Chief Executive Officer

The New Zealand Vegetable Council is a newly established organisation, created to provide a strong, unified voice for the vegetable industry. Bringing together existing sector groups, the Council has been formed to better represent growers, influence policy, and support a thriving, sustainable future for vegetables in Aotearoa.

We are now seeking an inaugural Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through its establishment phase and position it for long-term impact.

This is a rare opportunity to build and lead a national industry body from the ground up. In the early stages, your focus will be on developing strong team cohesion, strategy development, establishing credibility, building trust, and aligning diverse stakeholders behind a shared vision. You will be the face and voice of the industry – bringing clarity, cohesion, and confidence to the sector.

Looking ahead, there is significant potential to grow the Council’s influence – shaping policy, strengthening partnerships, enabling innovation, and increasing the role vegetables play in New Zealand’s food system and public health outcomes. Do you have the skill set and passion to lead this organisation?

Reporting to the Board, you will lead the transformation, establishment and ongoing success of the New Zealand Vegetable Council (NZVeg), balancing strategic leadership with hands-on delivery. As the successful CEO, your key accountabilities will include:

• Leading a small yet high performing team and partnering with the Board to shape and deliver strategy.
• Representing the industry, influencing policy and building strong relationships, and a credible voice for the sector.
• Facilitating sector-wide research and innovation initiatives, partnering with research organisations to drive outcomes, to support capability and enable industry resilience.
• Building alignment across industry product groups and growers, acting as a visible leader for the industry.
• Further build and develop strong relationships with stakeholders, including government ministries, aligned agencies and corporate partners.
• Leading initiatives to increase vegetable consumption in New Zealand, championing the value of vegetables to health, communities, and the economy.

About you

To be successful as the Chief Executive Officer, you will be an experienced and credible leader who can operate at both strategic and sector levels. In addition, you will ideally have:

• Senior leadership experience, ideally within the primary sector, food systems, or a membership-based environment
• A track record of influencing policy and engaging effectively with government
• Experience working alongside Boards and navigating complexity
• The ability to connect with people – from growers through to Government Ministers – with authenticity and credibility.

Most importantly, you will be motivated by the opportunity to build something meaningful in New Zealand’s primary sector – creating a trusted, effective organisation that delivers real value to the industry.

If you are interested in shaping the future of this vital industry and building something that really matters, we would welcome a conversation.

Though ideally based in Wellington, there may be some flexibility around your location.

To discover more about NZVeg visit https://nzveg.co.nz/#

For a confidential discussion about the role; contact Lisa Edwards on 021 240 4410 or email [email protected]