HB Today - Pick of Hawkes Bay 2023

JanButerofT&Gwins Hawke’sBayYoung FruitGroweroftheYear

JanButer,aSupply&ContinuousImprovement TechnicianatT&GGlobalinHastingswonthe titleofHawke’sBayYoungFruitGrowerofthe YearattheAwardsgaladinneron11August.

TheHawke’sBayYoungFruitGroweroftheYear, whichisrunbytheHawke’sBayFruitgrowers’ Association,ispartofanannualcompetitionto selectthefinestyoungfruitorvegetablegrower inthecountry.

Overtwodays,Jancompetedagainstthe othersevenfinalistsinarangeofpracticaltasks andchallengeswhichtestedhisknowledge andexpertiseinareassuchastreeandbud identification,treehealthandwaterirrigation, withthefinalcomponentbeingaspeechatthe Awardsgaladinner.

ThroughoutthecompetitionJanperformed atahighlevel,winningfouroftheeight modulestations,aswellastheSpeechAward, culminatingwithbeingchosenastheoverall winneroftheHawke’sBayYoungFruitGrowerof theYearAward.Janwasalsopresentedwiththe KaimahiAward,giftedbyNgaiTukairangiTrust totheparticipantwhoconsistentlyactedwith integrity,respectanddisplayedtrueleadership qualities.

“Ithoroughlyenjoyedbeingpartofthis competitionandfounditaverysupportive environmentwhereIcouldtrynewthingsand learnmoreabouttheindustry,techniquesand ideas,aswellasgettingtoknowtheother competitors.It’sincredibletohavewonboth

oftheawards,itwastrulytheicingonthecake afterafuncoupleofdayschallengingmyselfand gettingoutofmycomfortzone.Ireallyenjoy myroleatT&Gandit’sgreattobeencouraged togetinvolvedinthesekindofopportunities.I recommendtoanyotheryoungpeoplewhoare thinkingofcompetingnextyeartogiveitago–it’sagreatlearningexperience,”saysJan.

T&GDirectorOperations,CraigBettysaysstaff areencouragedtoenterthecompetitioneach year,withitplayingakeyroleindeveloping futureleadersintheindustry.

“It’simportantouryoungpeopleget opportunitieslikethesetoreallypushthemselves andstepoutsidetheirjobresponsibilitiesfora coupleofdays,builduptheirnetwork,andhave somefunintheprocess.

We’reincrediblyproudofJan’sachievements andtherecognitionthatcomeswiththese

Awards.Sincejoiningthebusinessstraightfrom university,Janhasdemonstratedafantasticwork ethic,andacommitmenttokeepdeveloping hispracticalandpeopleskills,showingstrong leadershippotential.He’savaluedmemberof theHastingsteamandwecouldn’tbehappier forhim,”saysCraig.

JanwillrepresentHawke’sBayintheYoung GroweroftheYearcompetitioninNovember, wherehe’llcompetealongsidewinnersfromthe BayofPlenty,Gisborne,Pukekohe,Nelsonand CentralOtago.

SourceT&GNews15/8/23

Jan Buter, winner of the Hawke’s Bay Young Fruit Grower of the Year Competition

Photo by John Cowpland / alphapix

Worldleadingresearch hereinHawke’sBay

Hawke’sBayiswellknownasoneofthebest placesintheworldtogrowapplesandpears. Wehaveperfectgrowingconditions–long hotsummers,coolwintersandfertilealluvial soilstogrowpipfruit.Butdidyouknowthat world-leadingresearchanddevelopmentthat underpinsourindustryhappenshere,too? Industryresearchanddevelopmenthastaken placeintheregionsince1904,fromthe developmentofworld-famousvarietieslikeRoyal Galain1970totoday,withvarietieslikeRockit, LemonadeandPiqabredrighthereinHastings andcommercialisedbyPrevar,ajointventure betweenNewZealandApplesandPears, Plant&FoodResearchandApplesandPears Australia.Newvarietiesarebredtoenhance

tasteandtexture,andwithimprovedgrowertraits liketolerancetopestsanddiseases.

About60percentoftheapplesexportedfrom NewZealandtonearly70countriesaroundthe worldaregrowninHawke’sBay.Ourfruitisin highdemandbecauseitisdelicious,healthy, andsustainable–infact–themostsustainably grownapplesandpearsintheworld.

Sustainabilitymeansgrowingwithminimal useofspraysforultra-lowresidue,usingwater efficiently,increasingnaturalbiodiversityin ourorchards,keepingoursoilsandwater sourceshealthy,reducingcarbonemissionsand ensuringthepeoplewhoworkinourindustryare protected.

Ensuringourfruitissustainablestartswith embracingnature–biologicalecosystemsand beneficialinsectsinourorchards,atthesame timeasusingthelatesttechnology.Todrive sustainability,lastyearweembarkedonthe largestindustryresearchprojecttodate,a$15 million,seven-yearprogrambackedbythe government.

Theproject,SmartandSustainable,isledby NewZealandApplesandPears,andinvolves researchandscienceexpertsfromacrossthe country,including,Plant&FoodResearchin HavelockNorth,hometosomeoftheworld’s leadersinappleandpearscience. Theprojectaimstoreduceagrichemical applicationby50percentby2030through

targetedandsmarttechnologysuchassensors fordetectingpestsanddiseasesinreal-time enablingearlyinterventionwithoutspraying. Oneexampleofhowapplegrowersarealready reducingtheamountofchemicalpesticidesis theuseofsexpheromonestoconfusethemale insect.Apheromonedispenser,whichlookslike atwisttie,ishungontreesloadedwithsynthetic chemicalsthatareidenticaltothosenormally releasedbythefemaleinsecttoattractamate. Thisconfusesandoverwhelmsthemalessothey can’tfindthefemalestomatewith,thusreducing thepopulationovertime.

NexttimeyoubiteintoaHawke’sBayappleor pear,wehopeyoucantastethehomegrown scienceandtechnologythathasgoneinto makingourfruitthebestintheworld.

Dedicatedorchardist honoured

CongratulationstoGrahamHope,the2023 recipientoftheJoeBellTrophyforoutstanding servicetotheindustry.Grahamwaspresented withthetrophyattheawardsdinnerforthe Hawke’sBayYoungFruitgrowercompetitionon 11August.

Hisreactiontoreceivingtheawardwasthatit wasarealshock.“Theyoutsmartedme.Ididn’t seeitcomingwhatsoever.”

“Graham’scareerspansoveranimpressivefive decades,afterleavingschoolearlytobegin workingonhisfather’sorchardinTwyfordto becomingtheowner/operatorofTrustFruitand in2007transitionedtomanagingtheCrasborn Grouporchards,whichisnowknownasKiwi Crunch.Orchardingrunsinhisblood,his fatherNormanHopewasanearlypioneerof horticultureinHawke’sBayandthe‘Hope’name becamesynonymouswithinthepipfruitand stonefruitIndustries.”*

Grahamisnoworchardoperationsmanagerfor KiwiCrunchandsayshe’shandsonwithpeople ratherthanashovel.“Atthescalewe’reworking atnowit’sallaboutmanagingpeople.”

Asoperationsmanagerheismoreinvolved withtheeightmanagersratherthantheorchard workers.“It’sagreatjobyougettoseedifferent managers,andtheyallhavetheirdifferentways ofmanagingtheirblocks.”Stillkeenonsoaking upknowledgehelearnsfromthemalland agreesyouarenevertoooldtolearn. WhenGrahamsoldhisshareinTrustFruithe seriouslyconsideredhisfutureandpondered whethertoretirebuthedecidedtokeepworking andtookajobatCrasbornandhehasn’t

regrettedit.“TheCrasbornbrothershavebeen phenomenal.”

Technologyhaschangedenormously,with sprayforexample,whichhasbecomemore targeted,withsoftandgrowerfriendlyproducts. Thirtyyearsagotherewerehardlyanybirds intheorchardsandnowthere’squail,rabbits andpukeko.“It’satestamentwe’renotkilling everything.”

Thequalityoftheapplesisimprovingtoo.New Zealandhastotargetthetopendofthemarket

suchasChinabutJapancomingontotheradar andtherestofAsia.Allpaytopendmoney. “Thingschange.TheAsianmarkethasbeen good.Wehaveadaptedtochangesandwill havetoadaptagain.”

Whenhe’snotworkingGrahamlovesto spendtimewithhisfamilythatincludesfive grandchildren-allboyswithanotherontheway. Helovesfishingandbeingoutonthewaterwith theboys.Healsoprocessesandsmokesmuchof hiscatch.

With20yearsexperienceasagrowerandmorethan 30yearsinthetechnicaladvicefieldparticularlysupporting apple,summerfruitandgrapegrowersinHawke’sBay, Jeffispassionateabouthorticultureandagricultureandhas anextensiveknowledgeoffruitgrowingandmanagement, withacomprehensiveunderstandingofhorticulture.

Hehasbuiltupalargenumberofrelationshipswith growersandhasextensiveknowledgeofthehorticulture industryinHawke’sBay.

Hisqualifications,knowledgeandskillspositionJeff toenhanceandaddvaluetotheclientandalsotothe Bayleysteamofcountrysalespecialists.

Allinallit’sagoodlifeandGrahamhasmetand workedwithmanygoodpeopleovertheyears. *SourceHBFAwebsite.

Chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers Brydon Nisbit presented Graham Hope with the Joe Bell trophy

Graham is an accomplished fisher and loves spending time with his family

Preservinghistory forfuturegenerations

ByChrysAyley

HistoricrecordsoftheHawke’sBayFruitgrowersAssociation, somedatingbackto1899,werecasualtiesofthedevastation causedbyCycloneGabrielleinmid-February.Founded124 yearsagotheassociationhasfostered,promotedandprotected fruitgrowersthroughouttheBay.

Therecordswerekeptinastoragefacilityonanorchardin KorokipoRoad.Itcontainedalargeassortmentofarchives includingminutesrelatingtotheformationoftheassociation, newspaperclippingsandtrophycups.Afewbitsandpieceswere salvagedbutmostrecordsweredamagedbeyondrepair.Whilst thedestructionofsuchhistoricinformationwasatragedythereis asilverliningtothestory.

Earlyin2022theassociationapproachedHawke’sBay KnowledgeBanktodigitisetheirrecordsandalargenumberof photographs.TheKnowledgeBankisadigitalrecordofHawke’s Bayanditspeoplewhichcontinuestogrowasresidentsdonate materialfromtimespasttobedigitisedanduploadedtothepublic website.

KnowledgeBank,housedinhistoricStoneycroftHomesteadin Hastings,isoverseenbytheHawke’sBayDigitalArchivesTrust. Theboardmembersservevoluntarily,asdoall80-plusvolunteers involvedintherecording,digitisinganduploadingofmaterial. GeneralManageroftheHawke’sBayFruitgrowersAssociation DeanSmithsaidtheywere“superluckythatwe’donlyjusthad ourwrittenhistoricaldocumentsdigitisedbyKnowledgeBank Hawke’sBaysothesearepreservedforfuturegenerations”. RobynWarrenatKnowledgeBankevaluatedtheoriginal materialtodetermineifithadalreadybeenpreserveddigitally. Therewereplentyofnewspaperclippings,forexample,thatmay havealreadybeendigitised.Ittookquitesometimetoevaluateas itwasquitealargecollection,shesaid.

Therecordshadsurvivedfireandthe1931earthquake.Deansaid thatwhileotherriskfactorssuchasrodentshadbeenconsidered beforetherehadneverbeenthoughtgiventotheriskofflooding.

Havingtherecordsdigitisedshowsthevalueoftakingproactive stepstopreservehistorywhichisthenextbestthingtohavingthe originaldocuments.“It’snicetohavehistorypreservedinaway thepubliccanaccess.”

DeanthanksKnowledgeBankforitsworkandencourages peopletosupportit.“I’msuremembersareallverygrateful.”

KnowledgeBankisstillcollectingphotosandvideosofthe cycloneandencouragesmembersofthepublictosharematerial. Itwillallbecopiedandreturned.

Whereverpossible,KnowledgeBankprovidesthefulloriginal digitisedfiles,freefornon-commercialuseunderaCreative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial3.0NewZealand License.

Fortunately many historical documents have been preserved digitally

Dean Smith set his children Piper, 11, and Luca, 9, to work on cleaning the old cups and trophies saved after the cyclone

Springtimebringsfreshhope forourgrowers

welcomesightforthoseofourgrowerswhose orchardsweredamagedbyCycloneGabrielle –providedofcoursethattheystillhavetrees standing.

Thereisstillanelementoftheunknownwhen itcomestohowthetreeswillperformwhere floodwatersinundatedblocks.Manyofthem experiencedprolongedwaterlogging,huge amountsofresidualsilt,orboth.Blossomtimeis whentreesaremoststressed;thisisthetimewhen sometreeswillsurvive,andotherswillnot.Trees thatwereunderwaterorwetsiltfortoolong willlikelystruggletosurvive.I’mhopefulthese casualtieswillbeataminimumforourgrowers whohavebeenthroughenoughalready.

AsIdrivearound,Iamencouragedtosee someorchardsthatwerebadlyimpactedbythe floodsnowtotallyclearedofsiltanddebriswith manyblocksgrasseddown.Someblockshave

beenpulledoutandre-plantedandotherswill hopefullybereplantednextyearorwhenever newtreesareavailable.Wearetoldthatthis yearwillbeanElNiñoweathersystem.I’msure mostgrowerswillbepleasedtoseetheback ofsomuchrainandlookforwardtoadryer growingseason.Becausesomuchofwhatwe doisweatherdependent,smartmanagementin irrigatingourcropswilllikelybecriticalthisyear forproducingqualityfruit.

Itwilltakesometimeforourindustrytorecover, butwewill,andwewillgrowbackbetter, bigger,andstrongerthanever.Itakeheart fromourkiwifruitgrowerpeersintheBayof Plenty;whenPSAhittheirregionandorchards in2010,theirentireindustrywasthreatened, butwithinnovationandnewvarieties,they haverecoveredtobecomeamultibillion-dollar industry.

Overthelastsevenmonths,ourindustryhas receivedtremendoussupportfromourcommunity atalllevels,includingourlocalcommunities,Iwi, Churches,Schools,TheEastCoastRuralSupport Trust,TheEvergreenFoundation(TumuGroup), HastingsDistrictCouncil,HBRegionalCouncil, localMPAnnaLorke,otherindustrybodies,local businessesandnottomentionthethousandsof peoplebothlocallyandfromalloverthecountry whocametoourregionasvolunteerstoassist notonlyourfruitandveggrowerswithcleanup, butalsothemanypeopleandfamilieswhohad losttheirhomesinthecyclone.

Ipersonally,andonbehalfoftheHawkesBay FruitGrowersAssociationwouldliketothank everyonefortheirsupport,whichhasmeantso muchtosomanygrowers.

KiaKaha

Asthe2022/23seasoncomestoanend,we lookfrowardtothenewgrowingseasonthatis uponus.Stonefruitarealreadyinblossomwith applesandpearsnotfarbehindingreentipand tightcluster.It’salwaysagreatsighttoseethe fruittreesspringbacktolifeafterafewmonths intheirdormantstage.Thiswillbeaparticularly

ByBrydonNisbet

PresidentHawke’sBay FruitgrowersAssociation

Uncorkingexcellenceandshapingthefuture asaGreatWineCapital

Hawke’sBayWinegrowersAssociationInc.isthe officialorganisationrepresentingallwineriesand growersintheregion.Despitefacingchallenges duetotheimpactofCycloneGabrielleearlier thisyear,Hawke’sBayWinegrowersare optimisticaboutthefuture,especiallyafterthe recentrecognitionofHawke’sBayasoneofthe world’sGreatWineCapitals.

InMay,Hawke’sBayproudlybecamethefirst wineregioninNewZealand,tobedesignated aGreatWineCapital.Thisprestigioushonour isbestowedupononlythefinestwineregions acrosstheglobe,suchasBordeaux(France), NapaValley(US),Bilbao(Spain),andAdelaide (Australia).SallyDuncan,ChairofHawke’sBay Winegrowers,expressedherpride,stating,“The passionandpersistenceofourwinecommunity

andthisspecialplacehaspropelledHawke’s Baytositalongsidethebestintheworld.” Drawingonthisexcitingachievement,Hawke’s Bay’scellardoorsaregearingupforabusy summerseasonahead.Theregionboastsan outstandingwinetourismculture,offeringawide varietyofexperiencesandhostingregularfood andwinefestivals.Withover25cellardoors staffedbypassionatewineenthusiasts,visitors canindulgeintastingswhileappreciatingthe diverselandscapessurroundingthewineries, rangingfromplainstomountainpeaks,valleys, andcoastalcliffs.Asspringunfolds,take advantageofthelongerdays,andplanyour visitstotheregion’swineriesandvineyards. Highlightingexceptionallocalproducers, Hawke’sBayWinegrowershaveacalendar packedwithexcitingevents.Theseinclude

theinauguralAotearoaNewZealand ChardonnaySymposiumandGreatChardonnay Celebration,TasteHastings,andpartneringwith HarvestHawke’sBayfoodandwinefestival.

TheAotearoaNewZealandChardonnay Symposiumgathersindustryprofessionalstohear fromdomesticandinternationalChardonnay experts.Thisimmersiveeventfeatureskeynote speakersandpaneldiscussions,providinga uniqueopportunitytogainknowledgeand inspiration.

BrentLinn,ExecutiveOfficerofHawke’sBay Wine,states,“Weareexcitedtobehosting thisnationallysignificanteventinHawke’sBay, buildingonourreputationasaregionthat producesworld-classChardonnaysandfurther solidifyingourstandingasoneofthegreatwine

regionsoftheworld.”TheGreatChardonnay Celebrationisopentobothindustryinsidersand wineenthusiasts,offeringcanapes,engaging conversations,andofcourse,anabundant selectionofimpressiveChardonnay.Fortickets, visithawkesbaywine.co.nz.

ToensuretheHawke’sBaywinestorycontinues tobetold,theassociationregularlybringskey tradeandmediarepresentativestotheregion.By experiencingthedistinctiveHawke’sBayterroir firsthand,visitorscantrulyappreciatetheunique blendofwine,food,andpeoplethatmakes Hawke’sBayoneoftheworld’sGreatWine Capitals.Tostayupdatedonthehappeningsin theHawke’sBaywineworld, follow@hawkesbaywineonFacebookand Instagram,orvisithawkesbaywine.co.nz.

EIT | Te Pūkenga horticulture students help restore infrastructure at cyclone hit orchard

Horticulture ākonga (students) at EIT | Te Pūkenga have had hands on industry experience by helping restore an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle

Three groups of ākonga studying the EIT | Te Pūkenga Horticulture Apprenticeship Programme

[Level 3 – 4] completed a three-day Fruit Supports Structure course as part of the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operational Skills [Level 3] on the orchard of Global Harvest, owned by Brydon Nisbet and his family Brydon is a former tutor at EIT | Te Pūkenga,

and is currently the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association President, and Director on the Board of Horticulture New Zealand

He lost his home, and his orchard on Moteo

Pa Rd was caked in heavy silt and littered with debris as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle They removed more than 30,000 cubic metres of silt from the 5 hectare block

“Warren Hales rung up and offered some help, so that was really good I had 120 end assemblies that needed to be replaced on the orchard that broke because of the cyclone, and

a lot of the damage was due to the machinery getting in there to get rid of the silt ”

The most recent group worked on the orchard earlier this month “They would’ve probably done possibly 50 or 60 replacement end assemblies and also wired them up

It’s a huge help towards the reinstatement of the structure” Brydon says he is “hugely appreciative of EIT | Te Pūkenga”

“They were there helping out, but also it was a time for them to learn how to put end assemblies in properly, and also wire the end assemblies,

which were a little bit tricky as well But also, just for me, it was also just helping me out at a time of need as well So, hugely appreciative of EIT | Te Pūkenga ”

Clare Buckner, EIT | Te Pūkenga Programme Coordinator and Horticulture Lecturer, says a part of the programme is to apply the skills and theory they have learnt out in the field

“This is just an example of how we build real skills with experienced tutors that are experts in their chosen field and give students the experience of knowing how to do something well ”

A group of ākonga studying the EIT | Te Pūkenga Horticulture Apprenticeship Programme completed a three-day Fruit Supports Structure course as part of the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operational Skills on an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle

Damon Kingi (left) and Jahrome Bryan, currently studying the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operation Skills at EIT | Te Pūkenga, helped restore infrastructure at an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle