New president and vice-president elected to HortNZ board
The Horticulture New Zealand board has elected Barry O’Neil as its new president and chairman. Mr O’Neil replaces Julian Raine, who has been president and chairman for six years.
Bernadine Guilleux was elected vice-president, with both positions effective from January 1, 2019.
Mr O’Neil has been a grower since 1984, working on his kiwifruit and avocado orchard in Whakamarama. Since 2003, he has been growing kiwifruit in Katikati and also in the Bay of Plenty. Between orchards he held a number of government roles including New Zealand trade counsellor to the European Union and chief veterinary officer for the Ministry of Agriculture.
He was the chief executive of Kiwifruit Vine Health for six years, driving the industry recovery from Psa, and has held a number of board positions including being deputy chairman of Scion, chairman of Tomatoes NZ, and chairman of the kauri dieback review panel. He has been an independent director on the Horticulture New Zealand board since April 2015 but, with his appointment as chairman, he will now stand as a grower-elected director at the 2019 director elections.
Ms Guilleux is a grower representative on the Horticulture New Zealand board. She has a strong marketing background, in New Zealand and Europe. She is a member of the horticultural Balle family and grew up in the vegetable growing area of Pukekohe.
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