YOUR INDUSTRY
Dr Matt Glenn is the inaugural chief executive of the new Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, based in Te Puke
High expectations for new Kiwifruit Breeding Centre Producing new, sustainably grown kiwifruit varieties which delight consumers with their taste, health attributes and appearance and can withstand the rigours of the supply chain, are among the aims of the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, launched in October. By Elaine Fisher The new 50/50 venture, established and jointly funded by Plant & Food Research and Zespri, is based in Te Puke, and operates out of Kerikeri, Motueka and Mt Albert in Auckland. It will also have a presence offshore in selected kiwifruit growing regions. Each organisation will share royalties from any commercialised new varieties produced in the future. Inaugural chief executive of the new Centre, Dr Matt Glenn, says the facility will be the key to the future success of New Zealand’s iconic kiwifruit industry. “Plant & Food Research and Zespri have laid a very strong foundation,” Matt says. “They now want us to spread
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The ORCHARDIST : NOVEMBER 2021
our wings and develop new cultivars that will delight consumers all around the world.” The centre aims to extend New Zealand’s position as a world-leading innovator in kiwifruit and Matt says it has the resources in its talented staff, facilities and plant genetics, to do so. “We have inherited some fantastic scientists with decades of experience who understand our heritage and what we want to do,” says Matt. “We also have a very diverse pipeline of kiwifruit varieties, with some excellent parents from which to continue to breed new cultivars. I am very excited about the future and the focus to bring new products to markets as soon as possible.”
