AgriSea wins top business award

Clare and Tane Bradley - the new faces of family owned AgriSea New Zealand. Photo / Supplied

Seaweed products pioneer AgriSea New Zealand is this year's Supreme Winner at the NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards.

"We are often caught up in keeping our heads down, working hard to achieve our goals in our businesses, communities and families," says AgriSea business development manager Clare Bradley.

"The NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards are an opportunity for both me personally, and our whanau at AgriSea, to take a breather and celebrate where we've come from.

"Thank you Rural Women New Zealand and NZI for this award and opportunity, it has fortified my passion and dedication for what we do every day."

She says there is a dedicated team at AgriSea and the award is a culmination of their hard work and focus on achieving our common goals — making the future a better place to live in.

"Our rural communities are facing uncertain times and significant change, it is more important now than ever to come together and create well-researched, effective tools for farmers and growers to into the future.

"AgriSea's longstanding commitment to research and innovation has enabled us to partner with many of New Zealand's highly accredited research institutes to provide farmers and growers with science supported tools to improve the outcomes for soil, plant, and animal health.

"Our grass-roots innovation is centred around helping farmers farm better and we are lucky at AgriSea to work with the countries most innovative and future focused farmers who want to leave a positive legacy for future generations."

She says seaweeds in New Zealand hold potential for adding high value products to our economy, and AgriSea are excited to work with science and industry to unlock the potential of this resource.

Rural Women New Zealand national president Fiona Gower says AgriSea's business model and products are epitomised in Clare's passion, expertise and commitment to her family's business.

"The Paeroa-based company's impressive investment in research, development and innovation is a showcase of a successful, inter-generational, rural agri-business."

Seven Category Award winners competed for the Supreme Award this year, which was announced at an awards ceremony in the Banquet Hall at Parliament.

The event was hosted by the Minister for Primary Industries Damien O'Connor.

NZI executive manager commercial underwriting Christina Chellew says the awards recognise the sheer hard work, dedication and entrepreneurship that goes into developing rural enterprises.

"AgriSea has been a pioneering business in the production of seaweed-based products for 20 years and this award is richly deserved."