Highlights from the 2017 NZARES Conference in Rotorua
"Trade in an uncertain future"
Download the full programme and abstracts here
The annual NZARES Conference was held on the 19th and 20th of October 2017 at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua.
A total of 63 people attended the conference from regional councils, central government, Crown Research Institutes, industry good bodies and universities.
The theme of the conference was “Trade in an uncertain future”. Professor Alan Swinbank from Reading University gave
the keynote presentation about the implications of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union for trade and
the agri-food sector. Established supply chains will face significant challenges, particularly where the manufacture
of products crosses borders multiple times.
Professor Quentin Grafton from the Australian National University gave the AARES talk on water policy around the world.
Quentin considers water re-allocation will be critical and the current policy pathways are not resolving the issues.
Water needs to be valued, priced, and governance and decision-making frameworks need to be improved.
Successful panel discussions, with a good range of external speakers, were had on animal welfare, forestry and dairy
commodity futures markets. In addition, 40 contributed papers were presented, some of which are now available through
AgEcon search.
A pre-conference field trip focused on the Rotorua forestry industry was held on the 18th of October. The field trip
visited Scion’s research on bio-plastics, 3D printing and timber grading. Timberland’s Whakarewarewa Forest and
Comvita’s head office were also visited.
The President’s shout coincided with Winston Peters’s announcement of the result of coalition negotiations and the
new Labour-NZ First-Greens government, which generated much discussion among conference attendees. Michelle Templar,
CEO of Destination Rotorua, delivered one of the more entertaining and relevant after dinner speaker performances of
recent years.
The conference was supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries, Scion and AgMardt. Their contribution to a
successful event is gratefully acknowledged.