Executive summary
This report looks into the trusted sources of advice for New Zealand kiwifruit growers during biosecurity and adverse weather events, with a focus on understanding the drivers of trust within the industry.
The research was conducted through a combination of literature review, grower survey, and a select number of in-depth interviews with industry leaders.
Findings highlight the critical role that trust plays in crisis response management (such as adverse weather and biosecurity events) and provide key insights into how trust is built, maintained, and leveraged during times of uncertainty and urgency.
From the literature review, findings reveal that trust is largely influenced by the reliability, transparency, and integrity of the information source. In the horticultural / agricultural / rural space, both personal and organisational relationships play significant roles in building trust. However, the literature suggests that personal relationships, such as face-to-face interactions with known and experienced individuals, often carry more weight in high-stress situations.
The grower survey and interviews align with these insights, showing that growers and industry leaders tend to trust individuals they have regular contact with – such as post-harvest representatives and peers – rather than the organisation or group per se that they represent. While organisations like Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) are trusted and respected for their leadership and strategic role in managing responses, personal relationships with experienced and reliable individuals are also considered very trusted sources during a crisis.
Key themes from the interviews and survey reinforce the importance of:
Timely and transparent communication
New Zealand kiwifruit growers (and the industry personnel who directly support them) expect continuous, clear, and honest updates, even when all details are not yet available and there are no major changes to the situation at that point in time.
Personal relationships
Trust is closely tied to familiarity with individuals who have demonstrated reliability and integrity over time.
Organisational credibility
While personal relationships are paramount, organisations like KVH and Zespri are still trusted for their authoritative roles, particularly in biosecurity and weather-related adverse responses, and the credibility of well-known, long-term, experienced staff adds to this.
Unified industry responses
The need for a coordinated and unified response from the entire industry, with all organisations aligned, is crucial to maintaining trust and ensuring effective adverse event response management.
In ? We Trust
In all, the research shows that trust within the kiwifruit industry is multifaceted, and deeply rooted in both personal relationships and organisational credibility that has been built up over time. Effective response management relies on leveraging both these elements through reliable, timely communication, and strong leadership.
This report recommends maintaining a flexible and scalable response framework, enhancing communication strategies, and fostering personal and group/organisational relationships to further build (and sustain) trust within the industry during emergency adverse events. These responsibilities sit within KVH as lead agency responsible for co-ordinating responses, and the industry personnel they work alongside.
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