NGIA BOARD RE-ELECTED AT AGM

A key challenge for the nursery and garden industry is to ensure that members have the resources to grow their businesses says the re-elected Board of Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA).

There were no changes to the Board at NGIA’s Annual General Meeting held on November 27, 2012.

South Australian, Mr Craig Norman, Managing Director of Wholesale Plants and Products Pty Ltd, was re-elected President for a second term, as was Vice President, Mr Glenn Fenton, Managing Director of Nationwide Trees Pty Ltd and past President of Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria.

The representatives for the other states and territories continue to be:

• Michael Mehigan, New South Wales & ACT. Mr Mehigan is co-owner of Elegant Outdoors Retail Nursery in Sydney
• Simon Smith, Northern Territory, who is owner of Girraween Nursery near Darwin
• Colin Groom, Western Australia, President of NGIWA and Manager of Domus Wholesale Nursery in Perth
• Russ Higginbotham, Queensland, principal of Asset Horticultural Consultants, based in Brisbane
• Mark Geeves, Tasmania, from the Tasmanian Polytechnic learning centre

“Our Board continues to focus on the issues challenging the growth of our industry and what we can do as an industry body to ensure that our members can be as productive, profitable and sustainable as possible,” said Mr Craig Norman.

“We are also at the half-way point in our current five-year strategic plan and in reviewing its progress, the Board is pleased that we are on track in meeting its objectives.”

In the year ahead the Board and industry will work more closely to deliver key aspects of the Strategic Investment Plan.

“Specifically, our Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) will be working with HAL on our marketing, research and development to make sure that we get maximum value for our levy and the matched funds from the Australian Government,” Mr Norman said.

The IAC works with industry and advises HAL on matters relating to the expenditure of levies and federal matching funds for promotion, research and industry development.

“Our first objective in the strategic plan is to increase the sales value of nursery products and services through marketing and promotion and we are hoping that HAL’s expertise can assist us in this aim.”

“The board also renewed it commitment to the overall marketing theme of ‘Improve Your Plant/Life Balance’ and believes that campaigns such as ‘More Trees Please’ are building stakeholder and community support for the nursery and garden industry,” Mr Norman added.