At Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence (FFCoVE) we believe innovation and investment are crucial to developing a skilled workforce. With a vision to take vocational training and education for the primary industries to the next level, FFCoVE has gone from strength to strength in its second year of operation.
At the core of FFCoVE’s work, transformation drives project outputs to create impact within Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and fibre sector, and is dependent on continued leadership with the ability, passion and commitment to see it through the next three years, and beyond.
At the recent AGM (30 May 2023), Dr Mark Paine stepped down as FFCoVE Board Chair (and Member) to give the incoming Chair three full years to build momentum, drive implementation, and together with its Board members and management team, develop deeper industry engagement. This will ensure the next set of priorities for food and fibre skills development are a consequence of FFCoVE’s work to date.
William Beetham, Managing Director, Beetham Pastural was chosen as the new Board Chair. He operates a large sheep and beef farm, and is committed to building thriving rural communities. William brings extensive governance experience having served as a national board member, the Meat & Wool Chair and provincial President of Federated Farmers. He is also a member of the OSPRI Stakeholder Council, a trustee of the Pukaha to Kawakawa Alliance, and is a director of Silver Fern Farms.
On announcement of his appointment, William said, “I would like firstly to recognise Mark Paine’s contribution, to not only establishing Food and Fibre CoVE, but in getting it to a point where it’s delivering fantastic outcomes and providing direction for vocational education in the food and fibre sector.
For me personally, I feel very humbled that fellow Board members and the team support me to be the Chair of FFCoVE. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. It’s a great privilege and I look forward to serving the food and fibre sector by contributing to delivering vocational training excellence for our sector’s future success”.
In addition, Natalie Bowie, National Manager, Sectors and Marketing at Primary ITO |Te Pūkenga was elected to the Board. Natalie has spent 15 years working in the food and fibre education sector in Aotearoa, New Zealand and China. Born and raised on a sheep and beef farm in Wairarapa she is passionate about the sector. She has held board roles on the Wairarapa Chamber of Commerce, Dress for Success Wellington and as an Associate Trustee for the Rural Leaders Trust. Natalie is a Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme Alumni and recipient of an AGMART leadership scholarship. She gained a Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia (while in China) and studied Mandarin, while working in vocational agricultural education. Natalie recently completed her Post-Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Studies, with a focus on Māori outcomes in an education setting.
Turi Ngatai MNZM (Ngai Te Rangi/Ngāti Ranginui, Tauranga-Moana) and Sandy Scarrow were re-elected to the FFCoVE Board.
Food and Fibre CoVE (FFCoVE) was one of two Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVE) announced by the Minister of Education in 2020. A key feature of the Reform of Vocational Education, FFCoVE works closely with our constituent industries and associated employers, Workforce Development Councils, Regional Skills Leadership Groups, Te Pūkenga and other COVEs.
Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (initially for 5 years) to support the growth of excellence and innovation in vocational education, FFCoVE enables change by uncovering opportunities for improving performance across the food and fibre sector (14 industry groups) through research and insights, and the exploration of lifelong workplace learning.
FFCoVE is an initiative of the Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence Society Incorporated.
