Podcast: Peter Hendry MG Marketing
[ E01 ]In this episode of Co-op Leader Conversations, Peter Hendry, CEO of MG Marketing, joins Cooperative Business NZ to discuss leading one of New Zealand’s largest horticultural cooperatives through Covid-19, labour shortages, succession pressures and environmental change.
Peter reflects on his 23-year journey at MG and explains how the co-op supports around 700 growers through marketing, logistics, investment in capital-intensive production and strong grower engagement. The conversation explores how MG maintained continuity as an essential service during Covid, future-proofed its workforce, invested in emissions reduction, and applied co-operative principles of transparency and trust in a highly volatile operating environment.
Conversation themes
Leading a national horticulture co-operative through Covid-19 disruption
Succession, consolidation and labour shortages in horticulture
Operational resilience and essential service continuity
Environmental pressures and emissions reduction investment
Grower engagement, transparency and co-operative culture
Future-proofing through people, IP and diversification
Why this matters
This episode is particularly relevant for co-op and mutual leaders navigating workforce constraints, regulatory pressure and long-term member engagement in essential sectors. It offers a practical example of how co-operative principles can support resilience and investment through periods of sustained uncertainty.
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