Irrigation opportunities in Otago under the spotlight at AGM

The future for irrigating farmers in Otago will come under the spotlight at IrrigationNZ’s first-ever AGM in the region on Thursday 5 November.

All irrigating farmers and potential irrigators are invited to attend a workshop from 10.30am, which will precede the 12.30pm AGM at the Cellar Door Restaurant in Alexandra.

IrrigationNZ CEO Andrew Curtis says the workshop will cover how national policy is impacting upon irrigation in the regions, combined with how Otago irrigators can best equip themselves to benefit from this. The discussion will be based on a recent report that IrrigationNZ commissioned outlining the challenges and opportunities facing Otago irrigators.

“We’ll be presenting the big picture of what’s ahead for irrigators in this area. The regulatory barriers you need to be aware of, alongside the prospects for growth and innovation in our sector. If you’re already irrigating, thinking about converting or upgrading irrigation infrastructure, you need to be at this workshop.”

IrrigationNZ Chair Nicky Hyslop and Mr Curtis will present an overview of the national situation and IrrigationNZ’s role in advocating for industry, while report author Suzie McKeague will highlight significant findings from her report around the prospects for Otago irrigators.

Two long-serving IrrigationNZ board members will stand down at this AGM; Ian McIndoe and Dan Bloomer. Both men have contributed more than 15 years’ service to IrrigationNZ.

Dan Bloomer has been both a board member and workshop trainer during his time with IrrigationNZ. Dan is Principal of Hawke’s Bay based Page Bloomer Associates – a consultancy company specialising in crop production, engineering and irrigation - and Director of the Centre for Land and Water in Hastings. He helped developed IrrigationNZ’s Code of Practice for Irrigation Performance Assessments and resources that support the Irrigation Manager and Operator training workshops. Dan has a governance role with Precision Agriculture New Zealand and will continue to be involved with IrrigationNZ in the training space.

Ian McIndoe brought significant industry expertise to the IrrigationNZ board due to his various roles in the irrigation industry, including his current position as Aqualinc’s managing director. He has been involved in irrigation design for a wide range of individual properties and schemes both in New Zealand and overseas. Ian had a significant input into the development of the IRRICAD irrigation design program and was the primary author of The Irrigation Guide, The Irrigation Manual, and IrrigationNZ’s Irrigation Design Code of Practice and Standards.

Joining the board is Keri Johnston, a working engineer, principal of Irricon Resource Solutions and farmer from South Canterbury.

She feels it’s time for her to contribute more publicly to the debate around how we best manage our water resources.

“Looking ahead, nutrient management is going to be a big challenge. People say we need to make more food but not at the expense of the environment so it’s about finding the balancing point and maintaining water quality. It’s an interesting challenge. It’s about us using water wisely, making it go further and managing nutrients.”

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