Collaboration, the key for NGIWA going forward

By Matthew Lunn – EO Nursery & Garden Industry Western Australia (NGIWA)

With the new financial year well under way, NGIWA is looking forward to another twelve months of increased member benefits as well as continuing to grow its collaboration with other greenlife industry bodies in Western Australia.

Despite the ongoing battles of COVID-19, NGIWA has enjoyed several years of growth which has been not only an accumulation of increased interest from non-members who sought support during lockdowns but also the strong working connection the association has now built with the state government.

Our focus going forward is to continue our presence at all levels of advocacy that particularly supports the protection of ground water licences for our nurseries and continuing biosecurity risks across our state which can impact on market access.

The recent Members Breakfast held in late June clearly showed the positive vibe NGIWA has with members from across the state who gathered to hear the recently appointed Director of the Western Australian Botanic Garden, Sue McDougall. Sue talked about the new path the botanic garden would be taking with a higher level of engagement with the public to promote sustainable garden practices, and also with NGIWA and their native plant breeding program.

Collaboration is the key for NGIWA going forward. While we are in a strong position, increasing our membership size will always be limited because of the shortage of independent garden centres and the fact that our wholesale nurseries are getting bigger, thus not allowing room for new businesses to enter the market.

Despite this concern, NGIWA continues to deliver strong membership benefits which members continue to see value in.

We are extremely lucky with our members getting behind the Australian Plant Production Standard, with over half our members accredited thanks to the work of Greenlife Industry Australia’s Steve Blyth who oversees the program here in WA. This level of service from Steve really does assist our association, and once again we see real value in being a member of Greenlife Industry Australia when members of NGIWA get behind their program.