AGM 2024

Biochar Network New Zealand Acting Chair’s report for the August 28th 2024 AGM 

Welcome to all new members and welcome back to all the familiar faces. We are looking forward to another year of progress and growth on the biochar front and are deeply grateful and honoured to have your support.

The Society has seen another year of increasing engagement with the expanding community of biochar producers and users around the motu. We also enjoyed a greater level of integration with our partner organisation ANZBIG, whose publication of the Farmers Guide earlier this year has created an accessible and useful generalist resource for primary sector applications. Finally, ongoing trial and demonstration projects have expanded BNNZ's relationship with researchers, councils, and industry peak bodies.

As the public sector cuts continue to reach into every corner of the central government, many of the hard-won gains and relationships we have built over the past few years are under threat as work streams are cut off, roles disestablished, and key people head for the exits. We will continue our advisory secondment to the national biochar inventory work underway at Manaaki Whenua/Landcare Research, and are developing an engagement with Scion to carry forward the wilding pine demonstrations at greater scale.

Thanks to shared membership with ANZBIG, the Society has boosted its revenue stream this year. BNNZ is using this resource to fund contract admin services and increase its profile at conferences and events. Some notable appearances were at the Energy Trusts NZ regional hui in November, featuring Dylan Graves as a speaker, plus their annual general meeting in May, where deputy chair Phil Stevens was a plenary presenter, and at Residues to Revenues in July.

Thanks also to our executive committee, who give their time and expertise to keeping the Society working at its potential. We farewell our outgoing chair Warrick Isaachsen and wish him all the best with his family and career pursuits, including ongoing presence in the world of biochar.

Phil Stevens
Deputy Chair

Committee members re-elected: 

Trevor Richards, Ben Elms, Phil Stevens, Simon Day, James McNally, John McDonald-Wharry, Andrew Finlayson, Pranoy Pal

Positions elected:

Chairperson: Phil Stevens   
Deputy Chair: Andrew Finlayson   
Secretary: Trevor Richards
Treasurer: Ben Elms