Members of the New Zealand Grain & Seed Trade Association agreed to change the registered name and logo to Seed & Grain New Zealand at their national Seeds of Tomorrow conference in Christchurch.
This is expected to provide a fresher, modern look while still linking to the association’s 106-year history.
President Charlotte Connoley told members at the conference the new name would act as an umbrella for its range of activities.
"The current name does not encapsulate the breadth of activities the association is involved in."
She said gene tech was going to be a critical debate for the industry.
"We need to ensure we are seen as the voice of the industry on all matters, not just trade. Our depth of involvement is far beyond that of trade but includes all the areas that interface with trade; plant breeding, intellectual property, standards and certification, education and training, advocacy and regulatory, market access, phytosanitary, biosecurity, research and development, events and communications."
A change in name also signalled the willingness of the membership to evolve and align with change being made elsewhere, she said.
The industry is about to appoint a new chief executive to replace Thomas Chin, who has retired, and introduce mentoring and governance opportunities for young seed and grain employees as well as hold a combined conference with the Australian Seed Federation.
"Having a name that aligns with other industry representative bodies such as Beef & Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, HortNZ, Potatoes NZ creates better brand awareness and a seat at the same table as these organisations. Trade enabling advocacy is core to our activities.
With our current heavy programme of regulatory consultations and policy review, profile has never been more important."
