Richard Beaumont - 2011 IPPS Japan Scholarship

Richard Beaumont of Ardmore Nurseries has been selected as the recipient of this year's IPPS Japan Scholarship.

He arrives in Japan on October 10th for a three week visit hosted by the Japan region of IPPS which includes attending their annual conference in Ehime Prefecture. “I'll be giving a presentation on what we do here at Ardmore, particularly with the open ground production and also on the industry in general in New Zealand” he says.
Before then, he is cycling 4000km through Bangladesh, India and Nepal with a friend. Not that fitness is a problem for Richard; he is a former elite rower who represented New Zealand at two world champs and cycles to the nursery each day from his home in St Heliers.

Richard sees the visit as a chance to “enable me to broadening my knowledge of propagation with the added benefit of seeing firsthand the techniques the Japanese use”. “Also I see it as chance to develop partnerships and potential trade links with the Japanese market”. Richard will be hosted by 4 – 5 families in Japan and sees the visit as an “excellent chance to gain a knowledge of Japanese culture and language”.

Richard is the 4th generation Beaumont to be involved in the nursery business. He worked for many summers at Ardmore Nurseries “in all areas of the nursery”. In 2003, he started his own nursery leasing some land from his parents where he contract grows a selection of different plant varieties from GOLS to Rhapalostylis. “In owning my own nursery, I have gained many business skills from employing staff to remembering to pay the GST!”

While Richard continues to run his own business, he works at Ardmore in Research and Development and intends to continue is horticulture career there. “My aim is to improve Ardmore's overall quality of plants, increase the number of plants propagated along with increasing mechanisation and modernising systems”.

Ian Duncalf is the Japanese exchange co-ordinator for IPPS and is seeking people to apply for 2012 to follow on from Richard. He says “We want people to stay in the industry and one way we can keep them is providing knowledge and experience”. “Going and experiencing another country, another culture” Ian says helps not only with professional development, but also as a person as well.

The Japan region is also hosting the International Board meeting next year in Shizouka Prefecture and Ian says “it's an opportunity to experience a conference with International speakers”

The scholarship is open to any IPPS member 21 or over, but is aimed more at younger members in the early stages of their careers and is a good incentive for people to join IPPS – see www.ipps.org.nz for details and a membership form.

The scholarship is worth approximately $10,000 as the New Zealand and Japan regions of IPPS cover all travel, accommodation, meals and expenses for your visit which can be anywhere from 2 – 6 weeks.

In return if you are the lucky person, you will be required to share your knowledge and experiences with IPPS members in New Zealand with a presentation at the annual conference and an article in the newsletter.

Phone Ian Duncalf 07 552 4962 or email ian@duncalf.co.nz for further details.