b' SEED SCIENCEISTA Interconvention Meeting (Executive Committee plus Technical Committee Chairs) held in Budapest, Hungary in 1997recent being a four-year programme in NepalZealand Designated Member to ISTA from 2001with staff at the two South Island ISTA accredited funded by NZ Aid. In 2022 John was made anto 2010. seed laboratories (PGG Wrightson Seeds, NZ Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit inSeedlab), and am in regular contact with Craig recognition of his contributions to agriculture2. What does ISTA mean to you? McGill (past ISTA President and current ECOM and the New Zealand seed industry. My involvement with ISTA has given me themember) from Massey University. I regularly visit opportunity to develop relationships withthe ISTA website. I am also a Facebook friend 1. Where did your journey with seed testing anddedicated people from all over the world whowith some of my ISTA colleagues.ISTA start? volunteer their time to work for the common goal My journey with seed testing began with myof uniformity in seed testing. It also provided4. What are your fondest memories of ISTA and appointment as a scientist at the Seed Testingme with the chance to travel to countries I mayits community?Station in Palmerston North. In those days, therewell not have visited and meet scores of peopleI will start with one of the funniest memories. In was a staff of 86 seed analysts! (Seed testing wasfrom the international seed testing world. ISTA,1990 I was the Seed Symposium Convenor and funded by the government, not by industry.) Ithrough its publications, has provided excellentworkshop leader at an ISTA/USSR (now Russian joined the ISTA Vigour Committee in the lateinformation that I have used in my teaching andFederation) meeting on seed vigour, dormancy 1970s, when all correspondence was by letter. Theconsultancies over the years. Through my ISTAand germination in Novosibirsk. Most of the arrival of the fax was a godsend! I became Chairwork I have gained experience in the politicsparticipants were from the [then] USSR and of the Vigour Committee in 1989 and workedof the seed industry, the operation of effectiveEastern Europe. Three translators were supplied, with colleagues on the development of the Seedand efficient quality assurance systems, seedone senior gentleman and two young science Vigour Testing chapter of the International Rulesquality management and how to establish andgraduates from Moscow University. I started with for Seed Testing (ISTA Rules). At the time, thegain accreditation for a seed testing laboratorymy introductory presentation, with the senior International Seed Trade Federation (FIS, now(two in New Zealand and one in Australia). Mygentleman translating. Within five minutes there ISF) was strongly opposed to vigour testing beingISTA connections have also helped me withwere arguments within the audience about what added to the ISTA Rules, and I had many trips toassisting in writing a draft for a new Seed LawI had said and what the translator had said I said, Zurich to meet with FIS to discuss these issues.for the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am grateful towhich werent the same! It turned out that the Finally, the chapter was accepted at the 2001 ISTAISTA and the New Zealand seed industry for alltranslator, who spoke excellent English, had no Congress in Angers. the opportunities this relationship has providedidea about scientific English. Luckily, Dr Katalin for me. Ertsey from Hungary (who later became an ISTA I became a member of the ISTA Rules CommitteePresident) was able to step in and save the day. in 1992, served as Seed Symposium Convenor at3. How do you keep in touch with ISTAs workThe irony was that the two young graduates could four Congresses, and became a member of theand its community? have translated very well, but protocol dictated Editorial Board for Seed Science and Technology.I am now an ISTA Personal Member and still athey were not senior enough to be allowed to do so!In 2001 I was elected as an Executive CommitteeDesignated Member. I receive the weekly ISTA (ECOM) member, elected Vice-President in 2007newsletter, look forward to reading Seed TestingMy fondest memories are of the ISTA family and became President in 2010. I was also the NewInternational, have a great working relationshipand particularly their ability to let their hair SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2025 73'