Bert Quin completed a multi-disciplinary PH.D in analytical  chemistry, biogeochemistry and water quality at Massey University in 1974, before joining the MAF’s Agricultural Research Division (ARD, the predecessor of AgReseach) as a laboratory and soil fertility research scientist at Winchmore in Canterbury. There he initiated research into RPR and demonstrated how superphosphate made from Al/Fe phosphate rocks was lowering effectiveness by 50%.

Bert designed and coordinated the ‘National Series’ of RPR trials which ran on 19 sites throughout NZ over the period 1981-87. By 1984, Bert had been appointed as Chief Scientist for Soil Fertility at the Ruakura Research Centre, where he had oversight of 56 scientific and technical staff. During this time, Bert was appointed as ‘in court’ Scientific Advisor to the Barrister who successfully defended the Maxicrop defamation case.

The excellent results for RPR from the National Series led to Bert being head-hunted as Technical manager for a new Fletcher Challenge fertiliser venture. When the sharemarket crash spelled an end to this, Bert decided he would do it himself. Quinphos was set up with Grant McComb in 1989. Sumitomo of Tokyo took over the company in 1995. This allowed Summit-Quinphos  to grow throughout NZ, and develop SustaiN in the process, and stimulate research demonstrating  the far lower losses of P run-off and leaching with RPR.

Bert left the company in 2005 to concentrate on his ONEsystem® , Spikey® and AlpHa® research projects. Unfortunately, within 3 years  Sumitomo had sold Summit-Quinphos to Ballance.

As Bert’s new technologies were becoming commercialised, Bert was disappointed to see what products were now being sold as ‘RPRs’ by the industry, so when the opportunity `arose to import and distribute the internationally-acclaimed Algerian RPR, in 2018 Bert commenced RPR importing, selling the product and blends with other nutrients, under the brandname Quinfert.

In 2021, NZ based shipping company Dahuti commenced importation of Algerian phosphate, on selling it to Quinfert and other companies. Note that, as a result of legal action taken by Ballance, only Quinfert has the legally-proven right to sell its selected Algerian phosphate as RPR.   

April 2024 saw the exciting introduction of real competition in a soluble P fertiliser market for nearly 20 years. Australia’s Marnco has setup a New Zealand-registered arm to import bulk cargos of granulated fertlisers including singlephosphate (SSP, DAP, MOP, S90) for starters. As other companies have found, it is difficult to be competitive when relying on containerised products, because of the great distance from overseas suppliers to New Zealand.

Bert Quin update September 2025

I am now concentrating my time into providing independent fertiliser, soil fertility and environmental advice for farmers and organisations involved in managing water quality in rural areas.