On February 15 and 16, AgriTechNZ is hosting an event in collaboration with the Israeli Trade Commission and the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industry. The purpose of this event is to create a platform where agritech peers can learn from each other’s journey of innovation.
The agritech ecosystem in Israel is often referred to in economic reports for its tenacity and impact globally. The New Zealand agritech ecosystem is often plauded for its affinity with farming and growing systems around the world. We believe there is much to learn from each other in this domain of agritech innovation.
Since announcing the event we have received multiple requests from different Palestinian support groups to boycott any activity supported by the Israeli government.
We acknowledge that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very complex and sensitive situation.
Our position is that we are apolitical and are solely focussed on progressing the interests of agritech as a sector. We work for the benefit of our agritech community. Our role is to connect and promote the interests of agritech innovators globally.
We also believe that collaborating with any government agency on a specific topic does not imply support of all government policy or activities. We are collaborating with agencies from both the New Zealand and Israel governments on this initiative.
Therefore, we will not be responding to requests from Palestinian support groups to boycott this event. Likewise, we will not be engaging in any political statements or activities from any Government perspective either.
We recognise that generations of Palestinians and Israelis have known only conflict. We pray for a culture of peace to find common ground and flourish.
AgriTechNZ Executive Council