Horticulture industry supporter wins premier award

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Horticulture New Zealand president Andrew Fenton presents the horticulture industry's premier award, the Bledisloe Cup, to long time industry advocate and grower Con Van der Voort

Central Otago’s Con Van der Voort is the recipient of the New Zealand horticulture industry’s premier award, the Bledisloe Cup, for 2012.

Horticulture New Zealand president Andrew Fenton presented Con with the Bledisloe Cup at the industry’s annual conference awards dinner in Auckland last month.

“Con is passionate about horticulture. The Van der Voort Group is a major contributor to the Central Otago economy, he has put significant time and energy outside his own business into driving the industry forward. We are delighted to recognise his contribution in this way,” Mr Fenton says.

Con immigrated to New Zealand from Holland in 1952. He’s spent the past 50 years contributing significantly to growing the local and national industry both as a successful businessman and tireless advocate for growers.

Con’s devoted his life to horticulture. He grew up on a market garden in the south of Holland and moved to New Zealand as a young man to start work as a gardener at Lawrence Hospital. There he produced enough vegetables to supply both the Lawrence and Balclutha hospitals while also leasing land where he grew vegetables to supplement his income.

By 1960 he’d purchased a 59 acre orchard in Ettrick Central Otago, still the base of his significant orchard investments now totaling more than 350ha of orchard plantings including an ultra-modern pack-house with an apple throughput of 500,000 tray-carton equivalents per year.

“Con’s served the industry passionately and tirelessly for 50 years. He willingly passes on his hard-earned knowledge and regularly mentors younger growers. And he’s known for his strong views and ability to articulate what many growers are thinking,” Mr Fenton says.

Con’s service achievements include 20 years as an advisory member of the local branch of Fruitgrowers Federation, representing Otago growers at numerous Fruitgrowers Federation and Pipfruit Conferences, serving as a member of the Fruitgrowers Federation Pipfruit Sector Committee and as a director of the Apple and Pear Board from 1988 to 1997.

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