News

QCONZ Staff Conference 2023

Date: 9 June 2023

In June, the QCONZ team gathered in Hamilton for our biennial staff conference. We had a great time bringing our team together from all corners of New Zealand to celebrate, connect, and have fun!

Day one of the conference kicked off with a business update and group sessions where each business unit shared recent work and work in progress. We filled the afternoon with a fun and interactive team building activity, ‘building bridges’ facilitated by Clued-Up. In the evening, over a top-notch buffet style dinner, the team shared many laughs listening to stand-up comedian, Nick Rado.

Day two comprised of guest speakers from industry stakeholders. This provided great context for staff—setting the scene and future focus. The conference concluded with Mark Neal, our Acting Chair, introducing our Board, followed by a question-and-answer session.

We’re re-energised and rearing to go for next season. A big thank you to our guest speakers and the team at Clued-Up who helped make the conference a great success.

Other news

QCONZ had the opportunity to engage with industry representatives at the Red Meat Sector Conference in Wellington in July. This year, our team participated in the conference under the theme “From our Pasture to your Plate,” highlighting our ongoing involvement in the industry.

Fieldays 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to present our FreshWater Farm Plan (FWFP) tool and reconnect with our clients and wider industry stakeholders.

After an impressive 25-year’s, Murray Pedley, QCONZ’s Major Shareholder, Director, former Board Chair and CEO, has retired.

Murray had the privilege of attending the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s annual conference and AGM in Christchurch in May.

Justin Moss and Josh Wheeler from QCONZ took a trip to Parliament in May to meet with Hon. Andrew Hoggard to discuss Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFPs). We were excited to share our learnings from the past few years.

Big news for New Zealand farmers! QCONZ is excited to share our new FreshWater Farm Plan Tool. It’s a digital helper that makes it easy for farmers to create their freshwater farm plans quickly.

In late October Chris Leach led an MPI dairy development training programme for farmers and extension officers in Pak Chong, Thailand. Pak Chong is the central region of Thailand, approximately a 2 ½ hour drive north of Bangkok, and is at the centre of the developing Thai Dairy Industry. 

We were thrilled to be a major sponsor of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) conference held in Christchurch in October.

We flew the QCONZ flag again this year at the annual Red Meat Sector Conference, jointly hosted by the Meat Industry Association and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd.

As of 1 October, the QCONZ team will be delivering audits for the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP). We have been working hard behind the scenes to get systems and processes in place, and from August farmers can expect to start hearing from us regarding audit bookings.