Pre Conference Tour Speakers
Professor Steve Wratten, Bio-Protection and Ecology, Lincoln University
Speaker Lincoln University Pre-conference Tour at Kowhai Farm
Thursday 25 March
Current Research and Publications
Habitat-manipulation techniques for enhanced biological control of pests (enhancement of biocontrol as an ecosystem service via floral or overwintering resources) is being pursued with international collaboration. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum), phacelia and alyssum (Lobularia) are used in apples, vines, pasture, broccoli, etc., to enhance populations and efficacy of parasitoids and hoverflies.
The economic value of farmland ecosystem services is being assessed using 'value transfer' and experimental techniques with Professor Ross Cullen in the Lincoln University Commerce Division, and with Professor Matthew Wilson of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont.
An ecologically based 'greening' programme is taking place in a vineyard region (Waipara Valley), with strong winegrower commitment and a high level of media attention.
Conference Speakers
Gareth Renowden
Speaker, Opening Night, Thursday 25 March
Nominated for the 2009 Royal Society of New Zealand Science Book Prize for ‘Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand’
Climate Change: Maui's Waka Paddles North
Registrants have the opportunity to view Gareth and Camille's property during Field Visit 4, Waipara Wander
Gareth is an author, journalist, photographer and publisher. He is the author of Hot Topic - Global Warming & The Future of New Zealand, published by Auckland University of Technology Media in 2007, and author/publisher of the Hot Topic web site www.hot-topic.co.nz which monitors climate science, politics and policy in New Zealand and internationally.
Gareth and his wife Camiile reside at Limestone Hills, Amberley, on a small farm of 25 acres, in the Waipara wine district, growing grapes, truffles, hazelnuts and olives. www.limestonehills.co.nz
He has also written books on olive and truffle growing in NZ and is the immediate past president of the NZ Truffle Association and manage the FRST-funded truffle industry R&D programme (with Plant & Food Research).
Gareth is a member of the committee of the Meteorological Society of NZ, a founder member of the Waipara River Protection Group, and a trustee of the North Canterbury Radio Trust.
Professor David L McNeil, Director of the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research
Speaker, Friday morning 26 March
A Global View of Walnut Production Going Forward
A look at the changing demographics of walnut production and use and how future expansion and production will be affected by resource availability, production and demand as well as new scientific developments in walnut production systems. Finishing off with a look at the place of new and emerging producers in the future.
Attending Field Visit 2. Nearly all Nuts, Friday 26 March, and
Lincoln University Pre-conference Tour, Thursday 25 March.
Professor David L McNeil (PhD) is the Director of the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research. He was formerly Professor of Horticulture at Lincoln University and has published widely on developing new crops including over 100 scientific and popular articles in the area over the past 25 years.
In particular he has published articles on developing walnuts as a crop in New Zealand with articles on variety selection, agronomy, harvesting and processing methods, composition, blood composition effects and economics of production.
He has worked both in the scientific research field as well as the more practical areas in developing walnuts as a new crop in Australasia.
David presently oversees a small group in Tasmania conducting walnut research, particularly related to walnut blight. He was the Symposium Scientific Committee Chairman for the 6th International walnut conference recently held in Melbourne Australia and editor of the symposium proceedings. He has travelled widely looking at walnut orchards around the world (Europe, America, Pacific) and is a strong supporter of nut industries in total.
Professor Geoffrey Savage, Food Biochemistry Lincoln University
Speaker Friday 26 March
Tree Grown Nutritional Gems with the X Factor
Attending Field Visit 2. Nearly all Nuts, Friday 26 March, and Lincoln University Pre-conference Tour, Thursday 25 March.
NZ Registered Nutritionist, Visiting Professor, Department of Food Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Current Research and Publications
Measurement of secondary metabolites in plants such as oxalates and antioxidants and the effect of cooking and processing on the composition of foods consumed by humans.
Measurement of positive nutritional factors such as fatty acids and plant sterols that can be found in nuts and seeds and the stability of extracted oils from these products.
Recent research has led to the development of new food products that are now being marketed by local Canterbury companies.
Margaret Edwards
Speaker Friday 26 March
All about Oil – Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Tree to the Table
All About Oil will cover the critical factors regarding growing olives and producing extra virgin olive oil, as well as important information for consumers on how to select, store and use our high quality New Zealand extra virgin olive oils.
Attending Field Visit 4. Waipara Wander, Friday 26 March
Margaret is a well-recognised authority in the world of New Zealand olive oil and is at the forefront of the local industry.
She has attended training seminars worldwide, is former Vice President of Olives New Zealand and leader of their Sensory Panel. Margaret is also a senior judge at the New Zealand Olive Oil awards and New Zealand's only international olive oil judge.
Margaret and her husband produce their own award winning Matiatia Grove oil on Waiheke Island. Matiatia Grove has around 1,500 olive trees, mostly classical Italian and Greek varieties and is one of the oldest commercial groves on Waiheke Island. Their state of the art Pieralisi olive mill, processing knowledge and skills and attention to detail makes them premier olive oil producers.
Tony Roper, Apiculture Technical Advisor, AsureQuality Ltd
Speaker Friday 26 March
The Importance of Planting Bee-Friendly Tree Species
Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd from Landcare will accompany Tony Roper at his presentation.
Linda will be attending Field Visit 1, Mandeville Meander, Friday 26 March.
What you as a tree grower can do to make a difference in encouraging valuable pollinators such honey bees:
Tony has extensive knowledge of beekeeping in NZ and overseas in his work at AsureQuality Ltd, as an Apicultural Officer specializing in exotic bee diseases and pests. He has kept bees personally for over 40 years. Tony was responsible for running the recent varroa workshops for beekeepers in the South Island.
Tony has a special interest in 'bee-friendly' plants and will discuss trees that growers can plant to encourage pollinators. He will also talk about bee nutrition and that not all plants have a sufficiently high protein value to be beneficial to bees. Tony is also interested in answering any specific beekeeping questions that registrants may have.
AsureQuality is a commercial company 100% owned by the New Zealand Government. Formed in 2007 from the merger of Asure New Zealand Limited and AgriQuality Limited, it provides food safety and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors.
Mavis Airey, award-winning food and travel writer
Speaker Taste of Canterbury Dinner Friday 26 March
Judge of the Grand New Zealand Pickled Walnut Competition
Mavis Airey developed a passionate interest in food and wine, and the people who make them, during an international career in journalism and television spanning 40 years.
She travelled widely while working for Thames Television, Time and Cuisine, and was Food and Arts Editor of The Press for 15 years. Mavis has won many awards, including Food Book of the Year, New Zealand Food Writers Award, for ‘Savour the South’ (www.goodthings.co.nz/savour_the_south.htm), her guide to South Island food and wine producers.
Mavis now combines freelance writing with sharing her love of Canterbury's fine food and wine in her personalised gourmet tours, Taste Canterbury (www.goodthings.co.nz/)
Professor Jeff Olsen, Oregon State University
Keynote Speaker Saturday morning 27 March
Indulgence in a Nutshell: Growing and Selling Hazelnuts Internationally
Attending Field Visit 2. Nearly all Nuts, Saturday 27 March
Attending Field Visit 1. Mandeville Meander, Friday 26 March
And Lincoln University Pre-conference Tour, Thursday 25 March.
Jeff is the Horticultural Extension officer for the counties in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, the area with most of the hazel orchards. His expertise covers all the horticultural crops grown in the area, including walnuts, chestnuts, cherries, pip fruit and nursery crops. He is also involved in U.S. and international horticultural extension organizations.
Professor Olsen has assisted a number of New Zealand hazel growers visiting Oregon, arranging visits to hazel orchards and processing plants. He is very knowledgeable about nut crops, especially hazels, and shares his knowledge freely. As horticultural extension officer, he mixes scientific work with the need to provide practical advice to growers.
Dr Lisa Ward, Virology Scientist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Plant Health and Environment lab in Auckland
Speaker Saturday 27 March
Post Entry Quarantine testing:
An overview of the PEQ testing work carried out by MAF Biosecurity’s Plant Health and Environment lab.
Lisa completed a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, after which time she spent one year as a post-doctoral scientist at Montana University, USA. On her return to the UK, Lisa worked for six years as a Scientist for the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) in York, UK where she was involved in developing molecular diagnostics for plant and bee pests and diseases.
In her current role as a virologist at MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAF BNZ), Lisa is responsible for the identification of suspected exotic viral, viroid and phytoplasma-like diseases in plant samples collected during targeted surveillance, passive surveillance (i.e. submissions from the general public, growers and regional councils), and incursion responses. In addition, Lisa is involved in pre-determined testing on imported and exported plants to ensure the health of such plants, and for the diagnoses of pests & diseases intercepted on plants and plant products at the border (e.g. fresh fruit) or in quarantine (e.g. ornamental and crop plants).
Lisa has been involved in writing the some of MAF BNZ’s PEQ testing manuals, including walnut, hazelnut and chestnut.
Lisa has an extensive publication record on virus characterisation, molecular diagnostics and new disease reports. In addition, she has written articles on virus surveys for The Grower and MAF Biosecurity magazines.
Dr Ian R. Hall
Director of Truffles and Mushrooms Ltd, Edible Forest Fungi NZ Ltd, Chowbent Ltd and Symbiotic Systems NZ Ltd
Speaker Saturday 27 March
Truffles, saffron milk cap and other mushrooms: a glimpse of future industries for the Southern Hemisphere.
Attending Field Visit 4. Waipara Wander, Saturday 27 March
Ian introduced the Périgord black truffle to the Southern Hemisphere and has nurtured the embryonic industry over the past 25 years. More recently he has helped to get bianchetto truffle production underway and the production of other edible mycorrhizal mushrooms as secondary crops in forestry.
Ian has published widely on his specialist topic and his most recent book “Taming the Truffle” is a how-to-do-it guide to truffle cultivation. He has also travelled widely giving conference papers and invited talks in many countries.
His talk will include a summary of successes, the state of the art and a glimpse of potential future industries for the Southern Hemisphere.
Jenny Lawrence, A Cracker of a Nut
Speaker Saturday 27 March
Toward Organic Certification – a Tree Cropper's Guide
The presentation will cover all areas required for organic certification and how to go about meeting those requirements.
Registrants have the opportunity to view the walnut orchard and processing plant at Jenny and Malcolm's property during Field Visit 2 ‘Nearly All Nuts’, Friday 26 March and Saturday 27 March
Jenny joined the NZ Tree Crops Association in 1985 and became active on the Canterbury Branch Committee as an office holder and event organiser. In 2008 she received the Dr Don McKenzie Award for her contribution to tree crops in New Zealand.
Along with her husband, Malcolm, she has developed a certified organic walnut orchard at West Melton in Canterbury. In 1996 the walnut processing business ‘A Cracker of a Nut’ was established.
Conference Dinner
David Marshall, a ‘quintessential New Zealand bloke’
Speaker 35th Anniversary Conference Dinner, Saturday 27 March
David Marshall is a veterinarian by profession, his practice being Marshall & Pringle Veterinarian Hospital in Christchurch.
An entertaining speaker, David began his career as a vet on the West Coast, where his adventures with the locals were just as colourful as his experiences and occasional conflicts with the animals.
Other strings to his bow include author and creator of bronze castings.
Matthew Greenwood, ‘The Tea Guy’ Bell Tea
Speaker Sunday morning 28 March
The Story of Tea
Expert tea taster and blender
Master Tea Taster at Bell Tea and Coffee Company
You'd be hard pressed to find a more passionate and enthusiastic tea drinker than Matt Greenwood, the Bell Tea Company's very own expert tea taster and blender. Matt, otherwise known as “the Tea Guy”, has played a significant role in the transformation of the Bell brand, launching three new teas in as many years.
He has trained a lot of people around the world in the art of tea tasting. During his presentation and morning tea Matthew will match several of the Bell Tea brands with a tree crops tasting.
After more than 100 years of tea making, Bell Tea has developed a single origin tea specially designed for the New Zealand palate. According to Matthew the New Zealand palate is more mellow (translation: we like tea a bit weaker) than the Brits.
Images above may be incomplete due to bugs in earlier versions of Internet Explorer.
If this is a problem, please consider upgrading to a more standards-compliant browser (IE 8, Firefox, Opera, Safari).
