Plant & Food Research is distancing itself from a recent Olives NZ judging scandal, claiming its involvement had nothing to do the outcome that saw head judge Margaret Edwards award her own oil first place.

Plant and Food Research, formerly HortResearch, provided venues, equipment and logistics for the event, but spokesman Roger Bourne tells NBR the Crown research institute had nothing to do with the judging process.

“Plant and Food Research’s protocols were followed absolutely correctly – we had no influence on the judges' outcome,” Mr Bourne says.

Head judge Margaret Edwards, and owner of Waiheke Olive Oil Company, has been accused by critics of a conflict of interest after she awarded her own olive oil first prize in the 2008 Olives New Zealand awards.

Several growers are calling for the awards to be scrapped and re-judged, raising the ugly spectre of the Wither Hills scandal, which rocked the wine industry in 2006.

One of the complainants, Phyllis Heard of Awatere River, says that in this fiercely competitive industry there is a significant financial gain to be made from a top award.

Other than Mrs Edwards, five other judges had oils in the show, but the focus has been on Mrs Edwards, who made the decision on the final flight.

The story blew up in the media last week after legal advice from law firm Chen & Palmer circulated questioning the legitimacy of the results and pointing the finger at HortResearch.

“We consider Margaret Edwards’ conflict of interest is manifest and HortResearch should have become aware of it by now, given the close involvement of HortResearch in the operation of the sensory panel,” the memorandum states.

The memorandum goes on to state that the CRI breached its mandate by not operating within several of its principles of operation.

Other critics maintain that HortResearch had become too close to Olives NZ and the judging panel and had commercial interests in the outcome – a claim Mr Bourne denies.

“No money changed hands – it was simply a goodwill thing we were doing for the industry,” he says.

Mr Bourne believes the CRI has been dragged into the politics of the industry, and wouldn’t comment any further on the matter.

HortResearch has subsequently severed any involvement with the awards, and is devoting all its resources to a “large and important” gastronomy programme, a situation that would have ended the CRI’s involvement with the awards either way, he says.