You should have already received your ballot papers by email on 15th May (or in the next few days by post if we don’t have your email address). Please have your say and cast your vote!

As you will be aware by now, TomatoesNZ’s commodity levy is due for renewal and the TNZ board proposed no changes to the current levy terms. Since March, we have been seeking feedback on this proposal through webinars, grower workshops and emails. As a result of this process, the board has confirmed the final proposal of ‘no change’ to the current levy terms. Please see the attached document for more details on this. You can also read about the work that TomatoesNZ has done, and will continue to do if the proposal is supported. If you support the work being done by TomatoesNZ on behalf of all fresh tomato growers, please take the time to vote

You should have already received your ballot papers by email on 15th May (or in the next few days by post if we don’t have your email address). Please have your say and cast your vote! For your vote to count, you need to complete all sections highlighted below:

If you haven’t received your ballot papers please contact me, Dinah on
Phone | 021 922 414
Email | dinah.cohen@tomatoesnz.co.nz 

If you have any questions about this process, please contact either me or the TNZ board chair,
Barry O’Neil
Phone | 022 108 7007
Email | barryoneil@keronlea.nz

You will receive a phone call from a TomatoesNZ board director in the coming weeks, while voting is still open, feel free to also ask them if you have any questions.

Please also see the TomatoesNZ website Commodity Levy Final Proposal 2024 (tomatoesnz.co.nz) for more information.

AGM and mini conference 

Please put 8th August in your calendars as the date that tomato growers are invited to participate in our Annual General Meeting. This will be accompanied by an array of presenters and discussions on the following topics:

• Keeping nasties out of New Zealand: What the seed companies are doing 
• Controlling common greenhouse pests (whitefly, psyllid, russet mite, aphids & caterpillars) with biologicals as part of an IPM 
• Best practice hygiene for your greenhouse: the Dutch perspective 

The message from international speakers Marc Groenewegen and Frank Florus at earlier workshops was that border controls and hygiene practices were the key for New Zealand growers to keeping diseases like Tomato Brown Rugus Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) from having the devastating effect that has been seen in many other areas of the world. This is the theme for our educational conference. Please join us in person:

Date:  8th August 

Time: 12pm sharp to 5pm (including lunch) 

Venue: Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe 

Please RSVP for catering purposes: https://forms.office.com/r/GR3nEd2buz

For those travelling from outside the Auckland region, please contact me about a travel subsidy. Dinah.cohen@tomatoesnz.co.nz 

Other important dates

30th May: Nominations for board members opens, if you have ever thought that TomatoesNZ doesn’t represent you and your ideas, consider joining the board. Keynotes:

• Callum Grant is retiring from the TomatoesNZ board after serving 6 years as a board director.
• Albert Shih is due to retire, but is making himself available for re-election.
• There will be one place on the board 

Call for remits opens on 30th May – if there is any subject that you would like the TomatoesNZ board and grower members to consider, please put these in writing and email Dinah.cohen@tomatoesnz.co.nz

Board nominations and calls for remits need to be received by 18th June 

If there is more than one nomination in addition to that of Albert Shih, a board election will be held, with more details to follow.