CEO, Mike Brown's update 1 October 2026

Building a stronger vegetable industry together

One of the most rewarding aspects of my first couple of months with NZVeg has been getting out and talking directly with growers. Last week I spent the week in Pukekohe, visiting growers across a wide range of businesses and production systems. I have also been travelling through Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, Gisborne and the Hawke’s Bay meeting growers, district associations, product groups, researchers, and government and industry partners.

Those conversations are helping me shape my understanding of what matters most to growers – and where NZVeg can make the greatest difference.

A few themes are emerging. Smaller growers, in particular, are feeling vulnerable in the current environment. There are questions about maintaining confidence in industry standards and bringing newer growers into the system. We also need to do a better job explaining some of the emerging issues facing our industry, including the implications of gene-edited seed.

At the same time, there is a strong appetite for the industry to think beyond the immediate pressures. One conversation particularly challenged me: what do we want the vegetable industry to look like in five or ten years? How do we become more collaborative, lift standards, build capability and become “match-fit” for the opportunities ahead?

That is an important challenge for NZVeg. Our role is not to replace the valuable work being done by product groups, but to complement it – providing a stronger collective voice while ensuring those groups continue to deliver for their growers. We need both levels of representation to work well.

We are also building much stronger strategic relationships. My recent discussions with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) were particularly encouraging, with a clear willingness to engage with NZVeg as a cohesive industry body at a strategic level. We will be bringing government perspectives into our strategy development over the coming months, alongside progressing the vegetable 'export accelerator' work recently started with MPI.

Kazi Talaska, Mike and asparagus grower, Cam Lewis looking at early season asparagus being grown under cover

Advocacy is a central part of NZVeg's role. The passing of the Natural Environment Act and Planning Act mark another significant step in resource management reform, and we will continue working to ensure the new system recognises the realities of commercial vegetable production. In grocery, our message remains that greater competition and efficiency must not come at the expense of growers. Transparency through the value chain and sustainable returns to producers are essential.

Our recent pre-election political debate in Pukekohe – co-hosted with Potatoes NZ and the Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Association – provided a valuable opportunity to put these issues directly to political representatives, while the Te Ahikawariki | Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence (VICE), Spring Summit demonstrated the value of bringing growers, researchers and industry participants together.

There is a lot to do. But there is also considerable expertise, energy and goodwill across our sector. My focus is on bringing those strengths together – listening carefully, building the right relationships and ensuring NZVeg helps create a vegetable industry that is productive, resilient and ready for the future.

Regards, Mike
Chief Executive Officer
New Zealand Vegetable Council