Members of Vegefed and New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation will vote on the proposal to create a new joint body – provisionally called Horticulture New Zealand – at a meeting on July 29.

The Herald reports Peter Silcock, ceo at both organisations, saying a merger would give fruit and vegetable growers more power to deal with big issues such as market access and labour supply.

'We're looking to get the most efficient and powerful grouping we can,' he was reported. 'It makes sense that we do that when we've got common issues.' Vegefed and NZ Fruitgrowers Federation already work together but are two separate organisations. This latest proposal would make a closer working relationship more formal and bring whole-industry representation into one organisation.

Silcock said: 'We think we can take a more pro-active approach. We can get relationships going with officials and the government.' Under the proposals, product-specific groups would continue to exist under the umbrella of the new organisation. Any merger plans are subject not only to the members' vote this month, but also a working party would be formed which would come back with recommendations prior to a final vote in July next year, Silcock said.