Avoscene sept 2015

Avoscene New Zealand Avocado Growers’ Journal

September 2015

Love for avocados brings Bowens back to Bay Avocentric Page 52

Inside this issue: Why do you need a spray plan?

Positive results from New Zealand market Promotions activities for 2015-16 R&D programme update Avoscene September 2015

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Experience the AVOCO advantage A new season is upon us and AVOCO is ready to export your fruit to the world.

The expertise of our people and planning, coupled with our commitment to the industry and focus on the big picture, means you’re in safe hands.

www.avoco.co.nz 2

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Avoscene September 2015

AV0915

Be part of the AVOCO team and know you’re on to a winner.

NZ Avocado Office PO Box 13267 Tauranga 3141

Contents

New Zealand Level 5, Harrington House 32 Harington Street Tauranga 3110 Ph: 07 571 6147 or 0800 AVOCADO (0800 286 2236)

Comment

On the Orchard

Newsroom

www.nzavocado.co.nz

View from the Chair

4

Industry news

15

@NZ_Avocado

Growing the business

6

New faces

18

NZ Avocado

Going global

9

Industry matters

19

@nz_avocado

Outside the box

10

Recommended reading 21

Regional roundup

12

Avocado news from the world

NZ Avocado

Directors

22

Bay of Plenty Ashby Whitehead NZAGA & AIC Chair Ph 07 573 6680 m. 027 283 2192 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

Pest & disease watch: Exotic mites

25

Tips for being bee safe when spraying

27

Mysterious honey bee disappearances 28 Irrigation requirements for avocado 41 Why do you need a spray plan

31

David Flett m. 027 555 4420 dave.flett@yahoo.co.nz Far North Ian Fulton Ph 09 406 8808 ian.fulton@clear.net.nz

Markets

The amazing New Zealand avocado

33

Reports

Nourish

Young grower advocate for industry 39

Recipe 56

At Large Roger Barber Ph 09 435 0785 m. 021 488 124 barbers@ihug.co.nz

Where to next for premium avocados from New Zealand?

35

John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz Tony Ponder NZAGA Vice Chair Ph 07 552 4223 m. 0274 733 712 tony@flaxmillavocado.co.nz

R&D update

41

AGM results roundup

47

Out and About

NZ Avocado Grower Forum roundup

48

Out and about

Avocentric Mountview Orchard

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Rest of NZ David French Ph 09 238 3359 m. 0274 375 315 famille@ps.gen.nz

Cover Shot: John and Mary Bowen See page 52

Export Directors Jarrod Redwood, Andrew Darling Avoscene Advertising & Editorial

NZ Avocado Staff

For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell, Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email natasha@thesun.co.nz

Jen Scoular, CEO

For advertising contact: Suzy King at Sun Media Ltd Phone 021 769 831 email suzy@thesun.co.nz Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz For subscriptions contact: Michael Gray email michael.gray@nzavocado.co.nz

Alvaro Vidiella, R&D Manager

Midge Munro, Communications Manager

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 741 014

alvaro.vidiella@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 025 20412

midge.munro@nzavocado.co.nz | 027 306 7089

Edwina Aitchison, Executive Assistant

Glenys Parton, Industry Systems Manager

Bevan Jelley, New Zealand Market

edwina.aitchison@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 977 890

glenys.parton@nzavocdo.co.nz | 0274 99 70 81

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 994 097

Jay Bent, Business Manager

Brad Siebert Biosecurity & Programme Manager

Jodi Senior, Communications Assistant

jay.bent@nzavocado.co.nz | 027 465 8886

Michael Gray, Avocado Analyst michael.gray@nzavocado.co.nz

brad.siebert@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 804 847

Phillip West, R&D Officer

jodi.senior@nzavocado.co.nz

Joanne Nunn, Administration Assistant jo.nunn@nzavocado.co.nz

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 706 504

Danni van der Heijden, Research Assistant danielle.vanderheijden@nzavocado.co.nz

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View from the Chair

By Ashby Whitehead, Chair, NZAGA & AIC

alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

With the avocado season approaching and picking already underway, we looked back on a fantastic season at the NZ Avocado Grower Forum and the NZAGA & AIC Annual General Meeting held 26 August.

It was pleasing to see a great turnout at the NZAGA & AIC

disruption and its “tethered virgin female Leafroller moths” provoked chuckles from the audience. However amusing this is fascinating research from Plant & Food Research that we are eager to follow the progress of.

Growers shared that the content of the Grower Forum was excellent. The inclusion of the update of Leafroller mating

All other presenters did an excellent job and great feedback was received. Overall the NZ Avocado team, who were all in attendance, did a great job on the day - our thanks to them.

AGM held at Club Mount in Mount Maunganui. I thank the 108 growers and industry participants who attended and those that gave us such great feedback afterwards.

As a show of the mood of the industry, it was also very pleasing to see the large number of growers and industry participants joining the Board at the AGM dinner.

A highlight of this year’s AGM was the presentation of a new Life Membership award. The Executive welcomed John Schnackenberg as a new Life Member. We thank John for his contributions to the industry over the last ten years and no doubt he will continue to be involved at a higher level within the industry.

We welcomed new Executive member Dave Flett who gave a quick update of his introduction into avocados when he purchased his orchard 5 years ago, and more recently his development of a high density planted hillside using clonal rootstock.

We thanked Sue Culham for her contribution to the Board for the past two and a half years. Sue shared with the audience the huge value she has got out of her time on the Board which has really enabled her to understand how the industry works. She will continue to participate in the industry as a grower and in our R&D working groups.

We also took the opportunity to farewell the NZ Avocado R&D Manager, Alvaro Vidiella and thank him for his contribution to the industry, most notably the development and implementation of the R&D programme. Alvaro’s presentation at the Grower Forum clearly displayed the results we are seeing from the programme. We wish Alvaro success in his new role as Technical Director at Riversun Nursery.

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We welcomed Helen Sillars, our PGP Investment Manager to the Grower Forum. It was also pleasing to have the support of HortNZ at the Grower Forum, AGM, and the dinner.

The AGM included two grower remits; the first, from Wilson McGillivray, was to cease the library tray programme. The Board acknowledged that this has been an issue for many growers for quite some time. We do recognise the need to better utilise the data collected from library trays, and certainly acknowledge the need to ensure that growers get value out of the cost they incur for this service. Two Life Members spoke to this remit, acknowledging the value of collecting this important data, which was useful to update new growers on the history of this programme. The Life Members both passed warning that to get rid of this programme would mean the industry was giving away an opportunity to measure and record quality information that would not be available elsewhere.

The second remit from Dennis McLean focussed on an increase in improving quality requirements for avocados sold in the New Zealand market. We acknowledge that this is an issue that has been around in the industry for a long time, and remains a significant part of discussions on industry strategy. We asked the CEO to provide a brief update on the programme addressing the value of the New Zealand market. Fundamentally there is no ability to mandate New Zealand market requirements as we do for the export markets, although it would be an ideal situation to be able to do so. However, the Board is confident that the New Zealand market programme in place is delivering value, and is definitely taking us in the right direction.

Ideally growers, packers and marketers will follow best practice in supplying the New Zealand market, as they are required to do in supplying export markets. Improvements are definitely happening - perhaps we just have to recognise that Rome wasn’t built in a day - and we need to have confidence we are going in the right direction. I would like to say thanks on behalf of the Board to Bevan Jelley who leads this programme.

Although neither remit was passed by growers, both remits generated good discussion at the AGM. We continue to encourage growers to use the AGM to generate such discussion on industry matters.

Thank you to grower members for support for the

AshbyWhitehead presenting John Schnackenberg with a Life Member award at the AGM.

Commodity Levy rates for the 2016-17 season. Thank you also for support of the 2016-17 Export Systems fee and NZAGA & AIC Ltd Director fees. This is the second year we have sought and received growers’ approval of the Export Systems fee (previously the EMS management fee) and Director fees, as well as the legislatively structured Commodity Levy.

The AGM was a very positive wrap up to a very positive season.

Looking ahead to the 2015-16 season, I urge growers to work closely with your packer and exporter to ensure your crop and the harvest of that crop meets the plans they have in place with their customers. We are looking forward to another season where the industry can supply to match consumer demand to generate good value for our avocados.

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Growing the business

By Jen Scoular, CEO, New Zealand Avocado

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

It's all go for the avocado industry with shipments of avocados already heading to their much anticipated destinations, progress in the PGP Programme being delivered and New Zealand Avocado preparing presentations for WAC 2015 and for our bid to host the 2019 World Avocado Congress in New Zealand.

I

t was lovely to see so many growers and industry players at the Grower Forum held recently in Tauranga.

The positive atmosphere was very welcome, with great engagement throughout the day and excellent presentations and workshops by my team. Thanks too for the great feedback we have received after that event.

Following the Grower Forum, the AGM went very smoothly, with some good discussion around library trays and the New Zealand market, all of which helps us understand the needs of our members. Midge and Edwina update you on the Grower Forum and the AGM results on page 47.

The season has certainly arrived quickly, with shipments heading to Australia and Thailand in early August.

Exporters met mid-August to review the latest crop volumes, being 2.96m export trays, and the planned shipments by week. They are all very aware of the need to match supply to demand, to respect the vagaries of market demand and to be agile if necessary to minimise over supply into any of our markets. We have been in contact with Australian suppliers and have started fortnightly conference calls amongst our exporters to monitor the season.

I have very much enjoyed a change from my office with several orchard visits including four days in Whangarei and the Far North with growers. I saw some big new developments, heard from growers extending their plantings and was amongst real optimism within the avocado growing community. Midge joined me to meet with growers for the ‘information portal’ project within the Primary Growth Partnership – asking growers and industry stakeholders about the information they need and how they want to share information with us. We had great turn-outs for both workshops - thanks to those who attended and those who hosted the workshops.

These workshops resulted in the gathering of some really insightful information which will be utilised hugely going forward in the ‘information portal’ project.

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Midge and I planned those workshops around the meetings with growers to be featured in the next MiNDFOOD magazine spreads - Jason and Jacky McLarnon, Jason’s dad Ian McLarnon, Tony Snushall, Sue Culham and Leonie Batt. These growers are the subjects in three of the four articles we will have featured over the season in MiNDFOOD, a high profile food and lifestyle magazine. We will also utilise the photos for other collateral, on our website and in some of our export marketing collateral. It all describes our story: growers nurturing the avocado in the orchard, the passion for our industry, the family behind the passion and the investment being made.

Bevan will attend Asia Fruit Logistica in early September along with four of our exporters. The first day of the conference will see Asian experts present their business and their successes. The three days following will be a great opportunity for Bevan to gain market intelligence, engage with industry players and extend our networks in Asia.

Comment

PGP user story workshop in Whangarei.

Following the success of the contestable fund in 201415, we have extended it in both value and markets for 2015-16. The fund uses grower levy funds to match exporter promotional funds 50:50, to support exporter initiatives. A marketer must make an application under the programme, which is assessed by an external expert and industry panel against set criteria to ensure value is delivered to the industry. The programme offers a real benefit in the sharing of the initiatives being undertaken, so we can ensure the remaining funds are well directed.

Bevan and Midge update you with the planned activity in the New Zealand and export markets on pages 33 and 35.

It’s all go for the World Avocado Congress in Lima, Peru. The congress is held over five days, with the opening ceremony on Sunday 13th and closing late on Friday evening. Registrations are said to already number over 1,000. Our team will give six presentations, plus the presentation we give as part of our bid to host the Congress in New Zealand in 2019.

We have secured a great stand with Plant & Food Research and Compac Sorting Equipment who is a Gold sponsor of the Congress. We are arranging an exciting New Zealand party for the Tuesday evening and polo

shirts for all of the New Zealand participants.

Our congress theme is 'Discover your slice of New Zealand' with lots of innovation around what a slice of New Zealand might look like and how many ways can you display a slice of avocado!

Special thanks to Tourism NZ and Auckland Tourism for their financial support for our bid to host the Congress in New Zealand in 2019. Also special thanks to Air NZ for offering two return trips to New Zealand from any Air NZ hub – provided we win the bid. The competition will be – if we win you win!

We have let our international avocado friends know about the bid, and are networking to promote our bid as widely as we can.

We will farewell Alvaro Vidiella from his role directly following the Congress. The Grower Forum provided a very nice format for Alvaro to give his final presentations in New Zealand on the R&D programme he has led for four and a half years. I am sure you join us to thank Alvaro for his excellent contribution to our R&D programme and wish him well for his new role. A recruitment process for an R&D Manager is currently underway.

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Going global Comment

By Jonathan Dixon, Avocado Business Manager, Seeka Kiwifruit Industries

jonathand@seeka.co.nz

After the heady volumes of the last two seasons, the 2015-16 season is bringing something of a reality check, with lower volumes of fruit to export.

Overall, the crop estimate is down about one third, which means less fruit is available to all markets. The volumes of fruit harvested each week will need to be carefully managed to obtain the best value from the market and to supply importers for the whole season. A steady supply of fruit is needed to maintain the development of markets so in the next big crop year those markets will take larger volumes of fruit.

Maximising grower returns is our primary focus. Top values back to growers are a strong financial signal that investment in productivity on orchards is the best way to secure and grow their businesses.

Returns are always relative to each market and its capacity to take fruit, which means there should be a quality emphasis in the supply chain, from the grower to the packhouse and the exporter to the importer. Getting the best quality starts with the first piece of fruit harvested and should follow seamlessly from the last season. The New Zealand industry is fortunate in having first class supply chain systems that were developed over the last 10 to 15 years. These systems are the proven way to get to customers fruit that have reliable quality, meaning repeat sales.

Marketing New Zealand avocados in conjunction with NZ Avocado’s 'Premium Avocados from New Zealand' category story, combined with established Exporter brands, helps to give customers confidence in the fruit they purchase from New Zealand. These exporter brands are increasingly important in keeping New Zealand avocados in customers portfolios, but they also allow recognition of “doing the supply chain right� with the appropriate financial rewards.

Australia is looking to be a premium market again this season. However, less fruit means the crop flow needs to be managed for the historical programmes that go to March. In a low volume year it is easy to neglect the development of alternative markets. Japan continues to be a reliable market and will play a critical role in our future marketing plans, but has a limited window for supply before Mexican fruit arrive, and the long distance

to market can challenge quality. A reasonable program of fruit will go to Japan to maintain supply channels and credibility and this will keep a reliable New Zealand avocado presence. Other Asian markets will be supplied with maintenance volumes of fruit this season but they also need a presence maintained in a low volume year.

This year growers have been asked to independently register as compliant for export to Thailand. This is a new system introduced by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The amount of fruit exported to Thailand in the 201516 season is expected to be much less than the amount registered. This may change for the 2016-17 season, with a possible large New Zealand crop where a lot more fruit could be supplied to Thailand.

This season the focus remains market optimisation for the best returns possible in Australia as long as the crop volume is controlled alongside continued new market development in the best interests of industry growth in the future. Some very good value is likely to be seen in the Australian market after Christmas and export flow plans that manage fruit supply until later in the season should produce the best returns to growers. As exporters we want to grow the volume of avocados at value. The best way to encourage growers to improve their on-orchard practise to increase yield is to ensure growers receive the best returns possible.

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Comment

Outside the box

By Linda Flegg, Kauripak, NZAPF Executive

linda@kauripak.co.nz

With the kiwifruit season coming to a close, packhouses are now gearing up for another busy avocado season. During this downtime is the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into your knowledge of avocados - you never know what you might discover!

Recently I invested in a new appliance for my kitchen.

My Thermomix is a modern, new generation take on a food processor, is high tech and incredibly versatile. It chops, minces, blends, grinds, sautés, steams AND cooks – it can make everything from the perfect egg custard (no stirring required) to roast pork.

Whilst taking a break between the end of the kiwifruit season and the beginning of the avocado season, I attended a cooking class for the Thermomix.

During one of these classes one of the demonstrators mentioned she had recently started using the machine to mince up the stones of avocados to add to her granola because of their extraordinary nutritional benefits.

I have been in, around and enjoying avocados for a long time now, and thought I had heard everything there was to hear about them, but this was something that was news to me. I immediately consulted Google for more information when I got home, and this is what I uncovered: “According to a 2004 Journal of Food Chemistry, avocado pits are rich in antioxidants, and are also rich in soluble fibre, which can help those with cholesterol. Raw food enthusiasts have begun to add avocado pits to their favourite smoothies, to add texture and nutrition to already healthy drinks.”

Livingstrong.com “The total antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of edible portions and seeds of avocado, jackfruit, longan, mango and tamarind were studied... The seeds showed a much higher antioxidant activity... than the edible portions.

The contribution of all the fruit seed fractions to the total antioxidant activity... was always more than 70%.”

Sciencedirect.com via Rawfamily.com “The avocado is considered a super food, one that can provide your body with the healthiest nutrients ever, but

very few know that the avocado seed is packed with nutrients even more than the flesh or the skin. It also has the most soluble fibres in the world. One avocado seed contains the entire daily fibre dose that our bodies need. It contains more antioxidants than the avocado itself and other vegetables and fruits. But, that’s not all.

– An amazing fact is that the flesh and the skin of the avocado contain only 30% of the antioxidants, while 70% are found in the seed alone. The antioxidants are the ones that help prevent heart diseases, lowering the cholesterol and prevent different sorts of illnesses.

– You can ease swelling in the gastrointestinal tract and you can reduce inflammatory diseases in the body.

– You can even prevent or relieve constipation and help ease diarrhoea because it is rich in fibres.

– The antioxidant known as phenolic compound found in the seed is known to help alleviate pain from gastric ulcers due to the anti-viral and antibacterial properties.” dailynutritionnews.com Interestingly enough the “California Avocado Commission does not recommend consumption of the “pit” or seed of an avocado. The seed of an avocado contains elements that are not intended for human consumption.”

Californiaavocado.com So some interesting and provoking food for thought – pun intended.

I will leave you to further research this topic.

PS: If you have a Thermomix machine and would like to try my adaption of tiramisu with traditional zabaglione filling – I’d be happy to share the recipe - email me at linda@kauripak.co.nz

The information presented on these websites stated above is not intended to take the place of your personal physician’s advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Discuss this information with your own physician or healthcare provider to determine what is right for you. All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.

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HARDER ON PSA. KINDER ON THE ENVIRONMENT. DuPont™ Kocide® Opti™ fungicide/bactericide is now fully registered for season long use to protect Kiwifruit vines from Psa. Not only does Kocide® Opti ™ help to control Psa, it also uses a fraction of the copper having a smaller environmental impact. So whether you’re looking after Kiwifruit or . dozens of other crops, choose Kocide® Opti ™ www.cropprotection.dupont.co.nz ALWAYS RE AD AND FOLLOW L ABEL DIRECTIONS. Copyright© 2015 DuPont. All rights reserved. DuPont,TM Kocide ® and OptiTM are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.

DuPont (New Zealand) Limited. Level 1, 14 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2016. H&T KOP0001

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News and views from your NZAGA Regional Representatives

Comment

Regional Roundup Ian Fulton - Far North

To date this winter has been markedly different from recent years, with extended periods of very cold southerly weather, low rainfall and no major storms. These conditions are due to the strong El Niño influence that currently exists across New Zealand and is likely to cause drought conditions on the East Coast this summer.

With the prevailing southerlies, the Far North has had lots of frosts, with one particularly severe frost in mid-July where some orchards recorded temperatures of -4°C to 5°C. Though not widespread, moderate amounts of fruit loss and tree damage has occurred in low-lying areas and sheltered depressions.

Health & Safety

With all the media coverage on the new Health & Safety Act, I thought it would be a good opportunity to air my thoughts on the subject.

It appears horticulture will not be classified as a 'high risk industry' allowing staff to appoint a Health and Safety Representative, but this should not in any way diminish the employer’s responsibility to engage with staff. It should be noted that staff engagement is one component of an effective health and safety management system. Other components such as hazard/risk identification and controls, training, emergency response, incident register, records etc are also required.

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To demonstrate engagement with staff is actively occurring, it is suggested periodic meetings (commonly called a 'tool box meeting') occur to discuss health and safety. These meetings need to be minuted and attendance recorded. For orchards that only employ staff during picking, the ideal time for such meetings is at the start of picking.

For orchards that have no staff and only use contractors, they still have a legal obligation to ensure contractors have an effective health and safety management system. In addition to formal contracts, it is suggested the orchardist develop a check sheet for contractors to show how they will manage health and safety while on the orchard.

As a closing note, I am not in favour of overly prescriptive operating procedures for health and safety, as it is just about impossible to procedurise and train staff for all eventualities.

What is required is empowering staff to make good decisions, by using simple safety tools such as 'take 5': 1. Think through the task 2. Spot the hazards 3. Assess the risk 4. Make the changes 5.Do the task safely

Comment

Dave Flett - BOP

Robots picking avocados I thought this heading would at least get your attention - yes I believe this will happen, however, not in the near future, but who knows maybe not too far away.

As the new member elected to the Board, I started my tenure at the AGM. While I plan to attend as many workshops, field days and orchards as possible, I haven’t had any involvement yet since being elected that I can report on.

So I thought I would explain a bit about my background in IT&T and the reasoning behind the title of this piece.

I spent many of my years at Telecom in marketing and sales, launching and selling products and services to most of the large corporates in New Zealand and Australia. Having come from an industry that leads by example using the latest and greatest in the IT world, I can say it is very exciting first learning the new technology and then using it to provide solutions to customers. As you would expect, on most occasions the customers were blown away with any new application that would help them stay on top of their game.

I cast my mind back to when I was part of the team who launched the mobile phone network in the Waikato (more specifically, Hamilton) in the late 1980s. We had all the top businessmen from the area on the Waipa Delta for a lunchtime cruise and to see the latest technology launched.

The first phones we sold were the Motorola 8000x - later nicknamed ‘the brick'. No one could have guessed the impact this would have on the business world. Mobility had started and from there new technology kept evolving at a pace that meant everyone wanted to upgrade their phones on a frequent basis. The saying in this industry is “you will be using technology in five year's time that hasn’t yet been thought of ”. Scary, but true.

Moving from this industry into the avocado industry, I find myself looking for technology

that will help me work smarter not harder. I am excited again as I anticipate the idea of using new apps and programs that will be coming to help all aspects of the industry to become a world leader in the field of avocados.

It is with great interest that I follow many of the industries that I helped on their journey down this path. One of the industries I watch is the dairy industry - who would have thought that milking cows without human intervention would ever be possible? Another industry I watch with great interest is the automobile industry, with the innovation of a driverless vehicle recently traversing the USA. I urge all growers to take up the challenge to help the industry in the development of programs by supplying information and data from their orchards to ensure we get quality output that is useful to all in the industry, from growers to marketers and exporters.

For those of you who are on the latter side of 60, like me, and think it’s all too hard, believe me it will be worth it to give it a go. Almost everyone has a computer and a mobile phone, so you have the tools and with a little tuition from your kids or another orchardist will get you underway.

The upside of this is that you will be able to get information that is invaluable to the future of your orchard. That information will help you manage your orchard more efficiently and maximise returns – remember, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”.

Next thing you know you will be Skyping the grandchildren, Googling information for your orchard, or watching You Tube to see how to repair something.

I hope to meet as many of you as I can at the upcoming workshops and field days – be sure to come and introduce yourself to me and I would appreciate feedback on anything avocado.

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Comment

Regional Roundup

John Cotterell - BOP At the time of writing this article, September is just a week away and the feeling of spring is in the air. A lot of growers in the Bay of Plenty are saying this has been one of the coldest winters they can remember in recent years - I know personally we had one week with four consecutive frosts at minus two degrees. I have seen a few orchards with frost damage to avocado trees, fruit and flowers but most have not lost significant amounts.

As far as rainfall goes we are well behind average. To date we have had 732mm for the year and for the sixteen years we have owned our orchard the next lowest is 1032mm for the same time period, ranging up to 1577mm.

The avocado flowers are just starting to push

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out from the tight cauliflower stage in the Bay of Plenty and most orchards are coming into a large flowering. Growers need to be aware that if they do set a big crop they will need to adjust their fertiliser programme to reflect the requirements of a large crop. This is especially the case for growers coming off a light crop who may have pulled back on inputs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alvaro Vidiella for the massive contribution he has made to the R&D programme for the New Zealand avocado industry. Alvaro will be sadly missed by all involved in the working groups etc he helped set up and run. I wish Alvaro and his family well and hope you enjoy your new role in Gisborne.

Industry News Collaboration paying off for New Zealand’s avocado industry

Newsroom

Plans to quadruple sales of New Zealand avocados by 2023 are off to a roaring start, with the industry almost hitting the half way mark during the 2014-15 season with a record 7.1m trays worth $135m harvested.

Chief Executive of NZ Avocado, Jen Scoular, says the goal is to achieve $280m worth of sales by 2023 through a five year Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“Confidence is riding high, and the industry is on track to achieve the PGP objectives and significantly boost avocado sales and productivity in less than ten years,” says Jen. NZ Avocado’s just released annual report is proving collaboration and increased investment is already contributing to the impressive results and is prompting industry members to communicate and collaborate like never before, with work now underway to create the industry’s first information portal.

“The idea is to provide a central online hub of information accessible to growers, orchard contractors, post-harvest operators, marketers and exporters. As an industry we want to share data and knowledge and provide people in the avocado industry access to insights that will help improve decision-making and orchard productivity.”

Jen, along with other NZ Avocado representatives, met with growers in Whangarei and the Far North in August to discuss information needs which will form the basis for the functional specifications for the information portal.

Further workshops will be held in the Bay of Plenty, and with other avocado industry groups.

The move is another sign New Zealand’s avocado industry is maturing into a more cohesive, competitive force on the global stage. Demand from export markets continues to grow, and avocados are more popular with consumers than ever before.

Co-operation among exporters delivered excellent results in the Australian market in particular last season, with 3.2m trays of New Zealand avocados sold at stronger than forecast values despite a huge Australian-grown crop also being available.

A further 1.2m trays were sold into new and developing markets.

PGP Objective 5 user story workshop at Far North Packers.

Andrew Darling, chairman of the avocado exporters’ council, AVEC, says after some tough years the industry is maturing and working together more closely.

“We are recognising collectively the potential value of our industry and working on a common industry strategy to achieve greater growth,” he says.

“As exporters we are competitive but collaborate on planning and volume forecasting. The Australian market remains crucial to New Zealand and planning our supply into Australia is a critical requirement which affects us all.

“We did this very well in 2014-15, which is reflected in the strong returns for growers. Across Asia we leveraged the generic collateral for ‘Premium Avocados from New Zealand’ which we co-brand with our individual in-market brands.

“The 2014-15 result shows we are growing stronger as an industry. We are able to promote ourselves to create demand, and supply a high-quality product to meet that demand,” says Andrew.

Avocado Industry Council chairman Ashby Whitehead says the board was very pleased with the ‘excellent results’ reported in this year’s annual report.

“We have made fantastic progress towards our PGP goals in the last 12 months. Increasing investment in the industry reflects the growing confidence in the opportunities for New Zealand avocados in both our export and domestic markets.

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“Investment has also ramped up in our avocado nurseries, with an 18 month wait for delivery of trees,” Ashby says.

avocados come from as food traceability is a very current issue, and an area we excel in.

Jen says consumers can’t get enough of avocados.

“Overall we are very happy to be working together as an industry to satisfy the demand for premium avocados from New Zealand.”

“We’ve just launched a new campaign in MiNDFOOD magazine to help educate the public about where their

Avocados now “The Oprah of Instagram” Avocados have been declared ‘the Oprah of Instagram’ by renowned fashion blogger Leandra Medine and are the most photographed food of our time – just as New Zealand’s new season crop is about to hit supermarket shelves here and overseas.

New Zealand’s avocado season begins in September and is likely to send Instagram’s foodies and health and fitness fans into overdrive.

Jen Scoular, Chief Executive of NZ Avocado, says the fruit’s rising star status is great news for New Zealand’s avocado industry, which is on track to increase production to take advantage of ever-increasing global demand.

New Zealand sold a record 7.1 million trays worth $135m during the 2014-15 avocado season, of which 2.4 million trays were consumed by Kiwis here at home.

About one in five of Nigella Lawson’s recent Instagram posts have featured mashed avocado smothered on toast.

Last month actress Emmy Rossum received 27,000 likes for posing in an Avocado Toast t-shirt, while Lena Dunham is another celebrity who likes to regularly snap her healthy avocado snacks.

Bloggers and fashion influencers everywhere are leading the trend and avocados are now dominating the brunch and smoothie scene, becoming a must-have on every menu.

The UK’s Daily Mail have described avocado as “breakfast’s new superstar” and “the Kendall Jenner of the fruit bowl” thanks to its popularity on Instagram.

American blogger Leandra Medine, aka the Man Repeller, compared avocado’s influence to that of Oprah, while

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Avocados are said to be most photographed food of our time.

Kelly Eastwood of The London Chatter says the obsession is here to stay. “Avocado on toast says: ‘yes, I’m hungover, I haven’t showered yet but, hey, I’m eating avocado at a cool Portobello Road café so I’m still on top of the trend for all things healthy’.”

Avocados are revered as a nutrient-dense, cholesterolfree fruit containing healthy fat. They’re a great source of energy, keep you feeling fuller for longer, and are quick and easy to prepare.

Annual Report released

Newsroom

The NZAGA & AIC Annual Report for 2015 is now available and was sent to all PPIN holders with AGM documents in July. The report includes industry and project highlights, avocado production and export statistics and a summary of financial statements for the year ending 30 April 2015. All industry stakeholders are encouraged to keep up to date on industry developments through these reports and other industry updates.You can find a full set of accounts for the year on the industry website: About > Funding > Financial Reports.

Seeka acquires Australian Bunbartha Fruit Packers Seeka Kiwifruit Industries Limited has entered into an agreement to acquire the kiwifruit and orcharding business and assets of Australian company Bunbartha Fruit Packers Pty Ltd and its associated entities for AUD$22 million. Once completed, this acquisition will make Seeka the largest kiwifruit grower in Australia, building on its position as New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit grower.

Seeka Chief Executive Michael Franks said the purchase includes 505 hectares of land in Shepparton, Victoria, including approximately 240 hectares of orchard land comprising 95 hectares of kiwifruit, with pears, plums, apricots and cherries on the remainder. The fruit produced and marketed by BFP broadens and compliments Seeka’s existing offering of kiwifruit, avocados and kiwiberries.

Stink bug season For the next six months New Zealand is at heightened risk from the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys).

This insect has not yet been detected in New Zealand. It is around 2 cm in length, a distinctive shield-shape and has striped bands on it's antennae and abdomen.

Call MPI's confidential pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 if you notice any unusual insect pests or plant symptoms.

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New Faces Dave Flett -

NZAGA & AIC Director and BOP Representative

being a relative newcomer, he hopes his experience in senior sales and marketing roles at Telecom and Gen I will help him contribute to the Board, along with his infectious enthusiasm and commitment to the industry.

Newsroom

Growing up on a Waikato farm Dave Flett couldn’t see a future on the land for himself.

“I turned down the offer to take over the farm,” recalls Dave, who couldn’t get excited about the prospect.

Dave is very excited about the prospects for avocados, saying it’s great to be in an industry that’s running hard to achieve its growth potential.

Five years ago, after looking for a change from corporate Auckland, he began searching with his wife Julie for a new direction.

He’s right behind efforts to boost productivity through innovation and is involved in three Plant & Food Research field trials on his Pukemapu orchard, including different pruning methods and new cultivars. He also has 500 close centre planted trees growing on a hectare block he is

“Then we literally stumbled across avocados. We weren’t looking at the industry, but the more we found out, the more interested we were.”

In August, Dave joined the NZAGA & AIC Board as one of the three Bay of Plenty Directors. Despite

closely monitoring and comparing to his existing orchard of mature trees.

When away from the orchard or the boardroom, the Ford Mustang enthusiast loves driving his classic American auto.

Julia Third – General Manager, Pole to Pole Plus Pole to Pole Plus Ltd has been established

by Julia Third and Todd Abrahams to provide solutions for avocado orchard owners. This business also works closely with avocado marketing specialists Pole to Pole Fresh Ltd. As General Manager, Julia has developed a strategy that helps many different types of avocado orchard owners maximise their business.

Julia’s knowledge and experience with compliance is a great advantage for

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growers, especially as new food safety legislation comes into place next year.

Compliance documentation can be daunting for many avocado orchard owners – Julia and her team at Pole to Pole Plus are very well versed in this area and can take care of any ‘hassle factor’ when it comes to ensuring an avocado orchard is fully compliant.

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To book advertising space in the next issue of Avoscene please contact Suzy King at SunMedia Ltd. Booking deadline for the next issue is October 16th, 2015.

Contact Suzy on 07 578 0030 or 021 769 831 email suzy@thesun.co.nz

Kate Trufitt – Business Manager, Apata involvement in the horticultural industry, which she says is ever-changing - no season is ever the same.

Newsroom

Kate Trufitt is the new face of Apata Grow, having recently joined as the Business Manager solely focussing on the avocado division. Kate facilitates and interacts with all facets of Apata's avocado division to ensure everything runs smoothly.

"I love that I have contact with so many people in the industry and that every day is so different."

Having been in the horticultural industry since the late 1990s, Kate has been involved in many aspects from logistics, sales and marketing, and compliance to human resources and health and safety.

After moving from Gisborne to Auckland, Kate, her husband and their cat and dog have settled back at home in the Bay of Plenty.

Fresh from her role at Fresh Direct in Auckland as Compliance and HR Manager, Kate is excited to continue her

When not busy with work, Kate is a keen gardener and foodie. When she has the time she likes the odd game of golf.

Industry matters How does your orchard performance compare?

We'd like to share with you a chart showing how your orchard performance compares to the industry.

NZ Avocado set the industry a number of five year goals as part of the Five Year Plan which was approved by the Board in 2012. When we looked at how we wanted to measure the achievement of those goals, we recognised we did not have a way of measuring the performance of our orchards over time. As we developed the business case for our Primary Growth Partnership, we included the development of what we now call our 'Orchard performance benchmarking'.

Growers were introduced to this at the NZ & AU Avocado Growers' Conference in September 2013 where all grower delegates received a print out of the orchard performance benchmarking chart with their data showing how they compared to the rest of the industry.

Before we are able to share this data, we need to make sure we have correct data about your orchard. The easiest

way to do this is for you to provide us (contact details below) with a copy of your final return from your packer/ exporter for the 2014-15 season, as well as the 2013-14 season. In return we will send you a chart showing your orchard performance versus the industry.

Our objective is to develop best practice able to be implemented by growers, which leads to improvements in orchard performance and productivity. We also want to measure how well we are meeting that objective. We hope that you too will be adopting best practice to increase your productivity in terms of yield and consistency.

For more information on this offer, please visit the news section on our industry website.

Email: info@nzavocado.co.nz Fax: 07 571 6145 Post: New Zealand Avocado, PO Box 13267, Tauranga 3141 Deliver in person: Level 5, Harrington House, 32 Harington Street, Tauranga

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Young avocado trees in hot demand Nurseries are reporting they've sold out of rootstock for the 2015-16 season with orders now being gathered for 2016 and 2017.

Newsroom

The resurgence in plantings and orchard development comes as confidence in the New Zealand avocado industry reaches a new high, with global demand for the healthy fruit outstripping supply. World demand for avocados is growing at about 10 per cent every year but global production is rising by just three per cent annually.

New Zealand's avocado industry is positioning itself to play a bigger role in global supply with new investment in research and development aiming to make local orchards more productive every season.

AVOCO director John Carroll says growers have been aware for some time of the untapped potential of various Asian markets in particular and this, combined with healthy economic returns at home, has created an ‘avocado renaissance’.

“Many people will remember avocado orchards being established in the Bay of Plenty in the 1980s. Those orchards are still thriving but instead of looking for just capital gain, growers are now planting for the financial returns being generated.

Swarm Collection List Bay of Plenty Beekeepers Swarming is mainly a spring phenomenon, but occasional swarms can happen throughout the producing season. Beekeepers are sometimes called to capture swarms that are cast by feral honey bees or from the hives of domestic beekeepers. Most beekeepers will remove a honey bee swarm for a small fee or even no charge if they are nearby. Bee swarms can almost always be collected alive and relocated by a competent beekeeper. Extermination of a bee swarm is rarely necessary and discouraged if bee removal is possible.

If you live in the Bay of Plenty and have the need to remove a swarm of bees please contact one of the members of the BOP Beekeepers Association listed:

Name

Mobile Home Area

Judy Knipmeijer 022 6010447 07 332 2370 Rotorua, Pyes Pa,

Oropi, Tauriko Gordon & Ted 027 544 2882 029 770 8666 Welcome Bay, Hirini,

Muangatapu, Greerton Andy Walford

027 3033053

07 543 3928 Omanawa

Fridolin Kathan

021 206 4329

07 571 6839 Judea

Virginia O'Leary Lucy Hockly

0274 262360

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Katikati/Aongatete BOP

Chris Mitchell 021 0818 3113 07 542 1692 Mt Maunganui,

Papamoa, Te Puke Silvana Nieto 021 492 006

Matt Ward

027 935 9722

Nathan Hockly

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07549 5002

Mt Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke

07 357 5989 Rotorua 07 5525585

Te Puna, Wairoa road

Recommended reading

By Phillip West, R&D Officer, New Zealand Avocado

Avocado trees, as well as many other perennial plants, have a natural tendency for alternate bearing between heavy and light fruiting seasons. These alternate bearing cycles are often triggered by an external stress and subsequent stresses can positively or negatively perturb the cycle further. The term ‘irregular bearing’ is used to capture the combination of both external stresses and alternate bearing cycles influencing crops between seasons.

Pruning is one of the main tools available to help balance irregular bearing and is addressed in this month’s

recommended reading: “Pruning to balance avocado trees” which was updated by Alvaro Vidiella in October 2014 and can be found on the NZ Avocado industry website under “Orchard Mngt” > “Canopy Management”.

It summarises the challenges irregular bearing presents at both an orchard and industry level, with a historical look at pruning research in New Zealand that has contributed to our current thinking.

Newsroom

September is an exciting time for the majority of avocado growers with fruit on trees almost as good as dollars in the bank, and flowering underway hinting at next years dollars in the bank. Flowering is the first, but not the last, opportunity to manage the crop load of your trees to try to balance any irregular bearing and irregular cash flow issues on your orchard.

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

It addresses how flower, fruit and structural pruning practices can be used to help manage irregular bearing in your orchard, with helpful photographs used to illustrate important aspects of each. It also looks at other management practices that can support the balance of an orchard.

Hopefully it has some helpful hints of how to ensure your orchard produces a steady income to keep you, your accountant and your bank manager happy.

Reading your trees Below are the key tree characteristics as set out in your Reading Your Trees Guide to assess at this time of year: • October to November: Leaf drop, pages 9-10 • October to December: Spring flush, pages 11-15 • September: Roots, pages 28-29 • September: Canopy density, pages 30-31 Once your trees have been assessed, you will be ready to consider the suggested intervention strategies. At the bottom of each section in this guide there are a number of factors to consider to

optimise your orchard management.

You will need to determine which is the best option for your own situation – if in doubt, seek specialist advice.

Download the Reading Your Trees workbook from the industry website under Resources > and select Orchard Management Guidelines from the drop down box. This workbook complements the Reading Your Trees guide and allows you to record your assessments.

Calendar of events NZAGA & AIC Board meetings • 8 October • 26 November

Taste of Auckland

5-8 November Western Springs, Auckland tasteofauckland.co.nz

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Avocado news from the world Japan: McDonald’s adds avocado menu items

Newsroom

Last month, it was reported that McDonald’s was secretly trialling a breakfast menu in Australia, with dishes that included, among other ubertrendy brekkie items, avocado on toast. Now it seems the fast food giant will indeed be adding the hipster brunch favourite to their classic menu - in Japan, at least.

The secret menu item has made it’s way across the Pacific Ocean to the McDonald’s roster in Tokyo, where the humble muffin has been spruced up with bacon, lettuce and lashings of the nutrientdense fruit.

Last week Burger Business tweeted a photograph of an avocado-embellished English muffin with the caption: "McDonald’s Japan’s new wake-up call: English muffin w/ avocado, ham lettuce and “spicy

Cobb Salad sauce."

But that isn’t all - the muffin joins a whole selection of other avocado-themed burgers on the menu, which includes an avocado-topped prawn sandwich, an avocado embellished burger, and a veggie option, topped with – yes, you guessed it – avocado.

The new menu launches amongst speculation that McDonald’s will roll out a 24-hour breakfast service - meaning that late risers will be able to sleep in on a Sunday and still grab an Egg McMuffin without worrying about the 10.30am cut off point.

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/144413/ Japan-McDonalds-adds-avocado-menu-items

US: New avocado bag design with nutritional info launched Giumarra Agricom International has announced the debut of its new Nature’s Partner avocado nutrition initiative to be spearheaded by a redesigned bulk avocado bag targeting increased consumption of the category.

the bag features a HAB-created recipe for an Avocado, Feta, and Apple Sandwich. New, rotating recipes highlighting avocados’ versatility and flavor will be included in subsequent production runs of the bag.

Giumarra recently promoted “Nature’s Partner – Your Partner for Nutrition” and displayed the accompanying bag at The Packer’s West Coast Produce Expo in Indian Wells, California on May 2. The bag aggressively promotes Hass Avocado Board’s (HAB’s) “Love One Today” nutritional messaging communicating avocados’ “naturally good fats + cholesterol free” benefits.

“We are offering a customized nutritional marketing program to each of our customers to help them promote and sell more avocados to consumers,” says Gary Caloroso, director of marketing for Giumarra Agricom. “We will utilize our company’s nationwide network of respected registered dietitians and chefs to support our customers’ in-store and out-of-store communications vehicles in sharing the health benefits and varied uses of avocados to their customers.”

“Given their consumer popularity and reputation as a delicious superfood, we felt strongly about positioning avocados as a vital addition to a healthy lifestyle,” says Bruce Dowhan, vice president and general manager of Giumarra Agricom. “We are excited to share the bag and accompanying promotions with our retail partners and work with them to develop nutrition-focused programs designed to educate their consumers and increase avocado purchases.”

To complement the bag, Giumarra offers its customers Nature’s Partner branded avocado racks for retail display purposes. The back of

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Giumarra continues to work closely with its avocado commodity board partners on effective, creative ways to market its Nature’s Partner avocados grown in California, Mexico, Chile, and Peru.

Visit giumarra.com for more information.

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/143319/ US-New-avocado-bag-design-with-nutritional-infolaunched

African avocados lead Maersk project

Maersk Line pointed out that the journey of a container encompasses a maze of processes and paperwork that greatly complicates a simple task of moving cargo from A to B, with these complications being cost-heavy due to lost or inaccurate information.

"More than 30 individuals or institutions are involved in handling documentation and there are about 200 different communication interactions in the process, with public officials and between different companies," the group said.

"Consequently, the time spent waiting on paper stamps and email replies costs just as much as the actual shipment, which simply is not a feasible or productive way to do business. For producers in Kenya all of the paperwork and its processes increase their total cost and limit their market access significantly."

The mapping of numerous documentary requirements in the journey of flowers and avocados from growers in East Africa to retailers in the Netherlands was the first step of a new partnership between Maersk Line and TradeMark

East Africa, a not-for-profit organisation working to accelerate poverty reduction in the region through trade growth.

The aim of the partnership is to identify ways to reduce trade barriers for Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and perishable products out of East Africa, and to support companies in East Africa to gain easier entry to the world market.

Newsroom

Last month, representatives of Maersk were invited to share their East Africa project in front of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, hosting the fifth year review of Aid for Trade – a concept to support developing countries and their governments in recognising the role trade plays in their countries’ development.

By taking an active role in addressing trade barriers, Maersk Line aims to build lasting commercial relationships in the region. The next step in the project with TradeMark East Africa and partners in the region is to demonstrate how to digitise the unnecessarily complex process entirely, thereby, reducing the cost of administration and bureaucracy for everyone including the local producers.

“At Maersk Line, we have a natural interest in seeing trade growing and countries prospering from increased exports and imports," said Steve Felder, Maersk Line´s managing director for East Africa. "By taking an active role in addressing trade barriers, we aim to build lasting commercial relationships. We hope that the lessons we learn from pilot projects can be replicated and scaled in the future.”

Source: http://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/ article/165769/african-avos-lead-maersk-pilot-project

US: Avocado volumes, prices up Avocado volumes are up, and so are prices for in-demand sizes.

About 1.69 billion pounds of avocados had shipped in the U.S. season-to-date through July 5, up from 1.33 billion pounds last year at the same time, according to the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

Mexico led the way with 1.42 billion pounds shipped through July 5, up from 1.06 billion pounds in early July 2014. California volumes fell from 213 million to 211 million pounds, Peruvian volumes went from 42 million to 41 million pounds.

On July 6, the USDA reported prices of $34.2537.25 for 2-layer cartons of 48s from Mexico, up from $31.25-32.25 last year at the same time.

California 48s were $38.25-40.25, up from $38.25-39.25.

Prices for some smaller fruit were lower than last year.

Cartons of 60s from Mexico were $28.25-32.25, down from $33. California 60s were $31.2533.25, down from $38.25-39.25.

Source: http://www.thepacker.com/news/avocadovolumes-prices Avoscene September 2015

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Pest & disease watch: Exotic mites Although the Persea mite, Avocado Brown mite and the Tea red spider aren't currently an immediate threat to the New Zealand avocado industry, they are significantly impacting overseas avocado production. Growers need to be aware and prepared for if these exotic mites were to ever establish themselves in New Zealand.

On the Orchard

Circular feeding damage from the Persea mite (CISR, UC, Riverside).

What exotic mite species are of concern?

The Persea mite (Oligonychus perseae), Avocado brown mite (O. punicae) and Tea red spider mite (O. coffeae) are all exotic pests of the New Zealand avocado industry. These three mites have been singled out due to their impact on avocado production overseas, however there are a range of exotic mite species that have the potential to cause damage to avocado trees if they were to establish in New Zealand.

What mites are already in New Zealand?

A number of mite species can already be found on New Zealand avocado trees yet most do little harm as they do not feed directly on the plant. However the established six spotted mite will impact tree health by feeding directly from avocado leaves. Other commonly found yet innocuous mites already within New Zealand include the beetle-like oribatid mites and a range of predatory, scavenging or fungus feeding mites that do not cause any obvious damage to the plant.

What do the exotic mites look like?

Mites are among the smallest arthropods and their small size makes them difficult to detect, identify and monitor.

Until viewed under magnification there are only a few

obvious differences. Persea mite females are yellowish green, have two red eyespots and two or more dark blotches on their abdomen. The Avocado brown mite is dark brown with numerous bristles covering the legs and body and the head is much lighter than the rest of the body.

The Tea red spider mite is most distinctive due to its dark red appearance.

What should I look for?

Regular AvoGreen monitoring using a 10x hand lens should look for leaf symptoms including spotted or bronzed leaves, webbing or visible mite colonies.

Monitoring should focus on areas of recent broad spectrum insecticide use where a lack of natural enemies may have provided the opportunity for mite populations to increase.

The Persea mite is often found in colonies beneath protective white webbing along midribs and veins on the undersides of leaves. Feeding results in discrete circular necrotic spots visible on both sides of the leaf. The dense cobweb-like webbing can resemble silvery spots and heavily infested canopies can appear lighter in colour when viewed from a distance. The established Six-spotted mite can be very similar in appearance to Persea mite as it also feeds on the undersides of leaves, yet the necrotic spotting

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On the Orchard

Avocado brown mite (CISR, UC, Riverside)

Irregular symptoms from the New Zealand Six spotted mite

Bronzing of upper leaf surfaces (CISR, UC, Riverside)

by six spotted mite is more irregular purplish discolouration and lacks the obvious circular feeding colonies and dense webbing produced by the exotic Persea mite.

The Avocado brown mite predominantly feeds on upper leaf surfaces resulting in bronzing of leaf surfaces until entire leaves turn brown. Extensive defoliation will occur when mite populations increase.

The Tea red spider mite also feeds on the upper surfaces of older leaves. Symptoms include spotting along the midrib and veins along with numerous white cast skins. These patches darken and until entire leaves become deeply bronzed and eventually fall.

Common among all these mite species is that they predominantly feed on mature leaves and initially colonialise and feed around the leaf midrib and veins.

Persea mite with webbing (CISR, UC, Riverside)

How are they spread and controlled?

Mites can move small distances by crawling or by wind dispersal, yet movement over any great distance will be a result of infested plant material or contaminated harvest bins/ equipment. Mites are not insects and are more closely related to spiders, meaning their control requires very targeted chemical, cultural or biological measures. Temperature extremes (hot or cold) as well as a range of natural enemies often maintain our established mite species at low levels.

However the introduction of a new mite species, under the right conditions, could see populations increase to a point where avocado production is significantly impacted.

Who can I call?

Any unusual plant symptoms or plant pests you have noticed on your orchard should be reported to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on 0800 80 99 66 info@mpi.govt.nz or by contacting NZ avocado 07 571 6147.

Spotted anything unusual?

Early reporting of unusual insect pests or plant symptoms helps to protect the avocado industry.

Calls to MPI’s pest and disease hotline 0800 80 99 66 are confidential and ensure industry pests are discovered early before they spread.

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Tips for being bee safe when spraying When it comes to achieving a bee friendly environment in your orchard, there are important rules to follow.

On the Orchard

We are coming up to flowering, a critical time for the

required during flowering, spray at times when bees are not foraging – before 8am and after 5pm and if possible use a low fan speed.

industry and also a time when bees are at their most active in our orchards. Bees are threatened when chemicals are applied under the wrong conditions, so growers need to be careful when spraying their crops.

• Check willow shelters are not in flower before spraying – if they are, look at using an alternative product.

Sprays

• Cover water sources bees are likely to visit

There are some very simple rules when we look at agricultural sprays and irrigation and this is as applicable to lifestyle block farmers and councils as it is to working farms:

• Ensure any spraying contractor is fully briefed on your requirements. Deliberately flaunting these guidelines is a prosecutable offence and the prospects of a beekeeper accepting a contract to pollinate your crops in the future will be greatly diminished.

• When applying chemicals, read the label carefully and follow the instructions.

A chemical may be said to be “bee friendly”, but do not take the risk. Often, the “sticking agent” mixed with the chemical can be more dangerous to bees than the active product.

• If the crop is flowering and bees are flying and working the crop, leave spraying until dusk and before dawn.

This is generally better than the day itself, with less wind and less spray drift.

• When applying an insecticide, make sure the application is done within the recommended time frame before beehives are introduced into the orchard.

Grass must be mown prior to application, thus removing as many flowers as possible from the orchard.

• When an organic or fungicidal product application is

• Keep in contact with neighbours, especially when different varieties or crops are involved and pollination may coincide with insecticide applications.

Irrigation

Irrigation water is a major threat to bee life. Bees cannot live in a cold, wet environment and will rapidly chill and die before returning to the hive.

• Use common sense and irrigate in the evening and not during the day when bees are flying. This has the advantage of greater water retention for pasture and crops.

• If you want hives in a crop, ensure an irrigator cannot drift across and wet the hives.

For more details on creating a bee-friendly environment, go to: www.nba.org.nz

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Mysterious honey bee disappearances Mark Goodwin, Plant & Food Research mark.goodwin@plantandfood.co.nz Oksana Borowik, Coromandel Honey Ltd oksana.borowik@hotmail.com

On the Orchard

A new serious honey bee health issue is concerning beekeepers in the North Island. Some commercial beekeepers from the Coromandel Peninsula and lower North Island reported that almost all the bees have disappeared from many of their hives last spring (2014) for no apparent reason.

Photo: Jamie Troughton Dscribe Media

Spring is a time when colonies should be rapidly

expanding their bee populations. Instead, hives that had up to 10,000 bees when first visited by beekeepers had only a queen and several hundred bees left, as the missing bees had flown away from their hives and died. From conversations with beekeepers in other parts of the North Island, it appears that thousands of colonies were affected.

With only a few hundred bees and a queen left behind, the colonies were too weak for pollination or to collect a honey crop.

These symptoms are consistent with an American/ European disorder that has been called “Colony collapse disorder� (CCD). The cause of CCD is still in question and we do not know whether what we see in New

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Zealand is a result of the same factors.

Laboratory testing on some of the remaining bees in the affected hives in Coromandel showed extremely high numbers of the honey bee gut parasites Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis, and the presence of a unicellular parasite called Lotmaria passim.

N. apis was probably introduced with the first bees brought to New Zealand over a century ago, and is probably found in every hive in New Zealand. It negatively affects honey bee health, but because it has no outward symptoms, beekeepers mostly ignore it.

In contrast to N. apis, N. ceranae was first recorded in New Zealand in 2010 in sick hives on the Coromandel.

Scientists first identified N. ceranae in honey bees (Apis mellifera) in 2006, and believe it jumped from the Asian honey bee (Apis ceranae) several decades ago and then spread around most of world. Its effect on honey bees is poorly understood and has proven controversial.

N. ceranae has been linked with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), but the evidence for this link is disputed.

Recent studies demonstrate that N. ceranae significantly accelerates aging in honey bees and shortens their life spans. These studies have also shown that N. ceranae can act synergistically with other pathogens.

So where does this leave us? Although we have a large

What are the implications for the beekeeping industry and for those relying on it for crop pollination?

On the Orchard

Identified for the first time in New Zealand a few months ago, L. passim may have been here for a considerable time.

It was first identified in Australia in 1967 and although it is found worldwide, has been pretty much ignored. Only recently has it come under scientific scrutiny, showing a positive correlation with N. ceranae in hives with CCD, and associated with overwintering losses in Belgium.

number of colonies that collapsed in the spring and high numbers of gut pathogens reported from the bees in some of these hives, only a small portion of the affected hives have been tested. The colonies look similar to overseas CCD colonies, but the cause may not be the same. It is tempting to assume that N. ceranae, L. passim and possibly also N. apis are the cause of what is happening in the North Island. However, at this stage we cannot rule out their presence as a side effect of some other cause.

This is a very difficult question to answer at the moment.

It is probably safe to assume that the depopulation event will occur again at some time in the future. If it does, how often and how widespread it will be cannot be determined at this stage. Plant & Food Research and co-operating beekeepers have started research with the aim to test the link between these pathogens and the depopulation events, and to investigate other possible causes.

Photo: Jamie Troughton Dscribe Media

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That’s why we’re changing the industry with new grower-focused options.

Following the success in 2015 of our ‘Time Premium Payments’ for all crop harvested & exported after Christmas… we’re doing it again!

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Weekly premium payments starting from the first week of January

Talk to us today about how we can make your Avocados work for you.

Call us: (07) 549 3027 Email us: steve@justavocados.co.nz www.justavocados.co.nz

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Why do you need a spray plan?

The Regional Air Plan states you need a Property Spray Plan when you intend to carry out widespread application of agrichemicals within 50 metres of your property boundary.

On the Orchard

You need to notify your neighbour if he or she asks you

to let them know when you are going to spray. Preparing a spray plan is one of the conditions of permitted widespread application of agrichemicals, set out in the Regional Air Plan for each Regional Council.

A spray plan needs to be prepared each year and should cover the following: • List your adjoining neighbours and their contact phone numbers • Name any adjoining roads and whether the roads are used by school children • List the crops that you will spray, the chemicals that will be used, and how the chemicals will be applied (eg. helicopter, boom spray, air-blast sprayer) • Identify sensitive areas that you will need to treat differently from the rest of the property and the precautions you will take to avoid causing a problem

• List the name, GROWSAFE® certificate number, and contact details of the person who will carry out the spraying activity.

Keeping your community informed

When it comes to sprays, concerns and difficulties can be avoided if neighbours talk to each other. A copy of the spray plan must be given to your neighbor if they ask for it.

If your neighbour asks you to let them know when you are going to spray, then you must do so at least 8 hours before you spray. This allows your neighbour to take precautions against being exposed to sprays if they wish (e.g. not putting the washing on the line, leave the property while you spray, etc.). It is best if you can give them written notice (keeping a record for your own files) but telling them by phone or in person is also acceptable.

An editable Spray Plan template with a model notification form can be found on the website under http://industry. nzavocado.co.nz/industry/spray_diary.csn This document will help you prepare a property spray plan.

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The amazing New Zealand avocado

By Bevan Jelley – New Zealand Market, NZ Avocado

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

The New Zealand Avocados Amazing Anytime promotions theme was developed in 2014

by NZ Avocado and the New Zealand Market Stakeholder Group to grow consumption of avocados in the New Zealand market. Excellent results from last season have given confidence that activity in the local market is having a positive effect on demand.

Last season the Primary Growth Partnership enabled NZ

Avocado to undertake more activity in the New Zealand market than ever before. The Amazing Anytime promotions campaign consisted of television advertising, a nationwide in-store avocado sampling campaign in New Zealand’s busiest supermarkets, extensive social media and public relations activity, and connecting with foodies at New Zealand’s biggest food and wine festival, Taste of Auckland.

Nielson research data for avocado consumption in New Zealand throughout the 2014-15 season shows the following impacts on consumption compared to the 201314 season: • 48.6% total retail avocado sales volume growth.

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• Household penetration grew from 56.3% to 62.7%.

This accounts for 90,000 new households purchasing avocados throughout the season.

• The average spend per buyer for the season remained at $11.70, the same as the previous season.

• Average volume of avocados purchased per buyer throughout the duration of the season increased from 2.62kgs to 3.45kgs.

• Average frequency of purchase increased from 4.7 purchase occasions during the season to 5.5 purchase occasions.

• Average volume purchased per occasion grew from 0.55kgs to 0.62kgs.

Avocado lovers

Avocado lovers are our core avocado consumers in New Zealand. One of the objectives of NZ Avocado New Zealand market promotions activity is to grow the number of consumers in New Zealand who are avocado lovers.

Avocado lovers in New Zealand were defined in 2013 as consumers that spend a minimum of $12 per season on avocados.

• Avocado lovers account for 35% of the total number

Nadia Lim

avocado of buyers, but purchase 72% of total volume sold in New Zealand.

• The percentage of households in the avocado lovers category increased in 2014-15 season from 18.5% to 21.7% last season.

• This increase accounts for 45,000 more avocado lovers in New Zealand.

Following the successful outcomes of the last season’s promotions activity, NZ Avocado plans to include the

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following activity in the New Zealand market promotions programme for the coming season.

New Zealand Avocados Amazing Anytime television commercials starring Nadia Lim demonstrating delicious avocado recipes for breakfast, dinner and dessert will air on national television throughout the duration of the season.

Avocado samples will be offered to shoppers in more than 100 New World, Pak’n Save and Countdown supermarkets nationwide. Shoppers will be offered a sample of avocado, sliced tomato and a basil leaf on a cracker and updated editions of the popular Amazing Anytime recipe booklets will be distributed. Keep an eye on the NZ Avocado facebook page to see when sampling is taking place at a supermarket near you!

Markets

The core of our public relations activity is to send food writers, influencers and friends of avocado a steady diet of avocado recipes, health information, tips, tricks, images ideas and actual fresh avocados. We have a great connection with the media and are rewarded with articles published in mainstream media almost daily throughout the season. This activity will continue this season and has been focussed for four target audiences; foodies, mothers, fitness enthusiasts and busy corporates.

We will attend Taste of Auckland again this year and will engage a high profile influencer to help draw attention to our stand and to avocados.

Social media will continue and we will ramp up our activity on Instagram – which is a favourite of the fitness enthusiasts target group.

Contestable fund for New Zealand market promotions

Following the successful outcomes from the contestable fund for export New Zealand Avocado on Instagram.

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Keep an eye on the NZ Avocado Facebook page to see when sampling is taking place near you.

market promotions in 2014-15, NZ Avocado has developed a contestable promotions fund for the New Zealand market.

The initiative will provide a maximum of 50% funding towards supporting New Zealand marketer/suppliers to undertake innovative promotion activity in the New Zealand market that aligns with industry strategy for New Zealand market development.

The contestable fund enables a greater level of collaboration between New Zealand marketers and NZ Avocado and will help drive buy-in from retailers on the Amazing Anyrime promotions theme, making avocados and their benefits more visible to New Zealand consumers.

Where to next for premium avocados from New Zealand?

By Midge Munro – Communications Manager, NZ Avocado

midge.munro@nzavocado.co.nz

NZ Avocado’s promotions programme has been significantly enhanced with investment from the Primary Growth Partnership. This has allowed the creation of a category story and implementation of this across multiple markets. The next phase for this story is about to begin as NZ Avocado looks to evolve this material for the avocado consumer.

Promotions activity in our export markets has increased

significantly over the last two seasons; we now have a category story to help communicate our avocados’ uniqueness with trade and consumers, we have a growing number of connections with influencers and ambassadors, we have a contestable promotions fund for exporters, we have greater information about our markets from research and market visits, we have greater knowledge of and alignment to exporter promotions activity, and, most importantly, we have a plan and the resource through the Primary Growth Partnership to help us develop our promotions strategy and deliver it.

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Last season NZ Avocado launched its category story material for use in export markets. This was the beginning of a unified marketing strategy for the industry. The initial material was designed to help exporters communicate the uniqueness of New Zealand avocados to their trade partners. NZ Avocado also provided some consumer materials with broad health and usage messages.

Our focus this season is to continue the creation of resources to support exporter activity and also a focus on the development of the NZ Avocado category story – where to next for premium avocados from New Zealand.

This season NZ Avocado will undertake promotion and market development activity in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand and Australia.

Japan

NZ Avocado has engaged Japan-born New Zealander Sachie Nomura – who some of you will have seen on her New Zealand television show Sachie’s Kitchen.

Sachie is bright, bubbly and extremely talented. Along with having her television show, she has her own cooking school in Auckland, writes for Bite which is the NZ Herald’s food title, has published a cook book, and is involved in foodie events here and offshore.

Sachie Nomura

This season she has created three authentic Japanese recipes which incorporate avocado. These recipes are now resources that can be used by exporters in Japan and Asia.

South Korea

In South Korea we have engaged high profile chef Hong Shin Ae. She has her own traditional Korean themed restaurant in a fashionable area of Seoul, regularly appears on Korean food TV shows, is a professional menu advisor and food stylist, and has numerous published cook books.

She has created four recipes with New Zealand avocados that will resonate with Korean consumers.

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avocado. These results certainly align with the increased demand that was seen in Australia during New Zealand’s supply season.

Following the success of the “Love that avocado feeling” campaign, NZ Avocado will continue to invest in this television commercial and will air this during October and November - a period of forecast pressure for the Australian market.

Other Asian markets

NZ Avocado has plans to support exporters’ development of the Indian market through public relations activity involving Kunal Kapur as an ambassador – providing endorsement in media releases and sharing key messages about New Zealand avocados through his vast social channels.

Premium avocados from New Zealand collateral will continue to be developed and translated at exporters’ requests for use in Asian markets.

Hong Shin Ae

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Hong Shin Ae will also be involved in a visibility raising media and influencers event for New Zealand avocados in South Korea.

Thailand

Thailand is currently a Tier 2 market but has shown a significant increase in volumes in the last two seasons. This is now a market that we need to understand more deeply in order to continue to capture the opportunity here. This season NZ Avocado is conducting market research to gain information on how avocados are currently marketed, where they are sold and general information on consumers and their usage of and preferences towards avocados.

Australia

In Australia NZ Avocado will continue to work with the Australian industry to deliver promotional activity during the New Zealand window.

The Australian Avocados promotion campaign run by Avocados Australia Limited and Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited is encouraging great results in consumer demand for avocados and the campaign itself is proving popular. A recent study showed that the “Love that avocado feeling” television commercials made 60% of consumers studied want to eat an avocado and 45% want to buy an

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Asia Fruit Logistica

NZ Avocado will be at Asia Fruit Logistica in the first week of September, exhibiting as part of the New Zealand pavilion alongside 12 other New Zealand fresh produce and technology exporters. Bevan Jelley of NZ Avocado will attend this event and will distribute our Premium avocados from New Zealand toolkit and provide these to our exporters to support their meetings with customers.

Best of New Zealand with Nick Honeyman

In 2014 NZ Avocado invested in KM Media’s cooking series New Zealand with Nadia Lim which was aired across Asia, in New Zealand, and is now available on Air New Zealand’s inflight entertainment. It also created a great resource which NZ Avocado and exporters have used at many events and tradeshows around the world.

This year KM media is making “Best of New Zealand - with Nick Honeyman”. This is an eight-part cooking show which will be shown on the Asian Food Channel and also D-Life in Japan.

The series follows on from “New Zealand with Nadia Lim” and will have a similar format, in that each episode will feature a different region and will showcase the very best produce New Zealand has to offer.

This time, the programme will be presented by high profile

New Zealand professional chef Nick Honeyman, who is Executive Chef at the Sofitel in Auckland and considered to be one of Auckland’s hottest culinary stars.

NZ Avocado has signed up for inclusion in two episodes which will feature Nick on orchards, in packhouses, and cooking with avocados in Northland and the Bay of Plenty.

Filming will be in October and November and we are on the look out for some energetic growers to feature – please contact Midge at NZ Avocado for more details.

Industry profiles in MiNDFOOD magazine

NZ Avocado has entered into an exciting partnership with MiNDFOOD magazine – a New Zealand distributed publication with a readership of 210,000.

We will work with MiNDFOOD to produce, during the coming season, four grower and industry profiles.

These articles will showcase the amazing people in our industry, promote the health and use of our fruit and, as an additional bonus, will create collateral that can be used to tell the New Zealand avocado story in Asian markets.

The October issue features Northland grower Tony

Snushall of Honeytree farms and focuses on commercial investment in the industry.

December’s issue will feature Jason and Jacky Mclarnon of Pukenui and Jason’s dad, Ian, telling the story of a generational family involved in avocados, living and working closely.

Markets

The first of these profiles was completed for the August issue of MiNDFOOD and features Bay of Plenty growers Andrew and Maria Watchorn and their son Caleb. This article focuses on the lifestyle of growing avocados.

Tony Snushall will feature in the October issue of MiNDFOOD which is in store from 7 September.

The final profile scheduled for February 2016 will focus on women in the avocado industry and features two growers; Leonie Batt and Sue Culham both of Whangarei.

Contestable promotions fund

The contestable fund was a successful activity last season where exporters could apply for up to 50% funding for a new promotions activity. This fund was supported for inclusion in NZ Avocado’s 2015-16 programme and demand has increased: ten applications were received for this season, seven of which have been accepted.

Applications were reviewed by a panel which includes an independent marketing consultant who critiqued the proposals to ensure maximum benefit for NZ Avocado and for the exporter.

Andrew and Maria Watchorn along with their son Caleb and dog Ben featured in the August issue of MiNDFOOD.

This programme makes for effective use of promotions funds, especially in a low volume season where it is important to keep trade customers engaged in New Zealand avocado brands. It has also allowed us to align our promotional activity with that of exporters.

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The evolution of premium avocados from New Zealand

To date, the focus of our category story has been to provide material to exporters for their communications with trade about our industry and our safe and robust export systems. Consumer materials have included a broad set of information about health and usage and recipes.

It is now time to move this focus to the consumer end of the supply chain.

What is it about New Zealand avocados that appeals to consumers? And who are the consumers? Is it health, and if so, which aspect of health; is it beauty; is it the New Zealandness and safety of our avocados; or is it simply the flavour?

The method we are looking at to help us develop our category story is called lean social testing which gives real life impressions from a consumer of their experiences with an avocado.

We will engage a company to track online conversations and mentions of avocado to discern consumer sentiment, we will also be able to locate consumers and identify influencers and avocado lovers, who can then be recruited to help with the next phase of the research.

Following this, a number of concepts for marketing material or key messages will be created based on the learnings from this social listening and will then be tested with the recruited influencers and lovers in a live online environment. The testing will continue until the concept is refined down to one that rates highly with the test group for a number of criteria, including believability and intention to purchase.

The outcome will be a defined target consumer, a defined message, and a defined look and feel for marketing material.

We are planning on trialling this research in Japan and if successful will look to use in our other Tier 1 Asian markets.

Markets

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Young grower advocate for industry

By Elaine Fisher, Journalist, SunMedia

elaine@thesun.co.nz

Winning 2015 New Zealand Young Fruit Grower of the Year title has reinforced for Craig Ward the opportunities horticulture offers as a career.

The 26-year-old Apata Grow technical manager won the Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower of the Year title in June and went on to win the young fruit grower title ahead of three other regional finalists in Christchurch in August.

As well as taking that title, he was also runner-up for the overall Young Grower of the Year competition, won by Pukekohe’s Hamish Gates.

Winning the award is a tremendous confidence boost says Craig.

“I knew the competition was going to be tough, but taking part and challenging myself has shown what I can achieve.”

Meet leaders

It has also reinforced the wide opportunities horticulture offers as a career. The contest pitted Craig against young growers involved in pip fruit, stone fruit and vegetable growing and has given him the chance to meet leaders from all sectors of the industry.

Craig, who grew up on a farm and avocado orchard near Katikati, has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Horticulture from Massey University and a Post-Graduate Diploma of Agri-Science in Horticulture.

Many students don’t realise the wide breadth of career possibilities. In addition to hands-on practical careers, there are those in business management, marketing, research and development, technology transfer and more, he says.

The competition

NZ Avocado was among the challengers at the BOP competition. With the supervision and assistance of Aongatete Avocados Ltd Operations Manager Brien James and NZ Avocado’s R&D Associate Danni van der Heijden, contestants were asked to correctly carry out the theoretical and practical sides of phosphonate application on one of the many avocado trees at Mills Reef Winery. This challenge proved to be difficult for some contestants, however Craig’s avocado upbringing proved helpful when he was announced as the overall winner for NZ Avocado’s challenge with a near perfect score.

“This competition develops skills and fosters leadership,” said New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI) President Neil Trebilco.

“Today’s competitors are a great example of young people who are passionate about the industry’s future and their role in it. It was fantastic to see so many local CraigWard of Katikati is the 2015 New Zealand industries and organisations Young Fruit Grower of theYear. recognise this and come together to demonstrate their support for our future leaders.

“All eight contestants gave it their all and I’m sure the decision for the judges was a difficult one.”

Another special event coinciding with the Young Grower of the Year competition was this year’s inaugural ‘Cultivate Your Career’ event. More than 150 year 11, 12 and 13 students attended to hear from employers about the many career opportunities in the horticulture sector and the skills they need to develop, from effective communication to critical thinking and problem solving.

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He’s keen to encourage other young people to consider horticulture as a career. He is a member of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc future leaders’ programme and through it, and a Massey University initiative, Craig has spoken to students at schools and career expos about the opportunities the industry offers.

This year’s competition received a huge amount of support from the horticultural industry through sponsorship and other contributions.

A gala dinner also took place in the evening following the competition. The evening included a special charity auction which raised almost $5,000 for the people in Vanuatu who were affected by the devastating Cyclone Pam in March.

The Young Grower of the Year is an annual competition run by Horticulture New Zealand to select the finest young fruit or vegetable grower in the country. The competition involves four regional events and the winners from each region go forward to contest the final.

NZ Avocado would especially like to thank Aongatete Coolstores Ltd for its involvement in the NZ Avocado Young Grower challenge and Locus Research for participation in Cultivate Your Career.

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25 deg (47%)

R&D update

By Alvaro Vidiella. R&D Manager, NZ Avocado

alvaro.vidiella@nzavocado.co.nz

A new season is underway and the cross-industry R&D team is getting ready to take on the programme projects.

As a team; the growers, consultants, contractors and

scientists involved have strongly influenced the projects we are undertaking. In some cases it has taken time to develop the techniques and establish the relationships required to implement the project, but we are now looking at well planned projects that we believe will deliver real value in the coming season.

PGP funding will allow us to start working on avocado plant nutrition. A literature review will be carried out to summarise the current level of knowledge and to determine research needs in this important area.

The review will include getting an understanding of general industry practice on avocado plant nutrition.

• Identifying low temperature thresholds for bud, flower and fruitlet development.

Outcomes to date • Defined temperature variability both between and within orchards in the Bay of Plenty. Differences are often correlated with topography and ability of cold air to drain.

• There seems to be a strong correlation between the minimum temperatures of different locations on cold nights.

• Methods have been developed to determine the effect of low temperatures on fruit set.

The following is an update of each of the current projects and the outcomes delivered to date:

FLORAL INDUCTION

MBIE: AVOCADOS FOR EXPORT

• Understanding the effect of newly set fruit (fruit thinning) on return crop.

• Increasing our knowledge on the biomolecular mechanisms of flower induction.

ORCHARD ANALYSIS Objective • Identifying irregular bearing triggers at regional and orchard level.

• Identifying factors that are contributing significantly to the productivity of the orchards.

• Identified historic cold temperature periods as likely trigger of irregular bearing at regional and orchard levels in the Kauri Point area.

• Analysis of historic performance suggests pruning has a positive impact on consistency of production.

• Identified orchard performance does not necessarily correlate with location highlighting potential to improve performance through changes to management practices.

TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON BUD, FLOWER & FRUITLET DEVELOPMENT Objective • Describing variations of minimum temperature between orchards, parts of orchards and parts of trees.

Outcomes to date • Complete removal of fruit in January has been shown to increase the abundance of flowers in the following spring with determinate flowering becoming more predominant.

• Avocado flowering genes have been identified that will help with future signaling studies.

• Data relating to the potential role of different sugars in floral signaling is currently being analysed.

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Outcomes to date

Objective

PRUNING TO BALANCE TREES Objective • Obtain scientific evidence of the benefits and disadvantages of pruning with the hypothesis that pruning can be a valid tool to balance trees.

Outcomes to date • Pruning an average of 30% of fruit in December did not reduce the final yield of trees and increased fruit size profile in a preliminary trial.

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MBIE Pruning trial.

• Early fruit drop was observed to be higher in unpruned trees compared to trees pruned in December and February suggesting fruit drop rates are not predetermined.

SMALL TREES

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Objective

• To determine the viability of super intensive plantings in NZ conditions.

• To explore their current challenges and contribute to overcome these challenges.

Outcomes to date

Outcomes to date

• Two orchards in BOP with trials established.

• Investigating two pruning strategies and incorporating use of plant growth regulator Sunny.

• Drought conditions have been shown to reduce fruit size.

• Sap flow probes have been used to measure water use in both large and small trees for almost one year. Data will be used to help with irrigation management decisions.

PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS (UNICONAZOLE)

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IRRIGATION • To determine water consumption of avocado orchards in NZ conditions.

• To evaluate the effect of different irrigation management strategies on productivity • To develop irrigation management tools that can be used by growers.

Objective

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• Two trial blocks have had Sunny applied as part of the small tree project.

Objectives

POSTHARVEST

• To determine the effect of different Uniconazole application strategies on the productivity of avocado orchards in NZ.

Objectives

Outcomes to date

Outcomes to date

• Single application following pruning has been trialled with results currently being analysed.

• Controlled atmosphere recommendations have been updated.

Avoscene September 2015

• To determine and establish post-harvest procedures which optimise product quality.

• Precooling practices are being investigated to ascertain opportunities for greater efficiency when packing fruit.

MBIE: B MINUS TO B PLUS POLLINATION Objective • Increase populations of key unmanaged pollinators.

• Manage bumblebee colonies in orchards and farms for pollination.

• Manipulate bee behavior to improve pollination.

Outcomes to date • Commercial opportunities are currently being explored

by Plant & Food Research for increasing populations of alternative pollinators.

• Trials looking at manipulation of bee behavior are being carried out initially in kiwifruit orchards. Successful practices, once identified, will be transferred to the avocado industry where practical.

PGP: GO GLOBAL CANOPY MANAGEMENT

process on a number of orchards.

• Tree Decline factors identified in the diagnostic process were reported at industry field days held in June 2015.

• Irrigation coverage should be maximised.

• Irrigation should be tailored to each tree where possible.

• Leaf litter retention is important. Prunings can help retain leaf litter.

• Important to understand phosphonate use and ensure practices are effective.

• Remedial actions to improve tree health have been undertaken with further actions planned.

• Monitoring of trees to assess effectiveness of actions will begin this summer.

NEW CULTIVARS Objective • To determine the potential of the new cultivars imported

by NZ Avocado in NZ conditions Outcomes to date • Working group established in Whangarei.

• Ongoing industry evaluation of clonal root stock performance reported to industry at industry field days held in June 2015.

Objective

PLANT & FOOD RESEARCH

•T o identify, characterize and evaluate different canopy management strategies under the working group scheme.

Are any of these strategies compatible with high and regular production?

LEAFROLLER MATING DISRUPTION

Outcomes to date

TREE DECLINE Objective • To determine the main factors that hinder the health of avocado trees in NZ avocado orchards in different circumstances.

• To develop and validate management strategies to increase the health of declining avocado trees in different circumstances.

• To determine potential of Leafroller pheromone mating disruption technology (MD) as an additional and sustainable method of controlling Leafroller in avocado orchards.

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• A working group has been established in the Bay of Plenty.

• First pruning strategy has been documented with videos posted on industry website.

Objective

Outcomes to date • Proof of concept has proved promising for disrupting the mating cycle of Leafroller species important to the avocado industry.

ROT PREDICTION Objective • To explore and validate the rot prediction tool and ascertain the potential role a fruit rot prediction tool may have for the avocado industry.

Outcomes to date

Outcomes to date

• Far North Working group has completed the diagnostic

• A sampling method has been established and tested in

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preliminary studies. Further validation of the sampling method is required along with cost assessment and applicability of the technology.

SIX SPOTTED MITE PHENOLOGY & EPIDEMIOLOGY Objectives • Gain a better understanding of the lifecycle, phenology

and population movement of Six Spotted Mite in order to improve control methods.

Outcomes to date • Relationship between use of broad spectrum insecticides to control other pests and SSM population increase is being studied through spray diary and pest monitoring data mining.

Letter to the industry from Alvaro Vidiella To the NZ avocado grower community,

areas of the programme.

I have spent almost four and a half great years working on behalf of New Zealand avocado growers. I am extremely grateful to the industry for hosting me and for accepting the ways in which I believed the R&D Programme would be successful.

Thanks to the NZ Avocado team members, the current ones and the ones that have been here in the past four and a half years. I have enjoyed being part of this fantastic team and working with such a nice bunch of good people under the leadership of Jen Scoular. We have learned a lot through working together and I will always be grateful to Jen and remember with fondness having been part of her successful team.

It has been a great experience to work within the NZ Avocado team in collaboration with so many dedicated professionals to design and implement an R&D Programme that is addressing the main industry issues and is already delivering results to growers.

A great deal of the success of the programme has been thanks to our collaboration with Plant & Food Research.

Declan Graham, Nick Gould, Kerry Everett, David Pattemore, Edouard Périé, Andrew Barnett, Jeremy Burdon, and Grant Thorp have gone through great endeavours working within our industry to fulfil our research needs. It has been great to work with them.

I would also like to acknowledge the generous contribution of my colleagues in the Technical Working Group, Whangarei grower John Wiessing and consultants Lindsay Heard and Colin Partridge. They have been extremely helpful in the development of the programme from the very beginning, with quite intense participation in the last two years. They have openly shared their knowledge, allowing for great progress in many of the

Thanks also to Dr Henry Pak, former Technical Manager of NZ Avocado. Henry was a great colleague during the years that we worked together. His contribution to the programme was fundamental.

A special thanks to Phillip West and Danielle van der Heijden for being such nice people and coping with me, and also for doing so much hard work so well. They are a real asset for the industry and will without a doubt increasingly deliver great value in the coming years.

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The whole process has fostered the development of a network of scientists, rural professionals, and experienced growers that are now working in collaboration on the real problems that need to be addressed for successful avocado production. I am certain that with the collaboration of these professionals, and under the leadership of the next R&D Manager, the industry will find many of the answers it requires to become the star industry it has the potential to be.

Finally, I would like to thank all the growers that I have had the pleasure of working with. I have always looked forward to orchard visits, filed days, discussion groups, working groups, workshops, grower forums and trials on your orchards.Your passion and enthusiasm have been a fundamental source of inspiration.

It has been a pleasure for me to work with all of you during these years of great success for the industry. I wish the grower community, the NZ Avocado Team, Jen Scoular, the Board, and the rest of the industry an even more successful path in the following years.

Hasta luego Dr AlvaroVidiella

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Annual General Meeting voting results There was a great turnout by growers at the AGM this year which was held August 26 in Mount Maunganui. Clear majorities for show of hands voting on all remits made for a swift voting session.

Results of AGM remit session MOTION 1: That the levy rate for NZ avocado fruit exported be set at 35c per 5.5 kg tray for the period 1 May 2016 to 30 April 2017.

Commodity Levy 15c Commodity Levy – Promotions 20c TOTAL 35c Moved: Ashby Whitehead Seconded: Tony Ponder

MOTION 2: That the levy rate for avocados sold as fresh fruit in the New Zealand market be set at 3% of First Point of Sale for the period 1 May 2016 to 30 April 2017.

Moved: Ashby Whitehead Seconded: Tony Ponder Results for Motion 2: passed FOR by a show of hands MOTION 3: That the Export Systems fee for 2016-17 will not exceed 30c per 5.5kg export tray.

Moved: Ashby Whitehead Seconded: Tony Ponder Results for Motion 3: passed FOR by a show of hands

Results for Remit 1: AGAINST by a show of hands REMIT 2: All Local Market fruit sold in NZ should be managed by the AIC in a similar way to the export market.

The Domestic Market requirements as outlined in the AIC Quality Manual become Mandatory not Best Practice.

Pack sheds should be audited against these requirements by the AIC. Only Tag 1 & Tag 2 should be packed for sale as fresh fruit in the Domestic Market.

Moved: Dennis MacLean

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Results for Motion 1: passed FOR by a show of hands

REMIT 1: Seek cancellation of the grower compulsory participation in the industry library tray scheme as there is no perceived value from the scheme to the grower.

Moved: Wilson McGillivray Seconded: Iain McGillivray

Seconded: Maree Marshall

Results for Remit 2: AGAINST by a show of hands

Signed:

Returning Officer

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NZ Avocado Grower Forum roundup Over 100 growers attended the annual NZ Avocado Grower Forum held in Mount Maunganui on August 26. Jen opened the day, welcoming growers and set the expectations of the day. The whole NZ Avocado team was on hand to present and to engage with growers and industry stakeholders.

Growers participating in one of the two workshops at the NZ Avocado Grower Forum.

The day included presentations on all major activity

undertaken by New Zealand Avocado, as well as an update on export markets from the AVEC chair and a special presentation on the leafroller mating disruption trial from Plant & Food Research.

The audience was facinated by Nicola Mauchline's report on virgin leafrollers being tethered to the pheremone traps, a perfect subject for the post lunch session.

Reports

The atmosphere at Grower Forum and feedback after the event was very positive - it certainly portrayed an industry working well together, creating value and delivering on its strategy.

Export speaks volumes

Andrew Darling, Chair of AVEC, took growers through an overview of the stellar 2014-15 season and a forecast for the season ahead.

Highlights from 2014-15 showed 30% of all exports were delivered to markets outside of Australia, which had a positive effect on the Australian market. Quality in the Australian market was good and values, considering the large volume in the market, were also very positive.

Andrew commented that AVEC had worked together very well last season, which helped identify and mitigate pressure situations in the market.

“AVEC had good attendance from exporters at our regular

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meetings where market information and issues were shared; we also introduced fortnightly conference calls during the season.”

The exchange rate had an impact on returns from Japan, which had values that were on average higher than previous seasons.

“Had the exchange rate been in our favour, this would have been a high value returning market.”

“Overall the quality of our fruit in Japan was good and some customers reported that this was the best-ever season for New Zealand avocados from a tastes and texture perspective” Thailand, South Korea and Singapore showed strong growth last season and all have good promotional plans in place.

The season ahead will see potential export volumes of 2.9 million trays.

“There will be a good opportunity in the Australian market if supply and demand is aligned, however October-November has been flagged as a potential issue with high supply.”

Andrew also emphasised the importance of continuing to build on the market development achieved last season outside of Australia.

Premium avocados from New Zealand

Midge Munro, Communications Manager for NZ Avocado, recapped the audience on the promotions programme from

2014-15 and shared the proposed plans going forward. A full update on these plans can be read on page 35.

The rise in popularity of the amazing New Zealand avocado

Bevan Jelley, New Zealand Market Manager for New Zealand Avocado, shared the fantastic outcomes from the New Zealand Market, which reached a value of $30 million and avocado consumption of record levels. A full update on New Zealand market promotions activity can be read on page 33.

The biosecurity action plan

Brad Siebert, Biosecurity and Programme Manager for NZ Avocado, shared an update on the avocado industry’s biosecurity plan and what role growers can play in this.

“Having now submitted our GIA application, NZ Avocado is looking forward to developing more comprehensive biosecurity plans to help protect the industry from avocado pests and diseases while also ensuring we are in a position to effectively respond to exotic pest incursions.”

NZ Avocado is working across all areas of the supply chain to improve biosecurity outcomes.

Brad commented that NZ Avocado is increasing grower awareness of biosecurity threats through providing fact sheets in each issue of AvoScene on pests and also by promoting the confidential MPI hotline for reporting anything unusual that growers may see on their orchards.

NZ Avocado engages across a number of organisations to develop and implement its biosecurity plan and readiness and response capability.

“Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, so engagement with research providers, government, regional councils and industry to support biosecurity capability is a priority.”

Understanding your orchard and keeping up with the play

Alvaro Vidiella, outgoing R&D Manager for NZ Avocado, shared an overview of the industry R&D programme and the outcome highlights to date. For a full update, please read the article on page 41.

Leafroller Mating Disruption: proof of concept in avocados

Nicola Mauchline, Applied Entomologist Scientist for Plant & Food Research, shared fascinating research on PFR’s investigation on the use of leafroller pheromones to disrupt the mating process. This research is aimed at establishing a more sustainable method of reducing leafroller populations within avocado orchards.

“Mating disruption technology has been demonstrated to work against several leafroller species present in apple and summerfruit orchards in New Zealand, providing a means for growers to adopt more sustainable practices for managing leafrollers. The commercially available pheromone dispenser, Isomate® 3NZLR, was established across 10 hectares of avocados within the Katikati area during late 2014. The dispensers release synthetic sex pheromones of three female leafroller species, the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, one of the brown headed leafrollers, Ctenopseustis obliquana, and one of the green headed leafrollers, Planotortrix octo, creating an environment where the male leafroller is not able to locate individual females for mating.

Reports

“There is a lot growers can do to ensure the biosecurity of our industry through managing vehicle and visitor access, questioning all orchard inputs and reporting anything unusual.”

AlvaroVidiella leading a discussion with growers during a workshop at the Grower Forum.

“Trap shut-down (the difference in the number of male leafrollers trapped in blocks treated with mating disruption compared to those trapped in non-treated blocks) and suppression of leafroller mating was demonstrated in the treated avocado blocks. While trap shut-down and mating suppression were observed in the target leafroller species, wider trapping and larval search results confirmed that the leafroller species targeted with Isomate® 3NZLR was not adequate to disrupt the leafroller complex present in avocados.

An optimised pheromone blend is required to progress mating disruption from a proof of concept to a useable tool for managing leafrollers in avocados; this will initially proceed with

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Plant and Food Research Core funding.”

concentration achieved in the roots.

A full article on this research and the outcomes to date will be published in the November issue of AvoScene.

“Phosphonate moves first upward into the canopy before being distributed to different carbohydrate sinks on the tree. This includes roots, but if there is active flush and vegetative growth then a portion of phosphonate can be diverted to these tissues.

WORKSHOP 1: “Do I attempt to recover the health of sick trees or do I start the chainsaw?” That is the question!

Danni van der Heijden, Research Associate for NZ Avocado, led a workshop on the cost of recovery of sick trees versus replanting them with clonals.

Some excellent discussions were heard around the room as growers brainstormed the costs. Each group came up with very different answers, with both the initial costs and potential yields proposed by each table varying widely.

“There are many different factors to consider when making decisions such as this on an orchard.”

The workshop got everybody talking about what some of the factors are, and the economic impacts of these, which has started a good debate that will be presented in the November issue of AvoScene.

WORKSHOP 2: “Is what you’re doing having the desired effect or could you be spending more time fishing?”

Phillip West, R&D Officer for NZ Avocado, led a workshop on phosphonate use which got growers discussing the various application methods and outcomes they experience with tree health.

“As phosphonate is transported to different tissues around the tree, the size and health of the tree can affect the final concentrations achieved in the roots. If the tree is large and has a dense canopy and a large root system then the tree has more volume to distribute any phosphonate into, which can lead to lower concentrations being achieved. Small or sick trees with less canopy and a smaller root system may have the opposite effect.”

A minimum of 42 attendees at the Grower Forum completed a questionnaire aimed at providing a snap shot of phosphonate use in New Zealand. Ninety-three per cent of respondents apply phosphonate in some form with the dominant method being passive injection at 61%. Autumn was the most popular time of application at 45%, followed by spring at 33%. Growers also applied phosphonate in summer and winter, with 14% and 9% respectively. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents felt their current application practice was effective, with 29% unsure and 2% feeling that their application wasn’t effective. Eighty-one per cent of growers did not use root testing to help inform their practices and 32% of growers had changed their application practice in the

Reports

Information was shared on how phosphonate moves through the tree to end up in the root, how phosphonate acts to help manage phytophthora infection, and what factors can affect the

“Phosphonate has both a direct and an indirect effect in combatting phytophthora infection. At higher concentrations, phosphonate acts to inhibit the growth of phytophthora and prevent infection. At lower concentrations, phosphonate can still have an important effect in stimulating the trees immune system to respond earlier and more strongly to any infection.

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last two years or are planning to this year.

The second task attendees were asked to complete was to score a number of orchard management practices and conditions based on their importance for tree health.

A score of ‘1’ indicated ‘not very important’ with ‘5’ being ‘very important’. Well drained and aerated soil was the only factor to be universally scored a 5 but none of the factors scored below a 3, indicating the importance of each in maintaining tree health.

Fertiliser and nutrition scored the second highest at 4.4, with phosphonate use scoring just over 4.”

Root testing was advocated as a useful tool that growers can use to understanding the effectiveness of their phosphonate application practices.

A full report on this workshop will be included in the November issue of Avoscene.

Behind the scenes of the industry’s export systems

The New Zealand avocado industry’s export systems are robust and well respected. Glenys Parton, Industry System Manager for NZ Avocado, shared the scope these systems, how we are strengthening these, and what growers can do to ensure they are getting information that helps them get the highest quantity of high quality compliant fruit to export markets.

“Industry systems are about the growing, packing and transporting of your premium avocados to export markets, and the activities span the entire supply chain.”

Industry systems are driven by the Export Marketing Strategy (EMS), which is underpinned by the Industry Quality Manual

and the AvoGreen manual. The Quality Manual covers Spray Diary, food safety, maximum residue limits, harvesting requirements, and packer and exporter requirements.

“NZ Avocado manages a number of activities under these areas, such as training, auditing, maturity monitoring, library trays and dispensations.”

Last season NZ Avocado processed 1109 export registrations, 835 pieces of correspondence covering dispensations, 739 maturity clearance samples, 47 packer audits, more than 400 residue samples and 1722 library tray samples, just to name a few of the numbers involved with exporting avocados.

Daniel Birnie, Avocado Manager for Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool, joined this presentation to talk about the importance of library trays in their grower reporting and internal performance benchmarking.

“We report the library tray data back to growers to show them how well their fruit has performed; we also analyse this data in relation to the spray diary to find correlations between use of copper.”

The library system has been questioned by growers for a number of years in terms of the value it adds.

Daniel showed a number of examples of the ‘scorecards’ other industries use to track quality performance.

“Other industries have scorecards where supplier performance is measured and reported. When a financial reward or penalty is attached, it drives discussions around quality.

“At the moment the library tray system is the only true industry-wide programme we have to assess quality. But I am sure it can be improved to deliver more value.”

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Avocentric - Mountview Orchard

By Elaine Fisher, Journalist, SunMedia

elaine@thesun.co.nz

“Questioning mode” is how John and Mary Bowen describe their current status as long-time owners but only recent residents of Mountview Orchard near Katikati.

New plantings, including the new variety Dusa, have been made at Mountview Orchard.

John and Mary are again enjoying the experience of handson learning about avocado orcharding.

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“We have a lot to re-learn and are questioning just about every aspect of growing avocados,” says John.

“I think the avocado is a beautiful fruit, to look at as well as to eat, and the trees are very grower friendly,” says Mary, originally from the USA. She and John met when Mary was on a working holiday in New Zealand.

Throughout their married life, and while bringing up their children, the couple have lived both in New Zealand and the USA. Most recently that’s been in Southern California where John was Vice President, Business Development and International Operations for Franchise Services Inc, an international company serving franchise owners’ needs and assisting them with growing profitable sales as well as growing an international brand.

Encouraged by friends who had moved to the Bay of Plenty, the couple bought Mountview Orchard in 2004

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and, when they returned to the US in 2008, employed Lindsay Heard to manage it for the six years they were overseas.

In June this year the Bowens returned to New Zealand to live at Mountview, the orchard which initially caught their attention for its location and its past.

Poultry farm

“This was a former poultry farm, and as the hen houses were removed, a new row of avocado trees were planted,” says Mary.

The fertility left behind by generations of hens was one of the factors which helped the couple decide the orchard was a good buy. Another was the view across the Tauranga Harbour to Mount Maunganui. The orchard’s table-flat contour and already established avocado trees were other deciding factors.

However, Mountview wasn’t then a top performing orchard.

“I think we picked six bins in our first harvest.”

Tree numbers, as well as performance, have increased since then.

“Last season it was 3200 trays and the prediction for this season is 5200 trays, but that’s only a prediction of course, nothing is definite until the fruit is picked and packed,” says John.

Dusa variety

The 370 trees on the three hectare orchard range in age from 10 to 15 years, with some very recent initial planting of the new variety Dusa. There are plans to add up to 80 trees on the upper part of what is currently grazing land which slopes down to the harbour.

Irrigation has been installed and may be adapted to provide fertigation too. Lindsay says experience gained from five years’ of using fertigation on a nearby Matahui Rd orchard and from orchards in Northland shows the system benefits tree health and fruit production and helps strengthen the trees to withstand extremes in weather.

Currently each tree on the Bowen orchard receives individual, hand-applied fertiliser treatments based on the age of the tree and the crop it is carrying. Mila Complex is applied little and often from late flowering through until April.

uptake, and appears to also help counteract phytophthora.

While there’s not a lot of evidence of the disease in the orchard, Lindsay says trees growing alongside a driveway where the soil is compacted are showing signs of infection.

Each of the 10 to 15 year-old trees receives annual injections for phytophthora and the five to nine year-old trees have been injected for the first time this year.

Pollination hives

Pruning has focused on removing deadwood, increasing light, reducing tree height to reduce wind damage and encouraging fruit formation inside the canopy. Lindsay says because the orchard has consistently produced well, pruning on some trees has been delayed in order to retain fruit numbers.

Reports

Gypsum is also regularly applied to the orchard. Lindsay says it benefits tree health, including increasing calcium

John and Mary Bowen are enjoying re-learning about avocado growing now they have returned to live permanently on Mountview Orchard.

The orchard has experienced no dramatic swings in fruit numbers, though in keeping with industry trends, some years produce more fruit than others.

Pollinators are planted in the orchard and bees brought in for pollination.

“We are very happy with the service from our beekeeper, McQuillin Apiaries, and I will be interested to know if there is an avocado industry pollination standard for the strength of hives, including the number of bees in each hive. That’s another of the questions we have,” says John.

Irrigation has been installed throughout the orchard and may be used for fertigation in future.

Pest monitoring is carried out by Crop Check.

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“Their staff are very helpful. If we are here, they stop to tell us what they have found, as well as sending a formal report. It helps us understand what is happening in the orchard,” says Mary.

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Keen to learn all they can, as well as asking questions and carrying out research, Mary and John have also attended a recent NZ Avocado field day.

Grower returns

On the marketing front, John is pleased to see the rationalisation and co-operation between exporters and the focus on developing new markets in Asia and India. He believes it is vital the industry move away from reliance on the Australian market and that developing countries offer opportunities for New Zealand avocado growers.

“As discretionary spending increases amongst the growing middle class worldwide, there is increased demand for the high quality foods New Zealand produces, including our meat, dairy products and of course avocados.”

John says returns to growers should be relative as the industry becomes more streamlined and cost-effective.

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“I presume there are economies of scale happening in the post-harvest sector, especially with most packhouses handling increased volumes of both kiwifruit and avocados, and the industry must make sure the cost savings are passed on to growers.”

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Recipe

Avocado and crunchy bok choy slaw brown rice salad – by Nadia Lim This recipe is perfect for a quick, healthy lunch, full of fibre and healthy fats. It’s perfect to take to work in a lunchbox – so you can avoid the unhealthy bought lunch trap! If taking to work for lunch the next day, you can prep all of the ingredients the night before and bring them to work in a container, along with the dressing (in a separate little container) and toss everything together just before eating – this will avoid the vegetables becoming soggy. Raw bok choy is just delicious; it’s similar to using cabbage in a slaw, but nicer I reckon. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.

Nourish

2 baby bok choy ½ - ¾ cup cooked brown rice ½ carrot, peeled, shredded, julienned or coarsely grated ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts ½ red capsicum, de-seeded, thinly sliced or diced ½ firm-ripe avocado, peeled, diced ¼ cup chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley Dressing 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce (you can use normal soy sauce if you prefer though) 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger 56

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1. Trim the bottom 1-2cm off the stalk of the baby bok choy and discard. Wash the bok choy well, then finely slice the remaining stem and leaves. Toss with remaining salad ingredients.

2. Mix all dressing ingredients together.

3. Toss salad with dressing just before serving.

Serves 1 Prep time: 10 minutes

Out and about

NZ Avocado at the Tauranga Careers and Business Expo 'Western Bay at Work'

Above: High schoolers could play a game of 'Appeeling Careers Moves' (a.k.a Twister) or a giant game of Snakes and Ladders with a horticultural careers twist.

Above: High schoolers from all over the Western Bay of Plenty to hear about the different career opportunities.

Left: Jodi Senior of NZ Avocado with Mr Avocado head in NZ Avocado's stand.

Below: Bill Wiessing Manager of Sweetwater Orchard with partner Shelley Duncan and NZ Avocado's Midge Munro during an orchard visit in the Far North.

Below: Midge Munro with the film crew from Channel North filming Whangarei grower Leonie Batt. Channel North did some filming for NZ Avocado to use at the World Avocado Congress this month.

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Out and about

Martin Napper and Ted Thomas from AVANZA with Tommy Padilla from Mission Produce at the AVANZA stand at Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong 1-4 September.

Ben Lay from Freshmax at the Freshmax stand at Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong 1-4 September.

Out & About

The New Zealand Pavillion at Asia Fruit Logistica 1-4 September.

The team from Locus Research, along with NZ Avocado, ran a CultivateYour Careers workshop for Bay of Plenty high schools.

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New growers group meeting in Whangarei - these growers met to share and gain knowledge of owning and maintaining an avocado orchard.

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