Agriculture and horticulture
New Zealand's agricultural and horticultural industries rely heavily on the
quality of our soils and the natural environment. So, it makes perfect business
sense for businesses to take care of one of their most valuable business assets.
New Zealand's climate, fertile soil and relative isolation make it ideal for almost every kind of production – from sheep and cattle to cropping and horticulture. The people of New Zealand also value the ‘great outdoors’ for recreational activities.
However increasing pressure is being put on these resources. In some areas we have:
- Soil erosion.
- Silted up streams, rivers and estuaries.
- Waterways polluted by agricultural and urban runoff.
These issues not only conflict with our "clean, green" image, but also threaten a significant part of your income. By recognising and tackle these problems, you will be protecting your livelihood. And you will also be sending a clear message to consumers and investors that your business is a modern and forward focused business.
The links below will help you develop sustainability in your specific business field.
Case studies
CSL Varivac (Ministry for the Environment)
CSL specialises in the research and implementation of computerised variable speed control systems and programming tools for dairy farms. CSL's flagship product is the Varivac, the first system of its kind designed to alleviate some of the problems associated with high energy use in milking sheds.
Palliser Estate Wines
Palliser Estate Wines has minimised waste in its offices, winery, vineyard, and sales area. Office paper is recycled, except for sheets with printing on one side, which is collected and made into notepads for office use. Drink bottles and cans are recycled, and food scraps from the staff kitchen are put in the compost bin in the garden. Wine bottles, corks, and metal capsules from the sales and tasting shop are recycled, and customers are given reused cardboard boxes (made from recycled fibre) to carry their purchased bottles. Boxes are also stamped with a "please recycle" message. The wine-making process has also been assessed to minimise waste. Grape skins and stalks are given to a local farmer for deer or cattle feed. Sediment from the bottom of the fermentation tanks is collected in a portable tank and pumped onto the vineyard. A special waste water system enables "clean" waste water from the winery to be reused for irrigation of trees and lawns.
Guides
Guidance for Voluntary, Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting
This publication gives guidance for corporations on voluntary Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting, including emission factors. It is intended to help those corporates that wish to voluntarily monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions on an organisational basis for their New Zealand operations.
Organisations
AgriQuality New Zealand
AgriQuality New Zealand provides an organic certification process to organic producers and processors through Certenz. This Standard sets out the principles of organic production at farm, preparation, storage, transport, labelling and marketing stages, and provides an indication of accepted permitted inputs for soil fertilising and conditioning, plant pest and disease control, food additives and processing aids.
BioGro
BioGro (New Zealand Biological Producers and Consumers Council) was founded in 1983 to promote the interests of organic production in New Zealand. BioGro sets organic production standards, audits and certifies BioGro Licensees and Licence Applicants, promotes the BioGro trademark, and is involved in research and education.
Sustainable Winegrowing NZ
Sustainable Winegrowing NZ offers a set of industry standards, and provides a "best practice" model of environmental practices in the vineyard and winery. It provides the framework for wine companies to continually work towards improving all aspects of their performance in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability in both the vineyard and the winery.
Other resources
Demeter Organic Standard ( Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association)
The Demeter Organic Standard is a worldwide certification system used to market products that have been produced by biodynamic methods in over 50 countries worldwide. The biodynamic system is administered by the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association in New Zealand and encourages farmers and processors to manage their own farms through the use of careful observations and testing, and analyses.
Energy efficiency on your farm (Ministry for the Environment)
A fact sheet from the New Zealand Climate Change Office on improving the energy efficiency of farms.
Energy Efficient Ways to improve the economic bottom line of your dairy farm business [PDF, 5.1MB] (Energy Federation of NZ)
This kit provides information on energy use and energy efficiency in the dairy farm sector.
Sustainable Farming Fund (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
The Sustainable Farming Fund supports rural communities to achieve economic, environmental and social sustainability.
Think something should be added to Simply Sustainable? Send your suggestion to webmaster@mfe.govt.nz.
