The year 2020 is nearly gone, and I think most of us will be happy to bid it farewell. The Covid-19 pandemic hit the world hard in early 2020, and continues to affect the way we work and socialise today. The nationwide level-4 lockdown that came into effect on 25 March also coincided with the date of the first NZPPS Executive Committee meeting of the year. Only a couple weeks prior to the meeting the Committee was discussing travel arrangements. How quickly things changed! It was clear that 2020 was not going to be an ordinary year. The Executive had to decide whether or not to proceed with planning the August conference. At the time, it was hard to know what to do. After all, the August conference was still more than four months away. After some debate, the Committee thought it best to postpone the conference until the following year. This decision proved to be the right one.
With many parts of the world currently dealing with second or third waves of the virus, it is clear that New Zealand has handled the Covid-19 crisis better than most countries, and like me, I’m sure that most of you are happy and proud of the collective response in New Zealand that quashed the virus. Undoubtedly, there are many learnings from the challenges of 2020, both personal and professional, and possibly even for plant protection research in New Zealand. Those of us in the biosecurity sphere have always known that “going hard, and going early” is the only way to deal with incursion threats to our primary production sectors. However, knowing what to do is only the first step – getting the community, or indeed the entire country, behind the initiative is the key to success. It wasn’t government edicts per se that saved the day against Covid-19 in New Zealand, but rather the collective response of the team of 5 million. Certainly, a lesson from New Zealand’s success against Covid-19 is that effective communication is key to achieving public support. New Zealand has received international praise for its response to Covid-19, and rightly so. But New Zealand also has many great plant protection stories that need to be told. One such story is the pea weevil eradication from the Wairarapa, reported on in the June 2020 newsletter. This is an excellent example of a government programme that was effective because of community support, achieved through good communication about the actions that were needed.
While unfortunately overshadowed by the pandemic, the year 2020 was also declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The goal of this initiative was to raise awareness about the importance of plant protection for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. As members of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society, we understand that these are desired outcomes of plant protection research and extension activities. We also need to help other people understand this. The IYPH serves to remind us all that plants are essential for life, and everyone has a role in protecting them.
The presidential reins were passed to me during the 2020 AGM held at Lincoln University. The AGM was online with some local Lincoln members attending in person. It ended with a quiet afternoon tea, before going back to work. I couldn’t help thinking that typically the handover of the presidency role happens at the annual conference dinner, with wine, food, and music. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t meet for a conference this year, but I look forward to seeing you all at the 73rd Conference of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society in Napier from 10-12 August 2021.
On behalf of the Executive, I wish the members of the Society a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Mike Cripps