Fruitgrower head retires

Rose Harding
The chairman of Pipfruit New Zealand is stepping down after seven years "on a roller coaster".
Phil Alison has been involved with Pipfruit New Zealand for nine years and chairman for seven.
Mr Alison, a Havelock North fruitgrower, says it's time for new blood at the head of the organisation which underwent huge restructuring to form a single, industry-good body in July.
Chief executive Paul Browne is leaving at the end of the month and Mr Alison will not be standing for re-election in January.
He intends to step down next week and deputy chairman Ian Palmer, a Nelson fruitgrower, will take over. Mr Alison says there have been many high points in his seven years in the chair.
"It's been exciting, challenging and at times overwhelming."
The highest point was the reformation of Pipfruit Growers of New Zealand Inc into Pipfruit New Zealand - an organisation encompassing all facets of the industry from growers through to packhouse operators and exporters.
It is also responsible for research and development, market access issues, the development of the integrated fruit production programme, export compliance and policy input at national and international levels.
Right up near the top of achievements was a successful outcome of a foreign exchange debacle in the dying days of the single-desk selling system in 2000 when Enza tried to claw back $54 million from growers.
Enza tried to bring predicted foreign exchange losses back a year when they realised they were facing the loss of their monopoly.
Cash-strapped growers were facing impossible bills but PGNZI, as it was then, took them to arbitration and got $22 million for growers instead by pointing out Enza had no right to take losses forward.
The way the deregulation debate was handled is another source of pride.
Mr Alison freely admits he was philosophically in favour of the single-desk system but says that once he realised how rotten the system was he knew it could not be repaired, only removed.
He said there was a lot of flak from Enza supporters flying around at the time but in Hawke's Bay at least it was done in a seemly fashion and everyone stayed friends.
The birth of New Zealand Pipfruit, a research company since integrated into Pipfruit New Zealand while Enza was still a monopoly, he rates a positive move because it was independent and meant Enza did not own all the results of research. Low points in the last seven years included losing grower ownership of Enza to corporate power.
Growers were issued with shares in Enza but many sold their shares at fire sale prices because of poor returns that year.
"Growers invested a fortune in Enza and got a pittance back."
He remains frustrated but hopeful over access to the Australian market. "There aren't too many doors left for the Australians to hide behind."
He says he is leaving Pipfruit New Zealand in good financial heart with $3 million in reserves.
He plans to return to his orchard and see more of his three children.