It is an industry-led and funded $250,000 pilot initiative aimed at creating a pipeline for attracting the top, most dynamic and innovative talent into horticulture.
Getting ready to leave recipients Meg Becker and Leander Archer say it is an incredible opportunity they never dreamed possible so early in their careers.
Archer, who at 24 is one of the youngest horticultural consultants in the booming apple industry at AgFirst in Hastings, said her passion for the environment and what the future looks like are her top priorities.
“We’re going to the Netherlands, a country known for being at the forefront of international environmental practices, and I want to see what ideas we can bring back.
“Spending a full day dedicated to pipfruit in South Korea I’ll see for the first time apples growing in a country with a very different climate and get to understand the different challenges this brings.”
Becker, 22, a leading hand for T and G Global in Hawke’s Bay, said it will be an awesome, eye-opening experience, showing her the world’s leading horticultural innovation and how it has been incorporated into organisations globally.
“We’ll gain experiences we will be able to use and refer to throughout our careers” Becker says.
The two are joining 11 Massey and Lincoln University students who along with industry and education leaders will visit Belgium, the Netherlands and South Korea.
They will go to Wageningen University and Research, embassies in Brussels and Seoul, businesses at the cutting edge of innovation along the horticultural value chain from production to the consumer.
They will also gain in-depth exposure to T and G Global and Zespri’s operations in Europe and Korea.
NZ Apples and Pears capability and development manager Erin Simpson said the international market and value chain immersion will give the programme members unique opportunities to engage with horticultural businesses, leaders and peers.
Simpson said NZ horticulture’s rapid growth over the past decade has outstripped its talent pool.
“There is a growing urgency within the sector for securing talent across all levels of the horticultural industry.”
