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Yieldia general manager Hamish Fenton (left), packhouse manager Umu Renata, and kiwiberry grower and chairman of NZ Kiwiberry Growers Inc Geoff Oliver check kiwiberries on the grading machine at Yieldia at Paengaroa
Good season for kiwiberries despite challenges With the New Zealand kiwiberry season coming to a close, HELENA O’NEILL speaks with Paengaroa orchardist Geoff Oliver about the bite-sized fruit.
Near the affectionately dubbed ‘Kiwifruit Capital of the World’ of Te Puke, Geoff Oliver grows 6ha of kiwiberry across three orchards. He also grows green, gold and red kiwifruit, along with avocados, managing 85ha of orchards in total. Kiwiberries are small (usually between 5g and 20g) with smooth hairless edible skins, and shapes varying from round to elongated. Like grapes they are a single mouthful, but unlike grapes they are considered a superfood due to the high density of vitamins, minerals, pigments and phenols. Geoff says they really are packed full of essential nutrients and a great booster for your immune system. He’s been growing kiwiberry on his Paengaroa orchards since they were first trialed about 14 years ago. Geoff is also the chairman of the New Zealand Kiwiberry Grower Association. Kiwiberry (or baby kiwi as they are known in some countries) is the name used in New Zealand for Actinidia arguta. 32
The ORCHARDIST : APRIL 2022
The fruit grows wild in parts of China and is also found in north-eastern Siberia, Korea and Japan. Globally there is thought to be less than 200ha planted for commercial production. Harvested between early February and mid-March, the New Zealand kiwiberry is recognised globally for its high quality and nutritional value. It has higher levels of vitamin C (gram for gram) than kiwifruit and oranges. The New Zealand commercial industry grows three main varieties: K2D4, Marju Red and Takaka Green which all provide slightly different flavours. They have been developed through private and Hort Research breeding programmes to develop varieties best suited to the New Zealand growing conditions. The main producing countries who supply the international market are New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Chile. “New Zealanders are probably the highest consumers of
