Primary Industries 2020 goes live
Articulating a vision for New Zealand's primary industries.
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Business and industry leaders of today and tomorrow, particularly those with a stake in New Zealand's primary sector, can now register for a groundbreaking summit online at the newly launched website www.primaryindustries.org.nz.
The summit is called Primary Industries 2020 and Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton is the convenor. "The rapidly changing global environment is compelling New Zealand's primary sector businesses to develop innovative ways of meeting consumer demand and to explore new business models that will maximise their economic, social and environmental performance," he said.
"Primary Industries 2020 (PI2020) recognises that while new sectors are making impressive economic gains, the primary sector is still New Zealand's economic backbone. Its productivity rate has grown by twice as much as that of other sectors in the past decade," Jim Anderton said.
PI2020 will take place in Christchurch on November 28-29, 2007, at the Christchurch Convention Centre. Launched today, the website www.primaryindustries.org.nz sets out the vision and programme for the largest cross-industry event of its kind for more than 20 years.
"The summit will bring together industry leaders and participants of both today and tomorrow, giving them the opportunity to look at immediate and future challenges and to develop creative solutions," Jim Anderton said.
The two-day summit is already attracting high-level decision-makers. Visitors to the website can see a full list of speakers and their biographies, and explore the presentations, panel discussions and workshops designed to build New Zealand's competitive advantage.
Speakers include Dr Todd Meyer (director of the US Grains Council, China), Marion Nestle (Paulette Goddard Professor, New York University) and Dr Clint Laurent (managing director, Global Demographics Ltd.)
"Intense competition, globalisation and the emergence of newly powerful economies, such as China, require a clearly articulated vision if New Zealand is to have a successful future. PI2020 aims to define this vision for the primary sector," Jim Anderton said.
"The summit will be a forum for discussion on vital issues such as sustainability, skills needs, training, research, science and technology, business models, branding and market development.
"We have included a Young Leaders Forum. This will bring together some of the rising primary sector leaders who have an important stake in the future and whose voice needs to be part of the way forward.
"PI2020 is a landmark event that has been developed to help transform New Zealand's primary industries so they are even more successful in the global economy of the future than they have been in the past," says Mr Anderton.
"All those with an interest in the success of our primary industries can find out more about this critical summit and register online at www.primaryindustries.org.nz."