New staff members at the NZHITO

In the last few months the NZHITO has taken on some new staff members to help us service the needs of the New Zealand Horticulture Industry.

We would like take this opportunity to welcome the new members to the team, and introduce them to you.

New Appointments at the NZHITO

Training Advisors

Joining the NZHITO Northern Region we are lucky to have two new Training Advisor's
Louise Cooper and Brent Ingles.

Louise comes to us with a diverse horticultural background having worked in a numbers of areas including; vegetables, fruit, nursery, exporting, and packhouse. With her wide ranging industry background Louise brings a raft of skills and experiences to her new role, and she looks forward to meeting you and working with you.

Brent joins us with a horticultural background in the turf industry. Brent has had involvement with the Sports Turf ITO, since ITO's were first established more than 15 years ago, and is looking forward to working with employers and trainees in horticulture within his new role at the NZ Horticulture ITO.

Late in 2008 we were also fortunate enough to have Bernie O'Brien, join the NZHITO Southern Region as a Training Advisor.  Bernie was previously a member of the NZHITO board of directors and prior to starting work with the NZHITO Bernie has worked with both employers and employees in the horticulture industry for many years. Bernie brings a huge amount of enthusiasm with him to his new role and looks forward to increasing the level of horticulture training within the Southern Region.

Research and Policy Manager

Also joining the National Office team at the NZHITO is Christine Newland, in a new position of Research and Policy Manager. Christine's background and expertise is in education and quality management and she is a welcome addition to the NZHITO team

Role changes

Many of you from the Northern Region will have already met Alastair Gordon during his role as a Training Advisor with the NZHITO over the last couple of years, or you may know him from his many years within the New Zealand polytechnic sector.

This year Alastair takes on a new role within the NZHITO as our National Moderator. With Alastair's previous experience within industry, tertiary institutions, and interaction with employers, and trainees alike, we know he will be bringing a vast range of knowledge and skills with him into his new role. So for all your moderation and accreditation queries contact Alastair directly.