. Tonight, we're celebrating your third Cervena Plates awards. Cervena is now the first choice of many restaurant diners. My congratulations to all involved in this New Zealand marketing success story. And thank you for your invitation to be here tonight to celebrate this milestone for the development of the brand.

Apart from the obvious, there's another reason why I was pleased to accept this invitation tonight. And that is that we are all guaranteed to get a world-class meal tonight. None of us have taken a risk. We have been guaranteed quality.

Many people - like me, for example - have waxed lyrical about the factors which have contributed to the success of your pasture-to-plate quality assurance programme. It's unnecessary to repeat all that tonight. I just want to highlight the fundamental attitudinal shift which I believe underpins the strategy. That is that farmers must no longer see themselves as being in the business of producing carcasses for meat companies. Transportation companies aren't merely in the business of shifting stock or meat from one place to another. And chefs aren't simply in the cooking business. We are all in the entertainment business. And we all depend on one another to ensure that the customer derives the satisfaction they expect from the entertainment we collectively provide.

It's no use the farmer investing in better stock if the transportation company is going to stress the animal on the way to the works. And it's no use the transportation company taking extra care if a chef is going to cook the product poorly. Each of us is critically important. If one of us fails to deliver, we all lose out.

That fundamental attitudinal shift is critical elsewhere in agriculture. Farmers, transportation companies, exporters and chefs or retailers are all part of the same team. We all take our own percentage from the value we can extract from the market, and there will always be debate over who should get what share. But if we spend all our time arguing over who should get what share, we lose sight of the more important picture - working as a team to match our product with the highest values of the consumer, and ensuring a consistent product to build customer loyalty. You people are doing that well.

To the eight finalists tonight, my congratulations for making it thus far. I have dined at the Boulcott Street Bistro. I now have a list of seven other top-class restaurants I will keep an eye out for as I travel round the country. Your role is absolutely critical in the food entertainment business.

I congratulate the Cervena Council for administering the competition. It helps highlight Cervena at restaurants around New Zealand and serves to raise standards even at Bellamy's down at parliament.

Thank you again for your invitation. I look forward to an outstanding meal and attending again next year as Minister of Agriculture.