Uncategorized Archives

How farmers can shift from price-takers to premium value creators with Dr Victoria Hatton | RaboTalk – Growing our future

Written by victoria on April 1, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

April 1, 2026 In this episode of RaboTalk Growing our Future episode, host Katie Rodwell talks with Dr Victoria Hatton, CEO of FoodHQ, about why New Zealand’s food and fibre sector is still running on a 100-year-old “commodity operating system” despite our premium reputation, driving export growth through volume rather than value and leaving farmers exposed to competitors who can simply produce it cheaper. Victoria argues the real opportunity is playing the long game in premium markets by building what customers really want not just shipping what we produce, with fast-growing...

Future of NZ Agriculture Takes Centre Stage at E Tipu 2026

Written by victoria on March 25, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

March 26, 2026 The New Zealand Future Food and Fibre Summit, E Tipu 2026, is the place for farmers who want to stay ahead in a rapidly changing sector, says FoodHQ chief executive Dr Victoria Hatton. She says the summit, to be held this year in Christchurch from May 20-22, will bring together leading thinkers, innovators, and doers to share practical insights on technology adoption, market trends, sustainability, and resilience. Read The Full Article Latest Articles

Food fighters | Why polarisation is the real food crisis – and how it can be fixed

Written by victoria on March 17, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

March 18, 2026 Food futurist and keynote speaker at E Tipu New Zealand Future Food and Fibre Summit, Jack Bobo, argues the food system’s hardest problem is social. When no one can trust what you say, why would they buy your product? He argues framing and language can determine whether industry and advocates collaborate or reach a deadlock. In a wide-ranging conversation, FoodHQ asks Jack to reflect on the future of food to 2100. Opportunity: Rebuild trust by changing the story. We have an opportunity to move from argument to problem solving, ...

From Disruption to Deliberate Resilience

Written by victoria on March 16, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

March 17, 2026 Imagine waking up to a world where the United States is no longer an option for New Zealand food and fibre exports. Not just difficult, not just awkward – simply off the table. No beef, no butter, no wine containers heading for American ports. In a sector where the vast bulk of our goods exports are food and fibre, and where the US now sits as one of our top three destinations, that’s not a blip, it’s a body blow. It is also a textbook disruption: sudden, system-wide, and well outside the control of any individual farmer or processor. Last month I wrote about why...

Trust in food – Would you like some facts with that?

Written by victoria on March 15, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

March 16, 2026 Seen the latest fad diet? Following a new food guru? Confused about what to eat? You’re not alone. Nutritional advice is the biggest source of misinformation online. For consumers, it’s a mess of conflicting fads and facts. For producers, it’s walking a minefield of science and marketing hype. How can Kiwi producers build trust in a world of nutritional noise? Trust in food information is at all-time low; diet and nutrition advice is the largest category of misinformation on social media. Disagreements...

Young innovators explore the future of food at inaugural Food Innovation Youth Summit – Massey post

Written by victoria on February 2, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

Jan 28, 2026 The Manawatū campus welcomed 56 secondary school students from across Aotearoa New Zealand for the inaugural Food Innovation Youth Summit in January. The three-day immersive experience was designed to showcase the creativity, science and collaboration behind the food industry. – Massey University Article Read More Here Latest Articles

A Journey into the Future of Food: The First Food Innovation Youth Summit

Written by victoria on January 28, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

Jan 28, 2026 It all started as an idea at FoodHQ, then began with a spark at Innovation Day last year. How could the next generation be inspired to see beyond the supermarket shelf, to imagine, create, and shape the future of food in New Zealand? That question grew quietly over the months, until it became something much more tangible: The Food Innovation Youth Summit (FIYS). Last week, secondary students from across Aotearoa arrived at Massey University’s Manawatū campus, curious and eager. Over three days, the summit transformed curiosity into experience, theory into hands-on...

As opportunities open, New Zealand faces a test. Can a production – first nation learn to think like its customers?

Written by victoria on December 14, 2025. Posted in Uncategorized.

Dec 10, 2025 New Zealand’s next phase of growth will depend on pairing quality with curiosity, but are we ready? Our production mindset has long focused on scale, but success now depends on how well we understand our consumers. IKEA’s painstaking study of Kiwi homes before opening here showed what empathy in action looks like: listening before selling, designing before assuming. As India’s vast, complex market edges within reach through a free trade deal, the burning question is whether New Zealand can make that same shift, or whether we’ll cling to old habits...

Milking It – What more can dairy achieve?

Written by victoria on October 30, 2025. Posted in Uncategorized.

July 31, 2025 It’s already New Zealand’s biggest industry – what more can it do? If New Zealand is to double the value of exports by 2035, dairy must surely do a lot of the heavy lifting. But how much more growth and innovation can we expect to see? With so much pressure facing the sector from both home and abroad, where does sustainable growth come from? And without dairy, can New Zealand do it? Dairy is unparalleled by any other sector, growing almost 10-fold in 30 years. Growth is in volume and value; and...

Horizon Europe Roadshow 2025: Auckland and Turitea

Written by victoria on October 23, 2025. Posted in Uncategorized.

October 23, 2025 MBIE are running a Horizon Europe Roadshow in partnership with the European Union Delegation to NZ. Speakers include EU Ambassador Lawrence Meredith, Horizons NCPs, MBIE staff, the Oceania EURAXCESS representative, and successful grant recipients. Come and learn more about Horizon Europe including the structure of the programme, funding opportunities, topics in the current work programme, advice on forming research partnerships and consortia, and how to apply for funding. Monday 10th November at Auckland Business Chamber, 1-4.30pm Level 9/90 Symonds St, Grafton,...