AGM 2010

ORGANIC DAIRY and PASTORAL GROUP

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2010

Held at Student Union, Lincoln University, Christchurch

19th March 2010 6.30 pm

 

Apologies: Neville Parkinson, Mark and Jane Pike, Kym Davey, Tineke Verkade, Di Handley
Proxies: Janet and Steven Fleming, Gray Baldwin, Peg Tait-Jamieson
Minutes of 2009: Taken as read           Maurice/ Liz
Matters Arising :
Questioned areas being poorly serviced, because Sth Island has been very well serviced..
Statement had been made referring to some areas considered to be poorly serviced in
the Nth Is in the year previous.
Financial Report
As tabled. Financial report accepted Maurice / Ian
Neville: Everyone’s getting value from the email group eg surplus feed, grazing.Affiliation membership with Southern Organics Group discussed (60 members, 70% of the certified)
Moved: Neville to go to Southern Organics with the above proposal . Accepted Maurice/ Brian
Maurice: has the final report OANZ detailing where the money spent - on Field days, paying people to orgaize and run them. Has contributed greatly in the South Island especially to the getting together of organic farmers.
Thanks goes John Vosper for putting his hand up to get the Funding to the South Island and thanks also to Esther for her hours in making the budget work and running the field days. General Business OANZ will continue to exist as it’s an incorporated society, even though it is at a ‘knife edge’ in terms of funding. • $350,000 needed to keep it going and continue to employ Jon Tanner Gavin Middleton and Heather Atkinson.• Absolute skeleton funding is what OANZ gets from members, $25,000 and this would pay a part time admin employee. This wouldn’t be doing advocacy, lobbying and communications. Eg this year, GE Free NZ took 4 cases to court and won them all. OANZ’s role was to support. • Future starting to look more positive. Staff have been working lobbying the ‘blue greens’ within the National Party and have been told there will be funding in the next budget. • Pastoral sector is doing well and growing, and a couple of other sectors looking good too. • We must avoid doubling up in services Neville: How do OANZ get out to organic farmers what they do?
Derek: Accepts people don’t see everything they do, but an example would be the 8 Country Calendar programmes this year. Put forward by Gavin. John K: Protein has been the push, now we need to focus the market on nutrient dense food eg survey the potential for Omega 3 rich food.
Future for ODPG
Disussion Ian: We’re not big enough
Neville: The negativity should be dealt with outside the email group
John: Strength for the overall sector in having each group resolving issues effectively
Tim: Likes the ‘days of our lives’ aspect
Doug: Analyse the amount of people who say things perceived by some to be stirring, and it’s only a few.
John: Different people read what they want in various statements.
Tim: Wants to have access to everything. Needs to know what’s going on.
Dave: Geographic grouping or by sector?
Derek: Our PG P application has been successful to the next round and that was 1
Meat and Wool, and 1 Dairy, so sector would be better.
Liz V.: The committee not ready yet to expand to wider groups. Everyone is enjoying the camaraderie of the email group, why not wait a year and see what evolves?
Kathy: With new Fonterra suppliers now on board and the dairy sector supplying just one organic processor the need to lobby is even greater. Decisions and directions need ing to be decided before spring. Can’t be in limbo.
Brian: Accept a certain amount of diversity amongst organic people .. but…
Motion: This meeting fully supports the committee and regrets personal criticism as it detracts from the wider industry goals and jeopardises the growth of the sector. Brian / Tim All aye. Carried
ODPG Executive
With the resignation of a new committee member , this is the executive for 2010
Chairman: John Vosper
Secretary: Mark Pike
Treasurer: Janet Fleming
Committee: 1) Kathy Bentham  2) Ian Turnbull  3) Cedric Backhouse  4) Neville Parkinson  5)