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Volume 13 - June 2010
CONTENTS
Second Anniversary
This issue marks the second anniversary of the birth of the Olives NZ e-Newsletter. I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed producing it. Feedback, comment and constructive criticism is always welcome as a means of helping to improve the content and coverage. Please forward to our Executive Officer, Lesley Wilson, admin@olivesnz.org.nz
It is particularly pleasing to have significant articles from five regions this issue, but I would love to see all regions represented in the same issue.
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President's Comments
The certification protocols and agreements have recently been signed with Plant & Food for the 2010 season. By now you should all have received documentation required for certification or been made aware of the documents which can be obtained from our website.
Our certification programme, whilst a cut-down version of the international process, is designed to provide the consumer with credibility of the quality of our oils. We see it as a cornerstone to instant identification of quality and value when comparing New Zealand produced EVOO and imported product. It is a useful marketing tool for New Zealand producers, especially as consumers become more aware of the “red dot” and it’s indication of quality product.
After much debate the Executive have agreed to an increase in price for certification. The necessary increase in price is to cover the actual cost incurred by ONZ for the entire certification process. These costs include the costs of administration, bottles, postage & packaging, as well as the charges from Plant & Food. In our re-evaluation process we have attempted to calculate a realistic cost price that provides us with positive cash flows. Unfortunately our financial position is such that we can not run the certification programme on the basis that we could cover any shortfall from cash on hand, so the certification process must stand alone and be financially viable.
On a lighter note, some excellent harvesting results have been achieved in the North, however, extended rain periods through April, May and into June for most of the country south of Taupo combined with a number of frosts means that slow to mature fruit have produced lower yields than expected in many instances. The frosts have put pressure on the need to harvest before fruit is mature. Each harvest season brings its own challenges – some we can manage and some beyond our control. I trust we are learning from each year and keeping a diary of all inputs into the grove, including those of weather. Are you keeping a written record of oil flavour profiles from year to year? What about harvest parameters? Fruit maturity?
Aside from telephone calls and emails our website is our best opportunity for communication. Our website, which has served us well in the past, really is past its best-before date. The Executive have agreed to a new website being developed and we hope that this will provide us with a vehicle to disseminate information quickly, efficiently and easily. The brief to the design team will include the requirement that the website is easily updateable and very user friendly.
A number of comments have been received that ONZ is not providing sufficient cohesion in the industry. First of all I would like to thank you for your comments. We have asked for comments to be made and are willing to listen – and respond. By way of assurance, we do have an Executive and Executive Officer working on a number of issues and the day to day tasks very cohesively. Our difficulty is in conveying this and industry issues to each of you in a timely and efficient manner. It is our hope and intention that a new website will assist us in this endeavour.
At all times we look forward to input from as many members as possible. To that end, our content for the coming conference is based on feedback from the membership – an interactive, workshop based, field visit oriented conference. We look forward to your continued commitment and participation to make it a success. It will be different to recent years, but actually is a return to the more field-based conferences held in previous years.
When meeting growers in most regions of the country a regular topic is the development of regional brand(s). Cohesion and collaboration are needed at a regional level to pursue these opportunities - cohesion is found when people work together and participate at every opportunity. ONZ will provide non-financial assistance to your region, wherever we can and when asked. By way of example the Hawke’s Bay Branch of Olives New Zealand have shown some cohesion and developed the support of the Hastings District Council to assist in funding a large olives festival, after first holding a branch run & funded festival for two years. This is not an ONZ festival, however, we support their initiative and will assist with advice and arrangements where possible. Promotion of our product range is a responsibility of individual growers and all of us that represent them. We wish them every success.
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Message from the President.
The executive committee elected in October 2009 inherited an unstable financial position. Given that the financial year end is July and the conference was in October some decisions made and enacted prior to the new team being elected have had a financial impact on both the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 financial years.
A review of ONZ finances in February this year has determined that ONZ must secure between $30,000 and $40,000 of income over expenses after excluding member subscriptions per annum. ONZ has only the following sources to secure income :
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Sponsorship
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Olives to Oil course
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Certification
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Annual Conference
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Awards
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Sales of "Olivemark" and other items.
After looking at these areas and how to increase income, decisions made by the executive include increasing subscriptions by 10% for the 2010/2011 year. This is the maximum increase the executive can implement without approval at an Annual General Meeting. The Executive will be proposing a motion at the October AGM to further increase the membership fee for the 2011/2012 year.
We are currently actively seeking long term sponsorship arrangements. These arrangements will be key to the financial stability of the organisation and should allow us to give added value to members. One of the things we would like to do in the future is to carry out generic promotion of our olive products and the extra finances will assist in this regard. It is most important that we have continuing positive cash flows for any such initiatives to be sustainable. Without extra positive cash inflows during the year we will not be able to achieve this or any other member support.
What this means for the present is that ONZ cannot afford to run any of its activities at a loss. We feel we have been left with no option but to pass on the actual cost of our activities to members and have recently reviewed costs such as certification. All courses, certification, awards events and conferences are being budgeted to produce a positive cash flow, not breakeven.
Please be assured that we are working to look after the interests of our members and to increase the financial integrity of the organization. We expect to be able to report a much more secure and stable financial year towards the end of the 2010/2011 financial year.
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Olives NZ Certification
By now you will have received an email with copies of the documentation required for certification of your oils. Alternatively download the documents from the Olives NZ website.
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Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition
Once again New Zealand olive oil producers have enjoyed success at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. Congratulations to Azzuro Grove, Divinity, Duck Creek Road, Far North New Zealand Olive Oil, First Drop, Molive, Rangihoua Estate, Ruakokoputuna, and Whangape Grove for their awards.
Particular mention must be made of Ruakokoputuna who not only won a Gold and Silver medal but also won Best in Class in the International Robust class. Well done.
Azzuro Groves
www.azzurogroves.com
BRONZE MEDAL Medium, Tuscan Blend, Waiheke Island 2009
Divinity
www.divinity.com
GOLD MEDAL Delicate, Leccino, Mangawhai, Northland 2009
SILVER MEDAL Delicate, Frantoio, Mangawhai, Northland 2009
Duck Creek Road Olive Oil
SILVER MEDAL Medium, Auckland 2009 Silver
Far North New Zealand Olive Oil
www.farnorthnewzealandoliveoil.com
GOLD MEDAL Robust, TokerauBeach 2010
SILVER MEDAL Robust, Far North 2010
First Drop
www.firstdrop.co.nz
SILVER MEDAL Medium, J5, Northland 2009
BRONZE MEDAL Medium, The 3 Tuscans, New Zealand 2009
Molive Gold
www.molive.co.nz
BRONZE MEDAL Medium, Wairarapa 2009
Rangihoua Estate
www.rangihoua.co.nz
SILVER MEDAL Medium, Waiheke Island 2009
SILVER MEDAL Medium, Waiheke Island 2009
Ruakokoputuna
www.ruakokoputunaolives.co.nz
BEST OF CLASS GOLD MEDAL Robust, Wairarapa 2009
SILVER MEDAL Robust, Wairarapa 2009
Whangape Grove
SILVER MEDAL Robust, Auckland
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Food Bill Introduced to Parliament
A proposed change to New Zealand’s current food law is now one step closer following the Food Bill’s introduction to Parliament on 26 May 2010. For those of you that have been involved in the olive industry for some time, you’ll appreciate the sentiment when we say it’s been a long road to Parliament but for us, the journey has only just begun.
The Food Bill was originally born out of an extensive review of the domestic food industry which identified a number of problems with the current food regulatory regime – the Food Act 1981 and the supporting Food Hygiene Regulations 1974. As a result of this review, the Government of the day agreed to an overhaul of the Food Act 1981 and committed to providing an effective, efficient and risk-based food regulatory regime that manages food safety and suitability issues, improves business certainty and minimises compliance costs for business.
Following many rounds of consultation with the food industry, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) commenced the drafting of the Food Bill in 2007. However, a change of Government following the 2008 General Election saw the Bill re-visited and re-drafted in the context of the current Government’s regulatory reform process.
The Bill, as drafted by NZFSA, signals some fundamental changes to the current domestic food regulatory regime. It introduces a more risk-based approach to food safety and, if signed into law, will require all food operators – and food importers – to take primary responsibility for ensuring food is safe and suitable.
The Food Bill is now in the hands of Parliament and could have its first reading within the next few weeks. It is now up to Parliament to make decisions on when - and indeed if – the Food Bill gets through the various stages of the Parliamentary process, and if it is enacted.
What does this mean for the olive industry? For now it means we continue to maintain the status quo and meet the requirements of the Food Act 1981. However, if the Bill is enacted, we will be expected to transition to the new regime some time within a five year transition period. The schedules to the Bill contain the transition schedule for industry sectors.
Early indications suggest that the edible oils sector would not be expected to transition to the new regime until year five. If the Food Bill is enacted by March 2011 (and commences six months after that date), this means the earliest date that the olive industry would be expected to comply with any changes would be the end of September 2015. This gives us plenty of time to build the capability and tools required to operate under the new regime.
Further information about the Food Bill can be found on NZFSA’s website at www.nzfsa.govt.nz. You can track the progress of the Food Bill on the New Zealand Parliament website www.parliament.govt.nz
Sue Owens
Senior Communications Advisor
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
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2010 Olives NZ Conference
The 2010 Olives NZ Conference has a the theme "Olive Growing - Back to Basics". The programme will commence with a visit to Matapiro Olive Grove on Friday afternoon where there will be trade displays and four stands demonstrating various olive related activities
The venue for Saturday's activities will be the Eastern Institute of Technology where there will be five concurrent workshops running. The day concludes with the AGM followed in the evening by the Conference and Awards Dinner
The draft programme may be viewed here.
Those members requiring accommodation in Napier for the conference might find the www.hawkesbaynz.co.nz website useful.
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Acknowledgement
In the last newsletter I asked for photographs that could be used on the website and in future issues of the newsletter. I would like to acknowledge the kind offer from Chris & Lisa Preston ( Amuri Estate Retreat) of the use of some of their photos.
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Around the Regions
Central Otago
Two climatic factors have defined the 2009/2010 olive season in Central Otago; a cold spring and the absence of severe early frosts. The cold spring lead to a delayed flowering with full flowering occurring around Christmas, with some varieties still flowering in early January
The fruit set has been very variable with Leccino, but Frantoio has on the whole consistently set a heavy crop.
The last two seasons saw severe frosts in early May cause significant damage to the olive crop, but this season the first heavy frost occurred mid June, by which time many groves had already harvested. Nearly two weeks of continuous low cloud from late May through early June kept the frost at bay, although maximum daytime temperatures rarely rose above low single figures. Because of the risk of frost damage many growers opt to accept a low oil yield from relatively unripe fruit rather than risk losing the crop
.JPG) The ripening of the different varieties has been somewhat topsy turvy with Barnea ripening earlier than usual and yielding 17 to 18% oil. Frantoio, which would normally be showing good colour by this time is still predominantly yellow/green with only the first hint of a blush. Likewise, South Australian Verdale is still green.
So far this season, oil recovery has generally been very good with recovery significantly better than the previous season
A large anticyclone currently covering New Zealand has resulted in two days of freezing fog and hoar frost on the trees. While there has been little damage so far to the fruit, conditions for the pickers has been unpleasant with air temperatures at 9:00am this morning (17 June) at minus 2.1C.
Weather permitting, the harvest in Central Otago will continue for some until the end of the month or into the first week in July.
Hawkes Bay
HortNZ Visits Matapiro
In early June some of the HortNZ Directors visited Matapiro Grove. The Directors were keen to see mechanical harvesting in action and Simon Arthur of Matapiro kindly took time out of his day to give the Directors a guided tour of the grove and an impromptu lesson on some of the nuances of Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasting; a bottle of Lupi provided a useful (if unwanted) comparison. The Directors thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and were keen students of the ins and outs of growing and manufacturing of EVOO.
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HortNZ Directors at Matapiro |
A demonstration of the tree shaker |
Kapiti
Pre-harvest meeting of about 3 dozen potential “harvesters” met at Elaine Stevens’s and Mary Harris’s Olive Press. Urgent questions were about timetables for pressing and likely dates for harvest. Andrew Hay offered his press services as well and this gives another alternative for the growers.
Graeme Harris talked about ripeness and what to look for; the squeeze test, the colour inside being milky not green and not to be fooled by outside colour. Harvest is later for everyone by about 3 weeks after a late full flowering in December 2009. Most are getting underway now. The rule of 180 days past full flowering seems to hold good.
We looked at harvesting tools and options there. Both Stihl and Pellenc were demonstrated.
The next major issue is birds! The prize for “best remedy” was to attract the hawks by leaving out road kill. Other remedies such as Bird Gard’s distressed bird caller is used with seeming success by some, gun shot by others and hanging CD discs in trees by others. Not annoying neighbours is an issue and nets are too hard!
Once again a pleasant social time was enjoyed at the end.
Marlborough
The Marlborough Branch of Olives New Zealand held a harvesting open day in early May. Fran & Errol Wilkinson kindly offered to host this at their grove. Some very welcome rain had been falling during the morning but cleared on cue. There was a good turnout of interested people.
Croads brought along some Stihl harvesting equipment, both a battery operated vibrating rake and a branch shaker, which their representative demonstrated. Pellenc had loaned one of their battery operated vibrating rakes, which can be substituted to use as a chain saw, and this was demonstrated by Nikolai Heard. Roger Armstrong brought along a Smart Catcher – although this could not be demonstrated on an actual tree being harvested, fruit was put into the umbrella to show the conveyor and leaf blower attachment working and the fruit being deposited into the bin at the front of the quad bike.
We then moved indoors to listen to Hasley McDonald describing the machine harvesting using a grape harvester which had been used by the Wilkinson’s the previous year. A DVD was shown to see the harvester in action.
A cuppa with refreshments were served in the Wilkinson’s lovely home. Thanks to them.
Later in May it was time again for the AGM. The initially welcome rain in Marlborough was still falling and was proving by now to be not so welcome in the lead up to harvest. The night of the AGM was very soggy indeed. However a reasonable member turnout braved the elements. The events of the last year were discussed and also ideas for the future, with a new committee being elected. Roger Woolhouse was re-elected as Chairman. All enjoyed a glass of wine with some nibbles and a good chat afterwards.
The unusually wet conditions have produced, not surprisingly, some milder oils this year. Oil percentages have also been reduced by the rains. Fruit yields have been variable, however the Marlborough Olive Press has been booked out well into July, largely because of less fruit being sold out of the Province. A record throughput looks likely, all going well, with 100 tonnes processed to date.
Northland
2010 Olive Harvest
2010 has certainly been an unusual harvest for most growers from Auckland through to the far North.
Without doubt the Northland drought has had an impact on the 2010 harvest. However there seem to be additional environmental factors that have also had an impact.
Based on feedback from a sample of growers throughout the Northland region, the general theme is that the harvest tonnage of olives is down, and in some cases by up to 50% on 2009 (which was a bumper year); and that oil yield from the fruit is up. Oil yield seems to vary widely from 14% to 25% depending on cultivar. Most producers report a total oil yield similar to last year, but oil that is considered by most to be far superior.
There are exceptions however throughout the region with a number of growers in both the southern end and far north reporting harvests up to twice the tonnage of last year. In addition there have also been reports of oil yields exceeding 30% with the average being around 18%.
The harvest season in most cases has been earlier than most seasons and also shorter, with less fruit available for harvest. Due to the drought and high sunshine hours, the fruit has generally been much darker in colour than usual so may have fooled some to harvest early with lower oil yields. Fruit drop due to lack of available moisture has been seen throughout the region with some groves in the far north reporting the loss of up to 75% of the crop. On the up side however the reported incidence of disease, particularly Anthrax Nose, has been extremely low compared to ‘normal’ years.
Almost without exception most growers have reported excellent flowering in the October/November time frame. However a large number of growers also reported a poor fruit set during the 2009 spring. In some cases this seems to have been only seen in certain cultivars or individual trees within a block of cultivars. Reasons behind the poor fruit set seem to be a combination of poor pollination because of lack of normal equinoxel easterly wind and unseasonal and severe cold spring weather. Some have suggested that biannual fruiting has also had an impact.
Other feedback has been around significantly greater leaf drop than normal years, and significant tip die back with Koroneiki. A number of growers have commented that they wish they had irrigation systems in place to counter the severe dry conditions. On the other hand others have had real problems with Koroneiki not ripening early enough before the autumn rains rotting the fruit.
While Northland has probably six main olive growing areas, it is clear that each has multiple micro climates meaning that growing conditions tend to vary considerably. This said, Northland’s 2010 oil is considered by most to be of exceptional quality with some groves already winning Gold medals at the LA International Extra Virgin Olive oil awards.
Olive Industry Challenges
The greatest challenge in 2010 for most Northland growers (as in previous years), is getting their oil into the hands of the consumer. There is a real barrier in terms of cost and regulatory process to any but the largest NZ EVOO producers getting their oil onto the shelves of the two NZ supermarket chains. This leaves most EVOO being sold at farmers markets and specialty or small local food retailers. Ignorance of the fabulous flavor and health benefits of EVOO amongst the NZ public seems to be due to most people shopping in supermarkets, and being given little choice but rancid imported oil or poorer quality supposedly extra virgin oil with some NZ content.
In order to help address the marketing challenges faced by smaller Northland growers, the Northland grower association Oliveti, is in the process of creating a common marketing entity for its members.
Northland Branch
ONZ currently has around 45 members in the Northland area (Albany through to Far North). At the end of March 2010 ONZ members voted to establish a Northland Branch in order to better represent the interests of Northland growers and producers at a national level. Four members agreed to participate on a committee to form the branch with Mark Bond being elected Chair.
ONZ executive at a recent meeting supported the formation of a Northland branch, and agreed to assist with initial setup expenses.
For an effective branch to be formed however, further committee members are required including filling the roles of secretary and treasurer. Please consider if you can give a small amount of time to help make progress in our industry. Please call Mark Bond on 09 426 1002 / 0274 941 232 or email mark@rockhavenoil.co.nz to discuss how you can contribute.
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Department of Labour Publications
Things all businesses need to know about parental leave
As an employer if you have received a request for parental leave here are three things to do to get started.
1. Find out what your employee is eligible for:
The Department of Labours online calculatorr can help you determine if your employee is entitled to take parental leave and receive government funded parental leave payments.
The maximum rate of payment for government funded parental leave is adjusted on 1 July each year. On 1 July 2010, the maximum payment will increase from $429.74 to $441.62 per week (gross). This means that employees will be entitled to either their gross weekly rate of pay or $441.62, whichever is lower.
Employees must apply to Inland Revenue for payments and to their employer for the leave.
2. Respond appropriately to requests:
As an employer you are required to reply to your employees parental leave request in writing and your response should cover:
Templates for responding to an employees request
3. Understand how parental leave effects other leave entitlements
Employment is treated as continuous during the period of parental leave.
Annual leave and sick leave continues to accrue while an employee is on parental leave. If an employee becomes entitled to annual leave while on parental leave or during the 12 month period after they return, special rules apply to how it is calculated.
Find out more about accrual of annual leave during a period of parental leave.
Get more information on parental leave for employers
If you are self employed you could also be eligible for paid parental leave Get more information on parental leave for self employed persons
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News Briefs
Not All Good News at Italian Olive Oil Group’s Annual Meeting
What's the real scoop on olive oil's health benefits?
New Zealand Olive Festival comes to Hawke’s Bay
Filtered vs. Unfiltered Olive Oil: What’s the Difference?
Colitis Curbed by Olive Oil but Fuelled by Omega-6 Fats
Extra virgin pitted olive oil. How to judge them?
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Coming Events
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes - New Zealand 2010
The Tenth Anniversary Year of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes. Tasting New Zealand New Season Olive Oils and with some of the World’s Leading Olive Oils
6 - 8 August Brydan on Rose Motor Lodge, Blenheim
13 - 15 August Anchorage Motor Lodge, Napier
19 - 21 August Copthorne Hotel, Harbour City, Auckland
For more information visit www.savantes.com
18 September - The New Zealand Olive Festival 2010 will be held at Sileni Estates Winery, 2016 Maraekakaho Road, RD1 Hastings.
8 - 9 October. Olives NZ Conference & AGM, Napier.
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