Lamb exporter features in three of four categories in award finals

Lamb exporter Atkins Ranch is a finalist in three of four categories for Wednesday's ExportNZ Awards Hawke's Bay. Photo/File

A lamb exporter focused on the United States market is a finalist in three of four categories for next week's ExportNZ Awards Hawke's Bay.

Founded in San Francisco in 1989, it is a co-operative of more than 100 North and South Island farms.

To supply Atkins Ranch, all farmers must provide full traceability throughout the supply chain and ensure lambs are pasture raised without antibiotics, hormones and GMO.

Atkins Ranch's parent company's majority shareholder is Craig Hickson who also owns processing company Progressive Meats in Hastings.

Category winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Napier Conference Centre on Wednesday, from which one will be named ASB Exporter of The Year.

ExportNZ Hawke's Bay Executive Officer Amanda Liddle says the judges were again overwhelmed by the calibre of businesses that entered the fourth annual competition.

"The quality is outstanding and the judges have really enjoyed getting out and seeing innovative and successful companies that we should all be proud of," she said.

"We need exporters to continue on their export journey. It can be a hard and lonely road at times and we see them as local business heroes."

Finalist for the NZL ContainerCo Emerging Exporter Award are: Mogul, Telegraph Hill and Kiwi Garden.

For the Tomoana Food Hub Innovation in Export Award the finalists are: Atkins Ranch, Hawke's Bay China Marketing Group, Rockit Global and NZ Casing Co.

The Napier Port Industry Trail Blazer finalists are: Atkins Ranch and Rockit Global.

The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Most Sustainable in Export finalists are: Atkins Ranch, Weleda and NZ Casing Co.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce will open the dinner and Whittaker's chief marketing manager Philip Poole will be the keynote speaker.

John Milford, chief executive of Business Central which oversees ExportNZ Hawke's Bay, said his organisation supported the awards because they recognised excellence in a vital part of the regional and national economy.

"It's great to be able to acknowledge companies that are out there performing alongside the best in the world," he said.

"It's the quality of what they sell that ensures New Zealand goods continue to be known as being up there with the best."