Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will become the epicentre for driving long-term impact in the agri-food-tech sector at the 2035 Oceania Summit, which will take place from 10-11 October this year at Aotea Centre.
Summit convenor Peter Wren-Hilton says: “By bringing together the region’s scientific and research community, agritech companies, farmers and growers, investors and policymakers, the 2035 Oceania Summit has been designed to showcase local solutions for global climate impact.”
Delegates from Australia, Europe, the Pacific and the United States will collaborate on how agritech can support farmers and growers to reduce emissions to net zero and build more resilient growing systems.
The event will feature more than 40 national and international speakers, breakout panels, an exhibition showcasing current research being undertaken across the region, a start-up hub and extensive networking opportunities.
Speakers include Professor Andrew Campbell, Chair of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and CEO of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. Amazon’s worldwide director of Agriculture, Elizabeth Fastiggi, will also speak with a focus on the role of digital technologies.
Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Karen Ross, will deliver a keynote speech as well as lead a delegation that will seek to identify New Zealand agrifood technology solutions that can help address key challenges facing growers in California, including prolonged drought.
Wren-Hilton, the founder of global agritech consultancy Wharf42 and founding director of Agritech New Zealand, says: “The Summit is part of a longer-term platform to increase research and commercialisation collaboration in agri-food-tech across the Oceania region and wider global community.”
The Summit will also focus on food security challenges created by climate change in the Pacific Islands. A roundtable discussion between New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Small Island Developing States, The International Fund for Agricultural Development, The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, and non-government organisations will address this pressing regional challenge.
Innovation discussed at the Summit’s start-up showcase is expected to highlight leading research and development, including the use of data from satellites to detect changes to soil and water composition; livestock breeding that enables cows to continue to produce high-quality dairy in warmer temperatures; and how crops and plants can be grown in increasingly arid environments.
A Festival of Food will see top chef Peter Gordon curate the full delegate menu over the two days of the Summit, using fresh produce that has a zero-carbon footprint.
The event has the support of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team, AgriTech New Zealand, and the Australian AgriTech Association.
Pam Ford, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director of Investment and Industry, says hosting the Oceania 2035 Summit in Tāmaki Makaurau is an opportunity for the region’s agri-food-tech sector to connect with the global community and showcase its full potential.
“As the world looks for ways to transform global food systems to address climate change and food insecurity, fostering connections such as those at Oceania 2035 is vital. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s agri-food-tech sector, with its strong research and development expertise, has a lot to contribute and we look forward to welcoming the international agri-tech community to our region to share ideas and collaborate,” says Pam Ford.
For more information or to register visit: https://www.2035.ag/