Our clients carry the BioGro logo on their products to assures their customers that the organic produce they buy has been made without Genetic Modification, animal cruelty or the routine use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides.
Donald Nordeng, CEO
Akiko Nicholls, Technical and Accreditations Manager
Lakshmi Budaraju, Data Information Officer
Robyn Vickery, Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator
Elissa Jordan, Digital Marketing Communications Manager
Jenny Cairns, Management Accountant & Finance
Mick Riley, Certification Officer
Wendy Lee, Certification coordinator
Tamila Eswaramurthy, Certification Officer
Laura Porterhouse, Office Support
Anne Maree Michael, Certification Officer
Janelle Bennett, Office Support
Robert Murray, Certification Officer
Dirk Lewe, Certification Officer
Stephan Capillon, Certification Officer
We have a team of organic auditors (accredited by MPI) dotted throughout New Zealand.
They are our very valuable ‘people on the ground’ – travelling around the country to visit our certified producers and verify their organic management plans, making sure that they are operating in the way they say they are. Each auditor is a specialist in one organic sector or another.
David Brown, Senior Auditor, Auckland
Jared White, Audit Manager; Senior Auditor
Simon Baylis, Senior Auditor, Taranaki
Joy McLeod, Senior Auditor, Canterbury
Jon Merrick (Apata Group Ltd)
Jon has his feet firmly on the ground with an understanding that the answer always lies in the soil, whether you’re a plant, animal or company.With a background in all, raised on a dairy farm and then in to life as an organic Kiwifruit orchard manager and owning and running a successful corporate team building company. As the circle of life would have it he is now back into kiwifruit as the organic category manager for Apata Limited pack house which deals with over 1.2 million trays of certified organic kiwi fruit. Jon’s passion is cultivating and not of the green kind but creating an environment where seeds can grow and flourish and reach its/their full potential and yes the answer is in the soil. Jon is chair of FAB families achieving balance non-profit organisation working with families in need. Jon is also on the exec of COKA (Certified Organic Kiwifruit Association) and the chair of the BioGro Impartiality Committee.
Mark Houghton-Brown (Nelson)
Mark has a long background as a pioneer in practical large scale organic farming and building successful organic brands, and with governance of the Not for Profit sector in the UK going back to the mid-80’s. He is currently a partner in and Chair of Organic Farm Holdings (and their Wash Creek organic meats), of Clean Planet (environmentally friendly cleaning) and of Plantier Developments (organic & natural cosmetics) , and a Director of Biolumic (using light to enhance plant growth) . He is Chair of Nelson Angels Inc - which invests in innovative & progressive start-ups and also operates in renewable energy markets.
Gaz Ingram (Farmlands Co-Operative Trading Society)
Gaz Ingram has been involved in organics all his life, from the early days working on organic pipfruit orchards, to becoming the Organic and Biological Manager at Farmlands Co-operative Trading Society. He joined the BioGro Council in July 2014, bringing with him a true understanding of the joys and also the challenges of organic certification in its different stages.
Joseph Stuart (Chair, Independent Director)
Joseph is a thinker, strategist and change maker with a comprehensive and varied background in economic development. Working across public, private and not for profit sectors, he has built a wealth of experience in almost all business environments over the last 17 years. From grassroots and start-up ventures to strategic planning and advisory for some of New Zealand’s most successful companies, Joseph’s approach is holistic. With a deep connection to the environment and strong belief in achieving a sustainable and ethical future, he is dedicated to applying his experience in business and innovation in a tactical way to strengthen organic integrity and certification in New Zealand.
Kathryn McCarrison (Independent Director)
Kathryn is an experienced executive with over 20 years of marketing, strategy, project management, leadership and business planning experience in a variety of sectors ( 15 years in telecommunications) working across a diverse range of roles including operations management, stakeholder management, marketing, brand, business and marketing strategy. Kathryn is results driven applying focus and energy to everything she does.
