DUCK TOO HARD
12 MAY 2018
Regional Economic Development
Minister Shane
Jones says $175,000 of
the windfall will be used
to identify and prioritise major
food-related opportunities, as
well as a Taranaki food network.
“Both of these initiatives provide
opportunities to diversify the local
economy, create jobs and attract
investment into the region,” Jones
says. “A long list of food-related
initiatives already exists in Taranaki.
This funding will allow the
region to focus on assessing and
developing the best of these opportunities.
Establishing a Taranaki
food network is in the region’s
economic action plan and has the
potential to strengthen local food
businesses and foster value-added
food production in the region.
Taranaki has the natural advantages
of rich, fertile soil and abundant
rainfall. The region is primed to
diversify land use and optimise
technology to become a major
smart and innovative high value
food producer,” Jones says. The
region will receive up to $216,000
when it joins the Red Meat Profit
Partnership Action Network to
boost Taranaki’s sheep and beef
farmer productivity and profitability.
Jones says these initiatives
are part of Taranaki’s Future Foods
action plan, which has a goal to
increase the region’s GDP in food
production from $1.3 billion to $1.5
billion. The total cost of the future
food initiative is $300,000 with
the region contributing $100,000
and MPI providing $25,000. The
PGF will fund up to $20 million for
projects from the action plan, with
the region itself contributing more
than $16 million.
FOOD THE
AIM FOR
TARANAKI’S
FUTURE
Taranaki will use some of
its Provincial Growth Fund
money to invest in identifying
future food opportunities with
the greatest potential to help
transform the Taranaki economy.
Kiwis might ‘love a duck’,
but it appears that we don’t
like cooking them at home.
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP
Foods), one of the world’s
leading food companies and
the first approved by MPI to
import fully cooked duck into
New Zealand, has revealed
that while 67% of Kiwis love
eating duck at restaurants,
they’re not sure how to cook
it properly at home. More
than half say they find it tricky
to prepare, many worry about
overcooking it or getting the
skin crispy, and others don’t
know how to break duck
down into different cuts. CP
Foods retail manager for Australia,
New Zealand and the
Pacific Islands Andrew Turner
says 38% of New Zealanders
rate duck as their favourite
meat, but half of shoppers
surveyed say they rarely
see it at local supermarkets.
“Duck makes up a large proportion
of our sales,” he says.
“It’s reassuring that Kiwis
clearly like the taste of duck,
and that shows us that there
is a market for a convenient
duck product that is available
all year round.” Asian-inspired
dishes seem to be the most
popular way to eat duck in
New Zealand, he says, with
Chinese crispy duck pancakes
most popular.