Helping Transform NZ’s Red-Meat Sector

Many in the rural sector are aware that the current red meat industry model, often referred to as “pasture to plate” or “farm to fork” is broken. We know it’s not working. And it desperately needs fixing!

Porter Novelli was asked by a group of stakeholders in the sector: Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson and Landcorp to assist with what, we and the partners believe could be the biggest boost to sheep, beef and deer farmer returns since refrigeration enabled New Zealand to export to Europe.

Porter Novelli assisted the collaboration of funding partners to announce the programme in Wellington on 17 August 2010.

This involved coordinating activity and messaging between a wide range of stakeholders and groups, helping focus an array of communications to be clear, concise, and collaborative and in symphony.

Audiences included government and political stakeholders, agricultural, business and national media along with a diverse group of other interested parties.

On announcement day the story ran high on the news agenda of web, radio and television news including TVNZ One and TV3’s 6pm broadcasts and was followed by coverage in every daily national and regional newspaper in New Zealand as well as extensive and in depth coverage in the Agricultural press. Media carried a large chunk of the key messages and other stakeholders were communicated to directly via a series of simultaneous presentations, emails and telephone calls which were then followed by meetings and road-show presentations throughout the country.

Long term this project has the ability to transform the industry model as it stands broken today and improve farming to become increasingly more profitable. Meat eaters the world over will be able to reach for top shelf New Zealand meat more often and be willing to pay more for it.