President – Jim Syme
jimsyme@xtra.co.nz
Phone : 09 520 6207

I have recently (December 2007) had the pleasure of being elected President of Olives New Zealand.

I was born in Christchurch, educated in Auckland and Wellington graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and I am married to Jenny and we have two children and four grandchildren.

After a career in finance and merchant banking, I retired in 1986 and have been a professional director since then.  I am currently Deputy Chairman of ASB Bank Ltd, Sovereign Assurance Ltd and a Director of Kiwi Income Property Trust.  I recently retired as Chairman of Abano Healthcare Group Ltd, Kiwi Income Property Trust, Software of Excellence International Ltd, Waste Management NZ Ltd and as Director of Metrowater Ltd.

We are currently establishing an olive grove on Waiheke Island, where we have 500 four year old trees at present with plans to increase the planting to 2,000 trees.

Over the next two years I plan to retire from my remaining directorships and devote increasing time to my olive interests.
 

Vice – President - Margaret Edwards
info@olivesnz.org.nz 

Currently, I am Vice President of the Olives New Zealand Executive and Leader of the Olives New Zealand Tasting Panel for Olive Oil.  I have attended numerous olive oil training courses, including International Olive Council courses for Tasting Panel Leaders in Italy.  As well as leading the tasting panel I run olive oil workshops, I am Chair of the Judging Panel for the Olives New Zealand National Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards and I am an international olive oil judge.

My husband John and I established Matiatia Grove, a 'boutique' olive grove on Waiheke Island in 1992. 

As a former dietitian, I have been involved with food, food science and nutrition for most of my working life and developed a love of extra virgin olive oil during frequent trips to Europe, particularly the Mediterranean regions, when John and I lived in England for a number of years.

Our grove, one of the oldest commercial groves on Waiheke Island, is planted with classic Italian and Greek olive trees and some 'local' varieties such as J5 and Rakino.  In 1997 we bought our first Italian centrifugal olive processing machine and became established as boutique producers of award-winning extra virgin olive oil.  This has consistently won gold medals both at the Olives NZ National Awards and at international competitions.
 

Executive Officer - Bruce Robertson

Email: admin@olivesnz.org.nz
Phone: 64 6 877 1447
Fax : 64 6 877 1443
Mobile : 64 27 441 7706

I have been involved with the export food sector for over 35 years- specifically Dairy, Meat and Horticulture.

I have attended and participated in a number of overseas International Trade Shows as a member of various NZ Export Trade Missions and delegations, and was a member of the NZ Food Technology Study Mission to the USA in 1988 I am currently the Regional Manager for Export New Zealand covering the Hawkes Bay and East Coast regions and also the NZ consultant/advisor for NZ and the Pacific Islands for the Commonwealth Business Council of London.

I was awarded a Winston Churchill Study Fellowship in 1986 and have just accepted an invitation to join the Board of Trustees of NZ of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. I was awarded a Trade NZ Export Commendation award in 1992 in recognition of the outstanding export development of food products direct into one of Hong Kong's leading supermarket chains. I am also a director/trustee of the Hawkes Bay Design Trust.

Married to Dale since 1974, we have three children, all graduates working around the globe. We have lived in Havelock North since 2003.
 

Treasurer - Graham Keen
gkeen@xtra.co.nz

 After a career as Company Accountant, Financial Controller, and International Marketing Manager in that order I have now retired from gainful employment as such.

Since 1998 I have been occupied as an olive grower, consultant and processor based in the Ohoka area of North Canterbury.

I am Secretary of the Canterbury Region and was seconded to the Olives New Zealand Executive in September 2006 to champion the NZ Gap Programme.  I was elected Treasurer for Olives New Zealand in September 2007.
 
I purchased my first olive grove of 530 odd trees in the Ohoka area that was part of a development in the area.  I was one of the first growers to accept and realise that Barnea was not a suitable variety for the area, which suffered from very cold southerly winds and resuting severe frosts.  Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolinos were the replacements of choice.  The area is very marginal for olive growing.

In 2002 I developed my existing grove of 1800 Tuscan variety trees.  The first harvest was of 1.2 tonnes in 2006, but poor pollination and frosts wiped out the 2007 harvest.

I became the first NZ Olive Grower to achieve Veg Fed Approved Supplier (now NZ GHAP) status in 2004.

With another grower I imported an Enorossi Hydraulic Press System with a 250kg/hr capability. Subsequently we added an additional identical second hand press (the original Ponder press) which complemented the first and took capacity to double that making more effective use of the very efficient malaxer.

Two additional shareholders were added late in 2006 and the plant is now operated under the name of Canterbury Olive Processors Ltd pressing Olives from Marlborough through to Central Otago on contract. A Food safety Programme has been lodged with Crown Public Health.
 

Colin Campbell - Olivetti (Northland)
09 431 5580
colin@tearaiolives.co.nz

I am a 45 year old father of three, who with my wife Raylee, and children live and work on our grove “Te Arai Olive Estate” near Mangawhai, Northland.

We established Te Arai Olive Estate in 1996, and planted 1800 trees in 2000. We have achieved success locally and internationally, most notably Best in Show International medium at Los Angeles County Fair 2006 and the Alma Trophy in Italy 2007.

For the past 4 years I have served firstly as Secretary, then for the last three years as Chairman of Oliveti, the Northland Olive Growers Association. I am the Northland Regional Chair representative for ONZ.

With this background as a successful medium sized producer and as a Registered Architect, I bring professionalism along with a creative approach to this role. My particular interests on the Executive are in communication, in both directions, and cooperation.
 

Steve Clark – Central Otago
steveclark@callsouth.net.nz
Phone 03 445 0920

At the conclusion of a long career in the fertiliser industry, my wife Anna and I purchased a block of bare land near Bannockburn in Central Otago.  While Anna continued her career as Head of Arts at St Hildas Collegiate our son and I set about establishing an olive grove.  Our first planting was of 560 Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino trees.  A second planting of the same varieties followed two years later together with a small number of Kalamata, Picholine and Uovo di Piccione for table olive production.  In total we have just under 1,000 trees, but we also planted and manage a 500 tree grove for a neighbour.

In 2001 we commissioned the first commercial press in Central Otago to process our own olives and to provide contract pressing services to other growers.  This press was an Oliomio 50 which has served us very well but which will be replaced for the 2008 harvest with a larger press.

I am currently Chair of Central Otago Olive Growers and following the 2007 AGM I am now a member of the Olives NZ Executive, in which position I am responsible for overseeing the Olives NZ website.
 

Ian Manson - Canterbury
ian.manson@clear.net.nz

My involvement in the olive industry commenced in 1999 following the establishment of our grove in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. With wife Bev, we planted 2,000 olive trees and in 2004 established our processing company on-site.

Today we process olives and purchase olive oils from select growers in the Waipara Valley and Marlborough regions. 

I joined the Executive of Olives New Zealand - Canterbury in 2002 and am currently Chairperson having taken over the reins in 2005.  I joined the Executive of Olives New Zealand Inc in 2005.  I am employed full-time on managing the grove and marketing our olive oil.
 

Brian Milne
 06 364 2311
brianmilne@xtra.co.nz 

We own a small, six years old olive grove in Te Horo on the Kapiti Coast, having moved north from Wellington when I retired as CEO of the NZ Pork Industry Board. My career in agribusiness spans a forty year involvement in the agrichemical, animal health, crop processing, horticulture and pork industries. I am familiar with the challenges faced by emerging  product groups having worked with 14 different product groups, during my time as CEO of the N Z Horticulture Export Authority.

I now divide my time between operating as a business coach and growing olives and I am involved in a number of community interests on the Kapiti Coast. In this past year, along with other enthusiastic growers, we have been instrumental in revitalizing the Olives New Zealand – Kapiti group of which I am the current Chairman.
 

Andrew Taylor – Hawkes Bay
forty.groves@paradise.net.nz

In 1982 I began fruitgrowing in the Bay of Plenty and after a stint at Massey University moved to fruit growing in Hawkes Bay. 

I have grown berryfruit, avocados, kiwifruit, pipfruit and summerfruit.  For the last 10 years I have been growing olives in conjunction with organic pipfruit.  I live on an organic orchard near Napier with my wife and two children.

For the past three seasons I have operated mechanical olive harvesting machinery in a number of regions in the North Island. 

While harvesting I have been able to meet a number of growers and I recognise that there are a wide range of opinions and isues to be faced to see olive products become a useful addition to the New Zealand horticultural product base.

Regional Representatives

Branch chairperson - Ian Manson  

Brian Milne

Ian Juno

To contact an Regional representative or any of the Executive email info@olivesnz.org.nz