New Zealand Deer Farmers Association life member Tony Pearse said he was excited to be speaking about the 50-year anniversary of the association at the conference at Millennium Hotel on Wednesday.
When the conference was launched in Queenstown in 1978, it was held across three days, rather than a single day, and he fondly remembered the inaugural event organised by late southern deer farmer Robbie Brookes.
‘‘It was an extravaganza. Robbie never responded to a request for a budget. He just said, ‘it’ll happen’, ’’ he said.
About 1400 people attended that conference, a mix of deer farmers and off-farm investors including well-known business figures.
Many arrived by helicopter and parked their aircraft on the roof of Rydges Lakeland Resort which was hosting the event.
The event included a cruise on TSS Earnslaw.
‘‘There were about 700 people on it and helicopters were buzzing it,’’ he recalled.
Three floors of the resort were themed for the conference.
‘‘One was set out with trees, as a New Zealand bush camp and another floor was an English village with English food and then the top floor was the extravagant main banquet area with a couple of guys in a rowboat, who shucked a thousand dozen oysters. It was just an incredible conference,’’ Mr Pearse said.
A keynote speaker at the conference was late Labour Party politician Trevor de Cleene.
‘‘Essentially, the conference in its grand nature gave a message to De Cleene and the Labour government that these guys are having far too much fun.’’
Mr de Cleene took the conference as a signal there must be something wrong with the tax advantages available to investors in deer farms, Mr Pearse said.
An investor could write off the difference between the then standard value of a hind and its market value and then claim that taxation against their other businesses.
Afterwards, the government changed the standard value for deer and the deductions became ‘‘minuscule’’, which prompted many investors to cash up and leave the industry.
No-one would be served freshly shucked oysters from a row boat at the conference this year.
‘‘No, I won’t be having anything like that,’’ Mr Pearse laughed.
The first conference was a ‘‘wonderful’’ event and its consequences had an impact including the formation of the Game Industry Board.
‘‘The industry started to grow up beyond just the enthusiasm all the pioneers had started,’’ he said.
Speakers next week include motivational speaker Kevin Biggar, agribusiness lawyer Millie Morgan and economist Brad Olsen.
Mr Pearse said he and The Deer Farmer magazine founder Trevor Walton would talk about sector highlights of the past 50 years and celebrate its transformation from a feral industry and deer recovery to proper farming.
Delegates had the option of adding on other activities on the days either side of the conference.
NZDFA executive committee chairman Mark McCoard said the association was an independent farmer-led and run organisation.
‘‘It is the voice of our farmers, advocating for farmer interests across all levels of industry, from the local, grassroots level to the regional and national government level when the need arises.
‘‘We have a long history, almost as long as the New Zealand deer industry itself. Deer farmers are known as a passionate bunch, and we are seeing that as interest in the annual deer industry conference — celebrating 50 years of the NZDFA — has reached the point of needing waitlists for the awards dinner and the field trip to Fairlight Station the day after.
‘‘So yeah, we’re excited for conference, which is such a great opportunity for deer farmers and industry representatives from all over the country to get together to discuss the state of the industry, the weather, and the world in general.
‘‘This year’s 50th anniversary will give us a good reason to remember and reflect on the past, while also looking forward to an exciting future that features the same proactivity and innovative thinking that has underpinned the deer industry’s past successes.’’
