34 | Progressive Meats REGIONAL +64 6 835 8288 davmet.co.nz Proudly associated with Progressive Meats Progressive Meats Proudly supplying quality corrugated packaging to ojifs.com Packaging Central +64 6 367 6800 | casectrl@ojifs.com Fitting reward for a rural powerhouse Emma Ractliffe, left, was named Emerging Leader of the Year at the Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Industry Awards. Nelly Bourke, right, is a key member of the Eskview Young Farmers club and was a lead for the Regional Final event organisation. T T Karen Phelps “It’s about creating an environment people want to be a part of, making it engaging so that anyone feels welcome.” When Emma Ractliffe was named Emerging Leader of the Year at the Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Industry Awards, it was recognition not just of a career on the rise, but of a community reshaped by her influence. The award, hosted by the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society, could not have been more fitting. Emma has spent the past two years working as regulatory manager at Progressive Meats Limited, navigating the complex risk environment facing New Zealand’s meat industry, from food safety and Health & Safety compliance through to animal welfare and government regulation. Yet beyond the processing plant she has simultaneously been building something altogether different: a rural community finding its footing again after one of the most disruptive periods in the region’s recent history. “It’s an absolute honour,” says Emma of the award win. “There is quite a lot that goes on with Young Farmers and in the industry that doesn’t get recognised. There are a lot of people working really hard to bring value to the community and to create a space where people can operate, and the awards are a great opportunity to recognise people.” As chair of the Eskview Young Farmers Club, Emma has grown membership from just six to 55 in a little over 18 months, a transformation those who nominated her describe as nothing short of extraordinary. The growth has come not through campaigns or incentives, but through word of mouth, with young people telling others about a club worth joining. “It’s about creating an environment people want to be a part of, making it engaging so that anyone feels welcome,” Emma says. The backdrop to that growth was Cyclone Gabrielle, which left the region’s younger rural community fractured and searching for connection. Emma saw a need and stepped into that gap. She also serves as regional vice chair and national committee delegate for Young Farmers, and has helped raise more than $12,000 to support the chapter, including organising fundraising events such as the Eskview Bark Up, which raised $3000 for the charity, Spark That Chat, and drew the Puketapu community together again in the aftermath of the storm. Her path to the chairmanship was not accidental. Emma came to the role with experience already behind her, having chaired Young Farmers clubs during her time at Massey University. The Hawke’s Bay A&P Society’s involvement in hosting this year’s awards carries particular resonance, given that Emma has also worked to strengthen connections between Young Farmers and the society, helping bring district and regional Young Farmer of the Year competitions to Hawke’s Bay, and opening pathways for local competitors on to the national stage. At Progressive Meats, Emma’s role as regulatory manager sees her supporting a skilled engineering and operations team as it works through the layers of compliance that define modern meat production. The company has been a willing partner in her community work. Emma has also actively used her position at Progressive Meats to connect young people interested in agriculture with careers in the sector, and has played a significant role in supporting graduates as they transition into the workforce. “Progressive Meats has been really supportive of what I’m doing with Young Farmers and sees real value in supporting rural communities,” she says. “A lot of what we do is connecting through rural communities via our customers. Without strong rural support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
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