Horticulture Industry Awards

Horticulture Bledisloe Cup

The Horticulture Bledisloe Cup is awarded for outstanding and meritorious contribution to the New Zealand horticulture industry.

2025 winner - Andrew Fenton

The Horticulture Bledisloe Cup for 2025 is presented to Andrew Fenton.

L-R Bernadine Guilleux HortNZ Board Chair, Andrew Fenton, Brydon Nisbet, HortNZ Board Deputy Chair

For more than five decades, Andrew has brought his passion for the industry, his experience, practical common-sense approach and constructive and positive team attitude to so many in the sector.

Andrew has a deep interest in industry good matters, in kiwifruit and the wider horticulture industry that benefit all growers and he truly enjoys making a leadership contribution to industry progress and advocacy.

In his governance roles, he is widely respected as a balanced and considered strategic thinker. He is focused on identifying and solving problems and supporting the organisations he works with to make the most of opportunities.

Andrew began his career in the sector in the 1970s developing kiwifruit properties in Te Puke and becoming vice chairman of the Te Puke Fruitgrowers' Association.

He went on to establish companies to manage and provide labour to kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty and in 1987 was elected deputy chair of Bay of Plenty Fruitpackers Co-operative Limited.

His many national leadership and governance roles in the sector have included Ministerial appointments as director of Kiwifruit New Zealand and the New Zealand Horticultural Export Authority, and as an elected director of grower-owned co-operative Market Gardens Limited, one of the country's largest produce market wholesalers, importer and exporter.

He was a director of the Satara kiwifruit grower co-operative for 25 years and chairman for 17 years and also served on the New Zealand Co-operatives Council representing horticulture and arable farming.

In 2005, he was elected as inaugural chair and president of Horticulture New Zealand, serving as president until 2013 and as a director until 2015.

Andrew's current roles include elected president and chair of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation and chair of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers Charitable Trust, which he has served on since 2003.

---

 

President's Trophy

The President's Trophy is awarded to those showing promise in business and horticulture industry leadership.

2025 winner - Daniel Kenna

The 2025 Horticulture New Zealand President’s Trophy is awarded to Daniel Kenna, orchard manager and researcher at Katikati-based KWKiwi.

Daniel has made a strong impact in a relatively short time after beginning his career in the sector.

Photo (L-R): Brydon Nisbet HortNZ Deputy Chair, Daniel Kenna, Bernadine Guilleux HortNZ Board Chair

He has become a leader in the fields of research, community and innovation and is passionate about the environmental and economic sustainability of New Zealand’s horticultural industry.

He has stepped up into governance as a director on the board of Future Farmers, a think tank policy group. 

Most recently, his leadership in the industry has included his establishment of the ION - Impact Orchard Network, in partnership with Zespri.

This is a programme designed to develop, improve and demonstrate sustainable and effective orchard practices, with the ultimate goal of improving sustainable practices and transparency while maintaining or improving productivity, across the kiwifruit industry.

He also leads in the field of sustainability research for horticulture in New Zealand and globally, establishing a world-first research trial that explores the impact of applying Biochar to soil on a kiwifruit orchard. This research sets the bench line for carbon removal in kiwifruit orchards and aims to provide solutions to the carbon challenges in the horticulture sector.

Daniel has also managed the operations of KWKiwi’s crop estimation trial for Zespri, which provides a fruit count estimate annually to the industry.

---

 

Sustainable Innovation Award

The Sustainable Innovation Award celebrates an individual or team who are developing or have developed technologies, an innovation, or undertaken research that increased productivity, profitability or environmental sustainability in the horticulture sector.

2025 winners - Gordon Skipage and Pranoy Pal

Gordon Skipage and Pranoy Pal of Trevelyan Pack and Cool Limited are the recipients of the Sustainable Innovation Award for 2025.

Photo (L-R): Brydon Nisbet HortNZ Deputy Chair, Pranoy Pal, Bernadine Guilleux HortNZ Board Chair

Trevelyan’s packhouse and coolstore operation in Te Puke is the largest single-site kiwifruit and avocado packing operation in New Zealand.

Gordon is head of technical, and Pranoy is kiwifruit technical manager. Together with their research partners, they have been conducting regenerative agriculture trials to provide evidence-based knowledge for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry and lay the groundwork for further research that can help the industry move toward sustainable, low-carbon production and climate resilience.

Regenerative agriculture has yet to be widely researched, scientifically trialed and thoroughly implemented in the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.

As export markets place increasing importance on zero-carbon production, consumers demand nutritious and sustainable produce, and the world requires climate-resilient food security.

Innovating to meet these needs is critical to the future productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability of horticulture industries.

First-in-industry trials undertaken at Trevelyan’s have focused on the regenerative agricultural practices of cover cropping, biochar and movable insect pods.

This research has also inspired several growers and Zespri to set up their own trials with Trevelyan’s guidance and advice.

Life Membership Award

The Life Membership Award recognises distinguished and honourable services to Horticulture over a period of at least 10 years.

2025 recipient - Stewart Burns

Stewart has been managing director of the Camelot Fresh Fruit Company in Twyford, Hastings, since its inception in 2003.

Photo (L-R): Stewart Burns, Bernadine Guilleux HortNZ Board Chair, Brydon Nisbet HortNZ Deputy Chair

Through many years in fruit growing, he has continued the work started by his father Neill Burns.

Stewart is committed to contributing to industry governance, serving on the Summerfruit NZ Board since 2014. His involvement has supported broader sector development and grower representation.

His leadership at Camelot has seen it develop into a well-regarded orchard and packing operation, focusing on summerfruit for the New Zealand domestic market, with some export activity.

Under his management, Camelot has built a reputation for consistent quality and a practical approach to innovation.

Stewart has introduced new orchard techniques, trialled emerging fruit varieties, and maintained a willingness to engage with others in the industry to improve outcomes.

He is known for sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration among growers. This openness has contributed to Camelot becoming a preferred packer for many in the region, with a team culture that reflects Stewart’s emphasis on care and attention to detail.

Manaaki Award

The Manaaki Award recognises the contribution of a person, group or organisation that has risen beyond the call of duty to support employers and workers. This includes the positive impact an act of service has had on employers, workers, the community and the RSE scheme.

2025 winners - T&G Global, Hastings Health Centre, OrbitProtect/nib NZ

The winner of the Manaaki Award for 2025 is a cross-collaborative team comprising T&G Global, Hastings Health Centre and the OrbitProtect/nib NZ.

As an RSE employer, T&G was concerned its staff members sometimes had to queue and wait up to half a day for medical appointments or urgent care.

In November 2024, the company established a 12-week pilot satellite health clinic, In partnership with Hastings Health Centre and OrbitProtect/nib NZ.

Photo (L-R): Heather Kean T&G Global, Nicky Rawlings T&G Global, Bryan Nisbet HortNZ Board Deputy Chair, Bernadine Guilleux HortNZ Board Chair

Believed to be a first-in-NZ initiative, the clinic was located at the Whakatu apples packhouse and specifically designed to serve the healthcare needs of RSE team members.

It proved so successful it was continued for the duration of the apple harvest, through to May 2025 and will be repeated in 2026.

The facility and medical equipment were provided and funded by T&G and the clinic was staffed by extended care paramedics and registered nurses from Hastings Health Centre.

Once a year, workers complete a Hastings Health Centre form and then simply swipe their Orbit medical card in the clinic, providing easy administration and ensuring no individual worker bears any cost.

The pilot saw the clinic provide care to over 660 people. The most common conditions treated were musculoskeletal pain, skin infections and flu-like illnesses. In 2025, the clinic saw approximately 1,900 patients over the five-month period.

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive feedback from RSE workers, fellow Hawke’s Bay RSE employers and healthcare providers.

From a community perspective, it has helped ease the demand on urgent care services in the region.