The role of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) is to provide governance for OrganicFarmNZ. NCC members are elected by their region for a two year term.

 

The 2008/09 NCC (and the regions they represent) are:

 

Dennis Enright - Chair (Otago)

Dennis owns 1.2 hectares of land on the Taieri Plain, adjacent to Mosgiel, since 1990. He has never used agrichemicals on it and achieved full certification with OFNZ in 2004. He produces cool climate vegetables which sell through a box scheme and the Otago Farmers Market. The greater part of his working life (25 years) was spent employed by AgResearch (previously MAF) conducting soil and fertilizer research. He is now self employed, working his property, managing another and for AgResearch.

 

Tony Henderson - Deputy Chair (Far North, Central Northland)

(Profile to come) 

 

Paul Hamilton - Treasurer (Waikato, Coromandel, Taranaki)

I am a 63 year old 4th generation New Zealander who is married to Jackie and we have 3 adult children and 2 of the next generation. We live on a 3ha block at Puriri, 13kms south of Thames, and we grow all our fruit and vegetables with enough surplus to give to our families.

We have grown without chemical input for the past 15 years and have been certified with OFNZ Coromandel from the beginning in 2002. We recently had a small Organic nursery supplying vegetable, flower and heritage seedlings to the local markets.

My main focus now is to become an auditor for OFNZ and maybe beyond. I am concerned with the rules we have to comply with; when chemical (conventional) farmers can put whatever chemical, at whatever rate they like, on their land or plants and there is no onus on them to inform the public of the possible effect that has on the product.

 

Dave Treadwell - (Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay)

Dave established Ecoseeds in 1996. Ecoseeds sells small to large quantities of seeds on either a retail or wholesale basis. These include old and unusual types and an expanding range of certified organic seeds on some varieties. 

 

Sean Wilson (Auckland)

Sean and Annie Wilson run an OFNZ-certified fruit salad orchard in Miranda on the Firth of Thames. We also grow vegetables year round and have a registered kitchen on the property where Annie produces a variety of preserves. We sell as much as we can through local Farmers' Markets. Hooray for WOOFers!

 

Jim Bennett (Bay of Plenty)

Jim, together with his wife Julie, supply organic retailers throughout the North Island and Christchurch with a variety of hothouse vegetables and subtropical fruit from their 3ha property in sunny Opotiki.  A former geography teacher, Jim has been involved in organics for many years, and their property has been certified with OFNZ since 2001.

 

Robyn Patchett (Canterbury)

Robyn has been involved in OFNZ since the beginning. She and partner Brian have a 29 hectare  property near Springston. They have been BioGro certified since 1989. The pipfruit orchard occupies most of Robyn's time but there are cows, sheep hens etc. Robyn is the Certification Manager for Canterbury.

 

 

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NCC - some past and present members: (from L-R)
Hamish Hopkinson, Terry Higginson, Richard Main, Jim Bennett, Peter Downard, 
Heather Atkinson, Robyn Patchett, Dennis Enright.

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