At the recent conference of the New Zealand Grain & Seed Trade Association (NZGSTA), aptly titled “Seeds of Tomorrow”, members of the association voted in favour of a change to the current registered name and logo for the association.
The association will now be known as Seed & Grain New Zealand (Seed & Grain NZ) and the newly revised logo will provide a fresher, modern look whilst still linking back to the original logo and the associations 106-year history of representation.
President of the Association, Charlotte Connoley stated in her address to members “It’s about having a name that can act as an umbrella to the diverse range of activities that we participate in, and the current name does not encapsulate the breadth of activities the Association is involved in.”
“GeneTech is going to be a critical debate for our industry. We need to ensure we are seen as the voice of the industry on all matters not just trade. Our depth of involvement is far beyond that of trade but includes all the areas that interface with trade; plant breeding, intellectual property, standards and certification, education and training, advocacy and regulatory, market access, phytosanitary, biosecurity, research and development, events and communications.”
“The change in name also signals the willingness of our membership to evolve and aligns with change we are making elsewhere, with a soon to be appointed Chief Executive, implementation of mentoring and governance opportunities for young seed and grain employees and the beginning of a combined conference with the Australian Seed Federation.”
“Having a name that aligns with other industry representative bodies such as Beef & Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, HortNZ, Potatoes NZ creates better brand awareness and a seat at the same table as these organisations. Trade enabling advocacy is core to our activities. With our current heavy program of regulatory consultations and policy review, profile has never been more important.”