Dr David Tanner is the Independent Chair of A lighter touch. David is also Managing Director of Start Afresh Ltd. Start Afresh is an Horticultural Innovation partnership formed in September 2014, offering a portfolio of services, from managed orchard investments, to science-led research, and to applied horticulture training and education.

Prior to this, David had 8 years leadership experience with leading global horticultural brand company, Zespri International, with the past six years in an executive leadership team position, as General Manager – Science & Innovation. Prior to that, he had five years with a global top-six R&D authority in Australia (CSIRO), where he managed and undertook research for the Australasian Food Industry.

David currently Chairs the Spring Sheep Dairy Horizon 3 PGP Programme Steering Group, and is Chair of Kiwifruit Vine Health (the Kiwifruit Industry’s Biosecurity Agency), and a member of the Purpose Capital Impact Fund Investment Committee.

David has a proven track record, driving growth through incremental and breakthrough innovation in the agrifood sector. He is a highly driven, dedicated thought-leader with global leadership and management experience in utilising complex science concepts for genuine business improvement and profitability. He has proven technical leadership and experience in crisis management with a track record of successful delivery. David has a collaborative and consultative leadership style that delivers on time.

David’s formal education includes an Undergraduate degree in Horticultural Technology from Massey University and a PhD degree in Food Engineering (also from Massey).

Rebecca Fisher represents Horticulture New Zealand as the contract holder for A Lighter Touch. Rebecca is General Manager Projects for Horticulture New Zealand, where she is involved in managing a range of projects funded by Government to deliver results for growers, one of which is A Lighter Touch. Prior to this, Rebecca managed the Crop Protection Portfolio for a consultancy company for 11 years, working with many product groups to register crop protection products and providing industry guidance through the regulatory process. Rebecca completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Horticulture at Massey University in New Zealand.

Sara is one of two Industry Stakeholder Advisory Group members elected to the A Lighter Touch Programme Governance Group. She is also Innovation Manager at Zespri International, where she leads and develops research programmes that support the optimization of kiwifruit cultivation through sustainable practices.

Sara has worked in the kiwifruit industry since 2015 and holds a master’s degree in biochemical engineering, in addition to a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering, both from the University of Cape Town.

Sally is one of two Industry Stakeholder Advisory Group members elected to the A Lighter Touch Programme Governance Group. Sally is also the Scientific Services Manager at consultancy Market Access Solutionz. She has an extensive science research background with over 10 years of research experience in environmental ecology, molecular biology, and microbial ecology. Sally applies her broad research experience into designing, managing, and implementing science research programmes on behalf of horticultural industry clients, in particular for citrus, summerfruit and vegetable sectors.

Sally also uses her extensive knowledge and experience to provide specialist technical analysis, biosecurity, and pest risk assessment services. Prior to joining Market Access Solutionz Sally’s previous roles were as a Research Scientist at NIWA, post-doctoral researcher at NIWA and the Wellington School of Medicine. Sally holds a BSc, MSc (Hons), PhD from the University of Auckland.

Emma is an Investment Manager at Ministry for Primary Industries where she is involved in managing a range of projects funded by government to deliver benefits for New Zealand’s primary sectors.

Her current projects are within the Horticulture, Arable and Farming sectors, one of these projects being A Lighter Touch. She has 20 years’ experience at MPI and NZTE in ensuring the effective use of Crown investments into companies, industry groups, and local government agencies.

Emma’s skillset lies in fund design and execution, stakeholder engagement and project oversight.

Dr Stuart Davis is a former Director of Vegetables NZ and former Chair of the Vegetable Research & Innovation Board.  He has had a long involvement in vegetable industry research programmes particularly relating to integrated pest and disease management.  Stuart is currently Sustainability Manager for LeaderBrand Produce and is based in Bombay.  Prior to moving to South Auckland, he spent 14 years in operations and technical roles on the leadership team at LeaderBrand Produce in Gisborne.  He started his career with 16 years at various locations in the Wattie’s group ultimately as Crop Procurement Manager responsible for crop procurement and research across Australia and NZ.

Coming from both a corporate and not for profit background, Livia joined ALT after 5½ years as CEO for WWF New Zealand.

Livia was inspired to take on this innovative collaborative programme as she wanted to apply the knowledge she’d gained to create significant positive impact to industry and the environment. She is hugely passionate the health of people and planet through food and this was a perfect fit.

Prior to WWF, Livia was Managing Director of Clemenger BBDO where she successfully led the modernisation of the Wellington-based business. Livia has also worked with Assignment Group and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Livia sees her role at A Lighter Touch as an exciting opportunity to raise the profile of the programme and create a real shift for how we grow our food here in Aotearoa from agrochemical to agroecological. She is excited to personally make a contribution to A Lighter Touch’s vision for New Zealand to be the most desirable source of food production in the world.

Sarah brings the perfect mix of practice and theory to ALT. As well as Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science and a Master’s of Science in Forensic Science, plus many years applying that knowledge, Sarah has previously owned an avocado orchard.

Before joining A Lighter Touch, Sarah was with NZ Avocado where she spent five years as Project Manager and Sustainability Manager. She enjoys working with passionate growers and industry stakeholders willing to impart their knowledge for the betterment of the horticulture industry.

Jeff has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Horticulture Management from Lincoln University, and has worked in diverse roles including finance, orchard management, technical extension for crop protection supply companies, and since 2007 with Bayer CropScience as their Regional Sales Manager for Lower North Island/Upper South Island.  In this role Jeff has had extensive experience in technology transfer, field trials, project management, and has an excellent understanding of crop protection.  Jeff believes there is a strong desire, not only within the grower community, but from all participants in the food production industry, to meet both domestic and global market demands of food safety, provenance and sustainability. He says agroecology addresses these demands from all angles.

As the former owner of Peracto New Zealand, Paul has expertise in residue trials, efficacy studies, crop tolerance testing, and data assessment. Paul has over 30 years’ experience in providing independent, confidential contract research and development services to crop protection companies, growers and horticultural sector organisations.  More recently Paul has been working through his consultancy company, as well as advising grower organisations such as Onions New Zealand and the Vegetables Research and Innovation Board.

Gina is a communications professional with over 20 years’ experience across a wide range of sectors. As a farmer’s daughter, Gina knows the vital role agriculture plays economically for New Zealand, and our global reputation for producing high quality, healthy food. She is excited to be part of a programme that’s supporting growers to meet the increasing customer demand for quality food produced in an environmentally sustainable and responsible way.

Sydney holds a Bachelor of Science with a major in Ecology and Biodiversity and a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing. Her diverse academic background has equipped her with a multifaceted perspective on sustainable business practices.

During her time at university, she completed a virtual internship as an environmental impact consultant with an architecture firm in Vietnam. Additionally, she served as a student consultant for a local not-for-profit organization in Wellington, later taking on the role of project manager to oversee a team of student consultants working on impactful community projects. She is excited to bring her passion for sustainability and marketing to the industry and be part of a programme aimed at making a positive impact on our environment and communities.