The Fruitgrowers' Federation and the Vegetable & Potato Growers Federation will probably merge in 12 months time after details for the working of the new body have been drawn up by a working group.
Both organisations put the decision to the vote at separate meetings in Auckland at the end of last week and members voted unanimously to accept.
The new organisation formed as a result of the merger of Vegfed and NZFF will be known as Horticulture New Zealand.
The organisations already share a chief executive, Peter Silcock, who said when the merger was first mooted that a single horticulture body could deal effectively with areas of common interest such as biosecurity, labour, market access, trade and training. By bringing the federations together, more than 20 different groups representing producers of different products will also be able to lobby more effectively on environmental issues.
Growers will vote next year on the structure of the new body after extensive consultation.
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