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Volume 14 - August 2010
CONTENTS
Notice of AGM
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Olives New Zealand Inc will be held Saturday the 9th of October, 2:30pm – 4:00pm, at the Lecture Theatre 1, Block K1, Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), 501 Gloucester Street, Taradale, Hawke’s Bay.
AGENDA
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Apologies
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Minutes of previous meeting
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Matters arising
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President’s report
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Treasurer’s report
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Election of Officers
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Appointment of Auditor
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Remits
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Committee reports
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General Business
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Call for Nominations
ELECTION OF OFFICERS TO THE EXECUTIVE 2010
At the 2009 AGM, the members expressed a desire to avoid the situation whereby all members of the Executive are up for re-election at any one time. The Executive currently has the constitution under review but that review will not be complete prior to the 2010 AGM. Given that the current constitution does not allow for retirement by rotation and the Executive's desire to fulfil the wishes of members, the President (Andrew Taylor) and two other Executive members (Steve Clark and Chris Moore) have agreed to resign as at the 2010 AGM and offer themselves for re-election, thereby creating a situation whereby half the executive are subject to re-election each year.
Nominations are hereby called for the following Executive Committee positions which will become vacant at this year’s Annual General Meeting:
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President
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Two Executive Committee members
Only voting members of Olives New Zealand are eligible to be elected. Nominees must sign their acceptance of nomination and have their nomination endorsed by two (2) voting members as proposer and seconder respectively.
Candidates for election for the Position of President must indicate whether they are also candidates for the Executive Committee in the event of them failing to receive sufficient votes as President
Nominations forms can be downloaded from the Olives NZ website. They must be with the Executive Officer, Lesley Wilson by end of day 3 September 2010. Mail to Olives New Zealand, PO Box 7464, Taradale 4141, Hawke’s Bay or email to admin@olivesnz.org.nz
Nominees are also requested to enclose, with their nomination, a brief curriculum vitae together with details of their experience and involvement (if any) in the olive industry.
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Call for Remits
NOTICE TO ALL REGIONAL GROUPS
In accordance with Clause 11.2.1 of the Rules of Olives New Zealand Inc notice is hereby given calling for any remits that regions may wish to submit to the Annual General Meeting on Saturday the 9th of October 2010.
Notice of any remits for consideration at the Annual General Meeting must be received by The Executive Officer, Olives New Zealand Inc, P O 7464, Taradale, 4141, Hawke’s Bay by Friday the 10th of September 2010
NB: A remit should be a matter that is capable to be voted on – not an idea or submission on a particular topic
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2010 Olives NZ Conference
The 2010 Olives NZ Conference will be held on 8 & 9 October 2010 in Napier. The final programme is available for download from the Olives NZ website.
The conference fee is $320.00 + GST for registrations received on or before 17 September and $380.00 + GST for registrations received after 17 September. The registration form will be posted on the Olives NZ website by 16 August 2010.
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New Requirement for Olives NZ EVOO Awards
At the February 2010 ONZ Executive meeting a decision was made that from the 2011 Olives NZ awards, all EVOO entered in the awards would be required to have been processed by a processing plant having a current registration by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority. At that time the Executive believed that the legislation to be enacted would require that by 2013 all olive oil produced in New Zealand would subject to Food Safety requirements. Subsequently we have learned that the legislation that has been presented to Parliament will require olive oil to be subject to NZFSA legislation but the NZFSA have more pressing food safety risks than olive oil and therefore it is probable that olive oil processing will not be required under a registered food safety plan until 2015.
Given the above, at the July 2010 executive meeting the original motion was reversed and a new motion proposing the 2012 awards as the mandatory date was passed. This date could be altered if the NZFSA decide to push its expected requirement for edible oils further into the future.
As at July 2010, 10 olive oil processing plants are already currently registered, with another 5 presently in the process of obtaining registration.
We would encourage all olive processing plants to obtain registration under NZFSA as soon as possible. When the 5 plants presently under going the registration process join the 10 currently registered, over 70% of New Zealand’s olive oil processing capacity as defined by capacity will have current Food Safety Programmes.
The olive industry is in a unique position to be an industry leader, please accept this as a challenge, not as a threat to the industry. For further information and contacts for those processors willing to accept this challenge please contact admin@olivesnz.org.nz
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Olive Industry Challenges - NZ Supermarket Brand
In the June ONZ newsletter one sentence in the Northland branch news has caused concern. The sentence reads “Ignorance of the fabulous flavour and health benefits of EVOO amongst the NZ public seems to be due to most people shopping at supermarkets and being given little choice but rancid imported oil or poorer quality supposedly extra virgin oil with some NZ content”
Such generalisations fly in the face of quality NZ Olive Oils in super markets causing offense to the producers.
Matapiro with it’s “100% Kiwi” brand which is one of the leading NZ EVOO brands in the supermarkets does take offence to any statement that implies that we offer poor quality olive oil, or a product that may have “some NZ content”.
Matapiro has a practice of having all olive oil produced on the estate certified as being extra virgin . To date Matapiro has not purchased olive oil from any other source. Therefore any oil Matapiro blends into the 100% Kiwi brand is from certified EVOO.
The 100% Kiwi EVOO is a well balanced blend that appeals to a wide range of palates and applications.
We at Matapiro are proud that we have produced a New Zealand blend of EVOO that has been so rapidly accepted by the New Zealand consumer.
John Arthur
Matapiro Olives.
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The OliveMark
The Olive Mark – For Certified NZ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This article hopes to let members know what has been happening as regards the Olive Mark with the view to promoting discussion and seeks ideas and contributions from members to the ONZ executive.
The olive mark is currently under review and we are visiting all aspects of it so this article is entirely based on questions and thoughts.
Name and design
Some of us think a better name would be Red Seal. Rather like having a “seal of approval” and looking like a wax seal. The colour could be red or olive green perhaps. I will call it a Seal from here. The style and possible colours are displayed below :
Why do we have a certification process?
The aim is to encourage consumers to “buy NZ”.
What is going to make consumers choose a bottle with an “ONZ Seal” over a bottle without the seal? Perhaps fear about not getting the best. However without promotion and an easy to read seal that won’t happen. It is believed that 90% or more of consumers buy based on price. NZ prices even for our supermarket brands of EVOO are at least twice the price of imported EVOO. There is significant price elasticity, i.e. the lower the price the greater the sales.
What is going to make Brand Owners use the ONZ Seal, rather than not? Perhaps fear of not being seen to have “real extra virgin olive oil”. Given the price elasticity described above what is a seal on a bottle going to add that will add to the sales numbers generated. Is that fear real?
Value and Standards
ONZ “Seal” must have meaning and thereby value.
It therefore must have strong standards that are meaningful. The Australian version seems to be a good template.
You may have noted that the Australian and USA food standards for “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” and other “lower” oil products are under review. Perhaps future authorised descriptions of “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” will do our job for us by prohibiting wrongly named product from both NZ and off shore.
Promotion
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How do we communicate with the “masses” or do we communicate with “foodies” first.
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Only certified oils get awards to encourage use of the seal. Under the current rules award winners have to use the seals and this does not always happen apparently.
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Media and PR is cheaper but hard to initiate and advertising is very costly.
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Demonstrations - Tastings and displays at Food Fairs etc.
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Stands by ONZ at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Food festivals also at NZ Olive Festival - education
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The seal must look important, authoritative and easy to read on bottles.
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PR stunts comparing “the real thing” vs. “NOT real” were apparently effective in Australia.
Buy-in by growers and marketing companies.
ONZ needs the majority of marketing companies and growers using the “seal”.
The bigger players such as The Village Press, Matapiro (does), 100 percent Kiwi, Simunovich, Kapiti Olives (does), Olivenz, Paul Holmes (NZ Premium Foods) and Tussock need to be behind it.
Why are some of the bigger players in the NZ EVOO market not using the present Olive Mark? We need to understand why they don’t. What are their objections? Can they be answered or overcome?
There would need to a round table discussion with the major players as to their possible role in any attempt to reintroduce the seal.
We would have to convince them that they need to stand out from imported oils which are apparently about 98% of oil sold in NZ. Inroads into the NZ market have to be important to any serious brand in NZ. Only The Village Press and 100 percent Kiwi are making “significant” inroads into imported EVOO brands and this is based on price.
Alternatively maybe only “premium oils” will use the seal and thereby be happy to be separate from the mass brands. Perhaps this is OK but it has to be recognised that this is a longer term and necessarily user pays strategy. There are more than 150 brands of NZ EVOO’s presently available to the consumer but the consumer probably only knows no more than 5. As the majority of NZ EVOO brands are probably sold at roadside stalls, farmer’s markets and within a 20km radius of the originating grove, how will ONZ get buy in?
Do we know how many brands carry the current Olive Mark?
Funding
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How do we get sufficient funds to ensure success of a “seal”?
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Sell the stickers? Depends on the price and buy in by members. It may be preferred to a levy. Would say 5 cents per sticker be acceptable?
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Perhaps we could have a Levy with 80% of funds going to Trust Fund for promotion? This would only be possible with industry wide support.
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Is the present industry in New Zealand big enough to warrant the expense – is it ever going to be big enough? Probably not that big but where do you start to change New Zealander’s habits or are The Village Press and 100 percent Kiwi doing that already?
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Do we get Sponsors specifically for this? How would they get recognition?
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Mass advertising campaigns are too expensive for us.
Monitoring
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If implemented, how does ONZ police standards? Or can it?
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Perhaps by random audit and testing although there is cost in this too.
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What would be the penalties? Perhaps publicly withdrawing entitlement to use “seal”? This may not work unless PR is good.
Conclusion – The questions remain
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Is NZ ready for the “seal”?
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Is the industry ready for the “seal”?
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Does it matter to the consumer?
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Would the majority of brand owners use it?
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Can ONZ find a way without a levy to fund a “seal” and its associated awareness campaign over the long term?
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Does this mean a very long term low key approach funded by users as is the present situation a valid approach?
Where do we go from here?
You will have seen that I ask a lot of questions and this is not a simple strategy for ONZ.
Members input will be appreciated, read and taken into account when furthering our thinking. If you wish to comment or make suggestion, please email them to David at the address below or to the Executive Officer at admin@olivesnz.org.nz
David Walshaw
david@kapitiolives.com
Olives NZ - Kapiti Branch Chair on Olives NZ Executive.
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Around the Regions
Hawkes Bay
Harvesting Olives in Hawke’s Bay commenced late April and is expected to be finished at the end of July or the first week in August.
As always the weather has had its part to play, with January being the second wettest in 100 years, and the subsequent lack of sunlight impacting on oil yields. This hot and wet summer created a challenge for growers in controlling diseases such as peacock spot. Then May was the wettest in the last 10 years making life difficult for those harvesting and processing.
Not withstanding these challenges the five mechanical harvesters and other manual harvesters have seen well in excess of 1,000 tons of good quality olives picked. The bulk of this production has been processed at The Village Press facility which operated 24/7 from mid-May. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced has been of the highest standard, bringing many and much favourable comments.
Once the Bay dries out many more hours will be spent in the groves on pruning, spraying etc. in preparation for the next season.
Hawke’s Bay hosts inaugural New Zealand Olive Festival
 The first New Zealand Olive Festival will be held on Saturday, 18 September at Sileni Estates, Hastings. The New Zealand Olive Festival Committee have appointed Food Hawke’s Bay to manage the event.
Geoff Crawford, of Telegraph Hill Olivery, was organiser of the previous regional Hawke’s Bay Olive Festival and is delighted that plans for the NZ festival have come to fruition.
It’s great that it has the go-ahead and, with the support of regional funding agencies, this is now firmly on the Hawke’s Bay event calendar,” he said. This festival is a “must do” for all New Zealand and international foodies, and will no doubt be a great promotional tool for New Zealand olive oil and table olives.”
 The Festival will include children’s activities, olive oil tastings and workshops, cooking demonstrations, olive grower stalls, food and entertainment.
A feature will be educational workshops on the use of olive oil in everyday cooking. Celebrity chef Rex Morgan, of Wellington’s Citron, is one of the chefs involved, demonstrating the difference Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes to a range of dishes.
Adding to the food focus is the ‘Chef’s Table with Dish Magazine’ event, an informaltablewhere the public can sit and chat with local chefs.Over a glass of Sileni Estates wine or an espresso coffee, Dish Editor Victoria Wells will host attendees as they ask the questions they’ve always wanted to know about chefs, restaurants, food or ingredients.
Olive experts will also be running workshops on the characteristics of olive oil and tastings of a variety of olives.
For stall information or general enquiries, contact Vicky Rope on 06 9748931 or Vicky@foodhawkesbay.co.nz
The New Zealand Olive Festival is being held as part of the 2010 Hastings Blossom Festival, which runs from September 10-19. For more details go to www.blossomfestival.co.nz
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Department of Labour Publications
Health and Safety in contracting situations
When you contract out work, you still have a responsibility for the safety and health of your contractors, and their staff.
If you are in business and contract people or businesses to do work for you, then you will have duties as a principal under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (the Act). Putting work out to contract doesn’t remove your health and safety obligations. You cannot pass on a legal duty that falls on you as an employer, a person in control of a place of work, or a principal in terms of the Act.
The aim of the Act is the prevention of harm to people at work or people who could be affected as a result of work activities. To do this, the Act places a range of duties and responsibilities on people in the workplace to manage hazards and ensure work is done safely.
The duty for principals to a contract is to take “all practicable steps” to ensure contractors, subcontractors and their employees are not harmed while undertaking work under the contract.
The principal cannot contract out of their obligations by passing the duties on to contractors or subcontractors. Courts will not accept contractual clauses that attempt to do so.
The Department of Labour has produced new guidance for principals to contracts to meet their obligations under health and safety legislation. It is available at www.dol.govt.nz
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News Briefs
Lab tests cast doubt on olive oil's virginity
New Anti-cancer Components Of Extra-virgin Olive Oil Revealed
A portrait of Italian olive oil world by Istat
CHOICE facts about extra virgin olive oil
Biggest selling olive oil in NZ fails Australian label test
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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, from 10am - 4pm.
8 - 9 October Olives NZ Conference & AGM - Napier.
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