Fresh faces on foodeast-haumako board
A new foodeast-haumako board has been appointed this month, to take Hawke’s Bay’s food and beverage innovation project through its next phase – attracting tenants that ensure it fulfils its innovation promise.
The shareholders, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Investment Company (HBRIC), Hastings District Council and Progressive Meats Limited have appointed Christie Campbell, Nicky Solomon and Richard Shirtcliffe to Foodeast GP LTD. They join current board members Tony Gray and Ashleigh Gilmour. Current chair Craig Foss is retiring from the board. The new chair of the board is Nicky Solomon.
foodeast-haumako’s new-look board
From a concept developed by Hastings District Council in 2017 and seed-funded by the Government’s Kānoa Provincial Development Unit, construction of facility got underway in 2022 on the Hanui Rd site in Hastings, following redesign in the wake of COVID-related delays and significant increases in construction costs.
The goal of foodeast-haumako is to foster innovation in the food, beverage and agri-tech fields, building on the excellence already evident in Hawke’s Bay’s primary industry and related manufacturing particularly by assisting companies to develop new products for the domestic and international markets. The business case estimated it would add $100 million to the region’s income and create 500 new jobs.
HBRIC chairman Dan Druzianic thanked Craig Foss for his two years at the helm of the board, noting that he had led the project through difficult times, including “ably navigating through difficult waters including re-design, re-costing, procurement, and construction inflation pressures”.
He also thanked former Hastings District Council economic development officer Lee Neville, who had been heavily involved with the project since it was first raised by Hastings District Council until he relocated to Australia mid-this year. “He was committed to this project and its kaupapa and the many valuable conversations we are having with potential tenants now are the result of the early work that Lee carried out,” said Mr Druzianic.
Mr Foss said he was extremely proud of the work his board and its advisors had carried out, between the devolvement of the establishment board – which took the project through its early stages - to the establishment of this new board.
“Despite quite severe construction cost pressures, we have been able to bring the project within budget and a recent market appraisal shows that the value through tenancies remains comparable to the original business case.
The buildings have been future-proofed to yield maximum commercial return from the site, whilst allowing for flexibility and potential expansion. We leave the entity in a very good financial position to enable innovation.”
Craig Foss
The new board also welcomed the appointment of new interim chief executive Michael Basset-Foss, who would support the board over the next phase.