Murray Redpath - Dr Don McKenzie Award
Murray Redpath was elected as recipient of our annual prize for contribution to Tree Cropping, the Dr Don McKenzie Award.
Citation from Waikato & Thames-Coromandel Branch
Waikato Branch has great pleasure in nominating Murray Redpath for the Dr Don McKenzie Award.
Many of the details of Murray's service to his own branch and to the Association were placed on record when last year the Bay of Plenty Branch nominated him for this award. His involvement began in 1982 when he joined NZTCA, initially belonging to the Gisborne-East Coast Branch, but changing a few years later to the Bay of Plenty Branch. Despite his remote location, he has served on their committee, holding positions firstly as Treasurer, and then later Branch Chairman. When the Conference was held at Whakatane in 1992 he was a valued member of the organising committee. For the past year he has been very actively our North Island Vice-President.
Although Murray is best known for his contribution to the hazel industry, his interest over the years has been spread over many different tree crops. Some of his trials have been of different fodder trees (including willows, poplars, tagasaste, Garcia and honey locusts) and he still uses fodder plantings. More recently he planted one of the first gevuina trials and is now part of the Gevuina Action Group and is continuing with these trials.
However, without a doubt, it is his outstanding contribution to the expansion of hazel nut growing in New Zealand which places him amongst the best of our researchers, plant breeders and educators.
In 1982 he planted his first hazels. Realising that knowledge of hazel growing in New Zealand left much to be desired, he became active in the North Island Hazel Action Group, and set up various hazel trials in the North Island throughout the '80s and '90s. He has been a leading member of the North Island Hazel Action Group since its inception, and has been Secretary/Treasurer of this throughout its existence.
A measure of the depth of Murray's commitment to hazels is his breeding programme, started in a small way about 1992, and now at the stage of the first selections being bulked up for trials. He has the largest collection of hazel material in NZ, collecting more all the time. In 2005 he gained funding from the Sustainable Farming Fund, to search for and collect hazel material from old orchards. The best has been grafted and will be placed in his collection for comparison with other genetic material.
Murray's work with all kinds of basic hazel research has been a major factor underpinning the hazel industry, as well as an inspiration to those involved with other crops. His work has covered such aspects as selection of superior varieties, compatibility of pollinators, orchard layout, tree management, pests and diseases, harvesting and marketing, on his own orchard, and in other districts.
He has willingly shared his knowledge, providing advice to many hazel growers, and is frequently travelling to hazel field days throughout the North Island. He has made the knowledge available to many more through the recording of his results in reports, and articles in magazines such as the TreeCropper and Growing Today. His file of hazel photos is also used by other NZ magazines.
It is as a reflection of his professional approach, his depth of knowledge, his commitment, his pleasant manner and willingness to go out of his way to share knowledge, that he was appointed to our Association's Research Committee, and has this year been selected to chair that committee.
For Murray's dedication to our Association, to tree cropping and for his past and continuing contribution to the development of the hazel nut industry in New Zealand, we whole-heartedly recommend him for the Don McKenzie Award.