The Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal judging panel is once again asking the kiwifruit industry to nominate their finest leaders for the prestigious 2017 award.

The kiwifruit Industry Advisory Council (IAC) established the pan-industry Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal in 2012 to honour the people who set up and led the industry to become New Zealand's largest horticultural export.

IAC chairman Paul Jones explains the NZ industry is on track to more than double sales to $4.5 billion by 2025 and he's asking people right across the industry to nominate those people who've been a key part of this success.

'The industry Gala Dinner this year where the Medal will be presented marks the 20th anniversary of the Zespri brand, so this is a pretty special award for us,” he says.

'We're calling on our colleagues to nominate the people they think have made a defining contribution right across the fields of leadership, innovation and technology to the industry success we see today, 20 years on from setting up our world-class brand.”

Paul says kiwifruit is New Zealand's largest horticultural exporter, employing around 18,000 people throughout the season.

'We've got some of the best people in the country on our team. The Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal has been set up to acknowledge and celebrate the excellence, commitment and leadership they've shown over the years, driving our industry's success.

'We're asking for nominations now because the award will be presented at the industry's Gala Dinner next year and we want to make sure that everyone across the industry has the chance to submit their nominations before taking their summer break.”

Takao Takeshige, president of award-sponsor Fresh Carriers, says the shipping company is proud to continue its support of the kiwifruit industry award.

'In the 30 years our company has been shipping New Zealand kiwifruit to Japan, we have worked with many fine people in the kiwifruit industry and we are very honoured to present the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal to the winner at the Hayward Medal Dinner.”

Over the past five years, the Medal has been awarded to people who made outstanding contributions to the kiwifruit industry in very different ways, through science, leadership and personal vision and drive.

Last year, Sir Brian Elwood was awarded the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal in recognition of the leadership he displayed as chairman of industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ) over 10 years.

The Medal is named after the green Hayward cultivar which remains the foundation of kiwifruit industry, and acknowledges the talented horticulturalist Hayward Wright, whose innovation and contribution set up the industry as we know it today.

Nominations close in three weeks on Friday 9 December and nominations for the pan-industry award are encouraged from right across the industry. The winner will be announced and presented with the award at the Gala Dinner which follows the kiwifruit industry conference Momentum early next year.

Previous winners of the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal:

• 2014 – Sir Brian Elwood in recognition of the leadership displayed as chairman of industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ) over 10 years – photo attached
• 2013 – growers Paul Heywood and Leo Mangos jointly awarded the Medal for their work in establishing the grower-owned structure of the industry and the
• 2013 – former chair of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board, John Palmer for his tireless efforts to bring the kiwifruit industry through the fiscal crisis in the early 1990s
• 2012 – the inaugural award went to Plant & Food Research plant breeder, Russell Lowe for developing and helping commercialise the gold kiwifruit variety Hort16A, adding over $3 billion to the industry and New Zealand