HORTNEWS
Recordbreaking year for kiwifruit – Page 9
ISSN 2624-3490 (print) ISSN 2624-3504 (online)
WWW.RURALNEWS.CO.NZ
MARCH 2021, ISSUE 15
Growers want the tools Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
AGRICULTURE MINISTER Damien O’Connor says the promotion of fruit and vegetables is about healthy food and food security. Speaking at the March launch of the United Nations International Year of Fruit and Vegetables held at Parliament, he says Covid has shown us the priorities of life. “Whether it was the line up outside the supermarkets or going to the
cupboard and getting exactly what we wanted every day, suddenly we realised the importance of food and our access to it.” O’Connor’s other key message was a focus on the amount of food in the world that is wasted; estimates vary, but it’s up to a third in some places. He says if less food was wasted, there’d be a significant reduction of greenhouse gases. “We can be the best growers and farmers for the world and its through sophisticated organisations like Plant
and Food, and innovation and energy from the growers across our country, that we can develop the cultivars that are not only suited to NZ but to others,” he says. O’Connor recognised the hard times that many growers are going through at the moment to get their crops picked, but says he is hopeful the country will get through this. Meanwhile, HortNZ says often forgotten is the vital role growers play in ensuring fresh fruit and vegetables are on the table.
Chief executive Mike Chapman says Covid has shown NZ that it cannot rely on imports and has highlighted how lucky the country is that it can grow most of its own food. “We need to make sure that we protect this ability,” he says. “But at the same time, fruit and vegetable growers are being asked to meet increasingly strict objectives for climate change and compliance in general, without the important role of feeding people being factored in. If NZ is to meet its climate change and
economic goals, growers and farmers need to be empowered to adapt and reduce emissions.” Chapman says that if NZ growers are given the tools, incentives and time, they could lead the world in climate change adaption and global food production. He notes that this will require significant research and development to find the tools and techniques needed to make a difference. • Celebrating fruit and vegetables page 4.
APPLES FEEL THE CRUNCH! HAWKES BAY’S multi-million dollar apple industry is facing a crisis – all because there are not enough people available to pick the crop. Paul Paynter, director of Johnny Appleseed – one of the largest growers in Hawkes Bay – describes the situation as an impending crisis. He says that unless they get sufficient pickers there is a serious chance that $100 million worth of apples won’t be picked this season. The apple industry is worth more than half a billion dollars to the Hawkes Bay economy and, with upwards of 20% of the crop not being picked, that will have a huge impact on the region.
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Feijoa season looks bright THE FEIJOA season is looking bright as fine weather brings an earlier harvest than usual for the fruit. Feijoas hit New Zealand supermarket shelves earlier this month. T&G Fresh’s key supplier of feijoas, Kaiaponi Farms, expects another great season with ideal weather conditions and a new packing line bringing greater consistency of fruit to consumers. Kaiaponi Farms
commercial manager Barton Witters says thanks to plenty of irrigation and a bit of rain, they have a slightly bigger fruit size profile this season. “With T&G Fresh as our preferred feijoa distributor for the second year, we look forward to continuing to provide top quality fruit at an accessible price under our K-fruit brand.” T&G Fresh and Kaiaponi Farms are working together on a new season social
Kaiaponi Farms commercial manager Barton Witters says their feijoas have a slightly bigger fruit size profile this season.
GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING! INDUSTRY COLLECTIVE Women in Horticulture (WiH) – along with the Massey Hort Society hosted – recently held a livestream event to acknowledge the vital role that women play in New Zealand’s $6 billion horticulture industry. Speakers in a variety of senior management roles across the industry shared their experiences in the event timed to take place on International Women’s Day – March 8. Catherine Lewis, executive member of WiH and director of Lewis Farms, says the livestream event was an opportunity for women to share their experiences and develop an environment that will empower the thousands of women working in the horticulture industry across New Zealand. “Women have a significant contribution to make to the decision-making process at all levels of the industry.” Lewis says many of the women working in horticulture are facing new pressures with working from home during and after lockdowns. “Entertaining and home-
schooling children, dealing with tighter household budgets and still trying to hold down a job are challenges that particularly effect our female workforce,” she adds. A UMR study last year found that despite women representing 50% of workers in the industry, they held less than 20% of leadership positions. Paula Dudley, general manager of United Fresh and executive member of WiH, says the emphasis from the UN on the empowerment of women in the fresh produce industry reinforces work already underway in NZ. “Initiatives such as WiH that are dedicated to raising the profile of women in the industry and to encouraging women’s participation from entry level to right through to leadership roles are the key to bringing about positive change in our industry,” she says. More events are planned throughout 2021 to highlight female workers and HortNZ’s conference, in August, will include dedicated breakfast sessions for women with an address from Jan Tinetti, Minister for Women.
The United Fresh team celebrating Women In Horticulture.
media campaign to drive consumers to K-fruit. T&G Fresh trade marketing manager Louise Srhoj says, as there is only a small harvesting period for feijoas, getting awareness out to consumers quickly is vital. She says the social media campaign will share various recipes and include a giveaway of the delicious, high fibre fruit, which is rich in vitamin C. Kaiaponi Farms has been growing feijoas in Gisborne for the past
20 years and has gained market share by growing larger commercial blocks of the newest varieties, enabling greater consistency, size and taste compared to what’s currently on the market. “We pride ourselves on having a crop that is picked daily and shipped to market overnight, to ensure the fruit is of the freshest quality for consumers each and every season,” says Barton. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Ngái Tahu invests in miniature apple company NGĀI TAHU Holdings has taken a 6% stake in Rockit Global Limited the branded miniature apple company. Ngāi Tahu Holdings is the investment arm of the South Island’s largest iwi Ngāi Tahu. Its investment came after the recent completion of a successful capital raise by Rockit. At the same time, Punchbowl Investmentsled group – PB Rock – lifted its combined Punchbowl and PB Rock stake to 15% in the company. Pioneer Capital remains the largest stakeholder in Rockit Global Limited, holding around 40%. Rockit chairman John Loughlin says
the investment was completed by Ngāi Tahu Holdings in late February, and that all parties are extremely pleased with the outcome. “Ngāi Tahu Holdings expressed an interest in Rockit early on in the process, recognising there was alignment with its strategic goals. We also see great strategic value in this relationship – value that stretches far beyond the benefit of the significant investment Ngāi Tahu Holdings has made in our business.” Ngāi Tahu Holdings chief executive Mike Pohio says it’s an investment to be celebrated. “This opportunity
Rockit chairman John Loughlin says the company sees great value in the significant investment Ngái Tahu Holdings has made in its business.
will benefit both sides by providing Rockit with more capacity for future orchard
developments, as well as further diversifying and increasing the growth profile of our portfolio,”
he says. “This investment is consistent with our overall strategy and is a wonderful opportunity to work alongside a fastgrowing, innovative New Zealand company with a strong team.” Rockit’s capitalraising process began in late 2020, and took place over three stages – beginning with offers to growers and existing investors. Both offers were oversubscribed, which the company claims is testament to the strides it has made developing key offshore markets, appointing top talent and establishing world-leading technical innovation. Meanwhile,
foundation investor Punchbowl Investments Ltd, along with its PB Rock group of investors – major stakeholders in the kiwifruit sector – says it took the opportunity to build on its investment in Rockit Global. “The Punchbowl group is pleased to be taking one of the lead roles in the capital raising,” says executive chairman, Rob Craig. “We have supported Rockit at every turn and we are pleased to see the business taking another step forward.” Loughlin says Rockit has been on a sharp global growth path and that the capital-raise will enable several highprofile projects to move
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forward “Our state-of-theart packhouse and headquarters located in Irongate, Hastings is nearing completion, and its second phase will take a large portion of this funding. We’ll also look to establish our own orchards – which diversifies our business – and support strategic global sales and marketing activity.” He says the investments made by Ngāi Tahu Holdings and PB Rock, coupled with the support from existing investors and grower investors, is exceptionally influential. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
STRONG GROWTH FOR T&G IN A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY PRODUCE COMPANY T&G Global recently announced its financial results for the year ending 31 December 2020. The company claims this shows strong growth in a year of uncertainty. Chief executive Gareth Edgecombe says the results are down to the hard work and the ongoing transformation to improve T&G’s underlying performance. “It’s been a year of extraordinary challenges, with the Covid-19 pandemic creating uncertainty and volatility around the world. International lockdowns and changes to operating
procedures affected the day-to-day running of our business, with other setbacks such as the closure of some international wholesale markets and complexities around the import and export of produce, providing other challenges. “Despite this, our team showed a huge amount of resilience and adaptability, uniting under difficult and uncertain circumstances. The result is testament to their hard work.” Edgecombe says the 2020 result also follows a concerted transformation of the business during the past few years.
“While we still have a way to go, our strong underlying results demonstrate our strategy and performance is delivering.” The company’s apples business had a particularly strong year, improving operating profit by 56%, from $33.5 million in FY19 to $52.1 million in FY20. A 23% increase in the sales of T&G’s New Zealand Envy apples saw the crop sell out prior to the arrival of northern hemisphere fruit. “A sustained focus on harnessing the best genetics, building premium brands, delivering strong sales
momentum in Asia and continually optimising its supply chain, all contributed to the strong result.” Meanwhile, the company’s acquisition and integration of Freshmax New Zealand’s fresh produce division in April 2020 saw the creation of T&G Fresh. Both businesses combined to deliver a revenue increase of $75 million, to $357.7 million in 2020. To help fund further growth initiatives, including investment back into the business, T&G closed the year out strongly with the sale and leaseback of its Nayland Road post-harvest facil-
ity in Nelson for $50.5 million. T&G Global chairman Klaus Josef Lutz says despite the pervasive challenges faced during the year; the company successfully built on the foundations laid over the last two years to deliver a strong profit result. “In the context of so much uncertainty, and the impact of various one-off and climate-related factors, it is very pleasing to see a substantial improvement in T&G’s underlying financial performance.” Edgecombe put the year’s good result down to the work of the T&G team.
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Fruit and vegetables celebrated Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THE WORLD’S population seems to have lost some of the value in consuming fresh fruit and vegetables, according to the President of United Fresh, Jerry Prendergast. His comments came at a function, held recently at Parliament, to launch the United Nations International Year of Fruit and Vegetables – conceived to raise international awareness of the contribution fruit and vegetables make to society, especially in terms of nutrition, dietary diversity and health. It also aimed to showcase the economic contribution that they make to countries and their role in environment and sustainability. United Fresh works with HortNZ and Plant
and Food to promote the intrinsic values of fruit and vegetables to consumers in NZ. Prendergast says the key objective in NZ during the year is to really raise the profile of fresh fruit and vegetables. “We want to put them on a pedestal…with a particular focus on the consumer,” he says. “The risk is that other products have got salts, fats and sugars in them, which are addictive and are very attractive in terms of the palette. If we don’t continue to highlight the nutritional value of the fresh fruit and vegetables, we have the potential to go backwards.” Prendergast says NZ is in a unique position where a product is growing in the field one morning and the next morning, sitting on the shelf in the local
supermarket. He says the sector has to ensure that consumers understand the value of eating within a season – code for fresh – and they understand the nutritional value of doing this. “We are using the international year of fruits and vegetables to highlight to consumers this value proposition,” he says. During the year, United Fresh will be working with HortNZ and Plant and Food Research to promote the work all the organisations are doing. Prendergast says a key item of note is the excellent work done by Plant and Food Research scientists to develop new cultivars of fruit and vegetables that appeal to consumers. One of the challenges facing all primary sectors, and horticulture
President of United Fresh, Jerry Prendergast and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor at the launch of the United Nations International Year of Fruit and Vegetables at Parliament.
is no exception, is consumer demand for more ready meals or convenience products. However, Prendergast believes that the hort sector is up to meeting
that challenge. “It’s about understanding how to use them, in a way that is quick and easy. These options are already available in NZ because
if you look at the salad lines in the supermarket now, they are absolutely outstanding. There is a whole range of products which simply require the addition of some
avocado, tomato and capsicum and there is a very easily prepared very nutritious meal,” he says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
MINERAL OFFERS MANY BENEFITS GYPSUM IS a highly available calcium source that provides immediately available sulphate sulphur, according to Lindsay Heard – an independent horticulture consultant. He says it assists with in-row trafficking or compaction issues, helps the root zone and air-filled porosity of the sub soil. Heard also claims it helps the roots of the vine be at their best.
Meanwhile, Winstone Gypsum states that their mineral product is a soil conditioner that will improve soil quality, drainage, aeration and particle size. It consists of 23.3 % calcium and 18% sulphate sulphur calcium, which is said to increase the postharvest conservation of apples and subtropical crops such as kiwifruit. The company says it is also a vital element for fruit quality, cell growth and cell wall rigidity.
“Soil applied calcium sources can augment and substitute the foliar applications traditionally used in apple orchards, in order to lower production costs – provided there is no water shortage,” says Heard. He says that calcium sulphate di-hydrate is used as ‘clean green’ soil conditioner and fertiliser “Healthier roots are encouraged by assisting the xylem to pump the calcium, which is available up the
vine up into the new shoots and fruitlets which are forming,” Heard explains. He says the early uptake of calcium Is critical across fruit crops – ensuring the nutrient availability is as strong as is practical with gypsum’s use. “As well the coupled positive of ensuring no discernible effect on pH makes the material a positive form of calcium input.”
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Winstone Gypsum says the product is also registered as a certified input under BioGro and claims that it enhances dry matter and storage characteristics – offering benefits to kiwifruit grower’s return. “Getting things right at the start of the crop’s development and in the root zone,” Heard adds. “Strong green leaf matter will result from the sulphate sulphur, which is available very readily via the use of gypsum.”
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
The accidental orchardist Dean Nikora is a successful dairy farmer and former winner of the prestigious Ahuwhenua Award for the top Maori dairy farmer of the year. He's now the chief judge in this year's competition and a highly respected business person. Fast forward 13 years and Nikora is showing that he's an all-rounder when it comes to the ag sector. Peter Burke recently caught up with him and his latest horticultural venture in Hawkes Bay. Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
DEAN NIKORA left school at 16 and immediately embarked on a career in the dairy industry – working his way from worker, sharemilker and then farm owner. Over time, he’s run a consultancy business and travel agency out of Singapore. He also has investments in orchards, farm management and commercial property. In 2018, Nikora and his partner decided to permanently relocate back to NZ and quite by chance they ended up buying an apple orchard at Pukahu, south of Hastings. He says it was cheaper to buy an orchard than a house in Havelock North. “It wasn’t an overly productive orchard. Essentially we came back from overseas and we wanted a home and the home had an orchard attached to it,” Nikora told Hort News. “It gave us a place to live and develop opportunities on a nice, square block five minutes from town. “We never intended to go to horticulture – we did have slight interest in it. But, in the end, we saw an exciting opportunity to make the orchard and we have.” Nikora says the orchard had been run
down and suffered from disease, such as fire blight – a destructive bacterial disease. He says there were also blocks of trees in the orchard that weren’t making any money and they replaced these poorer varieties of apples with better ones. He says they are now selecting another variety, which they will plant next year. It seems the house was also pretty terrible. “It wasn’t habitable and we lived in a horse truck for 3-4 months till we got that sorted. The windows were broken and in order to run our businesses we put two shipping containers on the property and used them till we got the house in order,” Nikora told Hort News. “We then set up the irrigation systems for the orchard and got some good management in place using Freshmax.” The land at Pukahu is regarded as fringe land for apple growing because of the soil type and climate, especially the risk of frost. He says this made for extra challenges and they employed farm consultants Ag First to help them develop the block. This included farm walks every month. “For two years, we basically educated ourselves,” he says. Freshmax plays an important role in the
Most of the apples grown on Dean Nikora’s orchard are destined for markets in South East Asia, including China.
management of the Nikora’s orchard, headed by Amrinda Singh who’s managed orchards like this for the past 11 years, It’s Freshmax who employ the RSE workers to pick the apples and who takes care of the marketing of the crop. Nikora is a detail person and is very focused on profit and excellence – and this is paying off. “On our better varieties were doing about
85 tonnes per hectare and we are targeting 100 tonnes per hectare with the newer varieties,” he says. “When we came here some of the poorer varieties were doing just 30 tonnes per hectare.” Most of the apples grown on Nikora’s orchard are destined for markets in South East Asia, including China. He says they are also adding varieties that will be suitable for the European market.
Freshmax plays an important role in the management of Dean Nikora’s orchard, headed by Amrinda Singh.
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
A LABOUR OF LOVE BECOMING A MAJOR ISSUE FOR ORCHARDISTS Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THE OTHER issue confronting orchardists is the lack of people to pick the fruit. Nikora says he’s lucky having Freshmax to source labour, but he’s taking no chances in the future. He’s already bought what are known as Hydraladas – mobile, hydraulically-operated platforms. These can accommodate four fruit pickers and are driven down the rows of apples. The height can be adjusted to pick both the top of the trees and also fruit lower down. “This innovation will probably allow us to reduce our labour demand by about 30%. For us it will also open up a new labour market – namely local people,” Nikora told Hort News. “We will no longer need such physically strong people to move ladders around and climb up and down them with large bags of apples, because with the mobile picking platforms these can easily be fed into
bins from the mobile trestles. So, it takes the ladders out of the system and makes it easy for us to take the fruit from the top of the trees, where there is low volume but higher value fruit,” he explains. Also, on Nikora’s mind is the issue of sustainability and what it means to him and his business – as well as the consumer. Something he has seen at first hand. “We hear about the Chinese mum who is the key buying decision maker in the house and the young people who are not necessarily eating meat in the way we think they should and choices they are making,” he says. “When you live in that market, you see it and it’s real. I guess we are starting to ask the question, how do we apply ourselves here to meet that market? “At present, we are just focused on being profitable and this will be the first year we have made a profit. Our goal is to get the right varieties of apples planted and the work from there,” he says.
A lack of people to pick fruit is an issue that Dean Nikora is tackling head on.
In his 52 years, Nikora has had quite a journey and successful one at that. His philosophy is one of constant improvement, attention to detail and learning from the past. Winning the prestigious
Ahuwhenua Trophy was a part of that journey. For him, the learnings have sharpened his thinking and open up a new world of important contacts. He told Hort News this translates into having clear strategies,
management plans and systems and having good people around him. “It’s got to work for everyone. It’s got to work financially but it has to work for the people who are working for us. If it’s not fun, don’t do it.”
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
A world of opportunities Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva
THE HORTICULTURE sector aims for a $20 billion increase in export earnings by 2030. It is the key driver for primary industry growth identified by the Ministry of Primary Industries, providing safer, reliable, and trusted products around the world. New Zealand’s economy is being diversified through horticulture and it is shown to have potential to do likewise in traditional and non-traditional horticultural areas in of land traditionally not used for horticultural production. New Zealand’s horticultural industry is diverse: exports are dominated by wine, kiwifruit and apples but growing rapidly in significance are avocados, potatoes, blueberries and cherries. Employment and career opportunities are many and diverse with demand for graduates, in New Zealand and internationally far exceeding supply. Massey University ranks first in New Zealand for agriculture, horticulture and forestry and 34th in the world – according to the just released QS World University Rankings by Subject (2020). Massey University is the only New
Zealand university offering a dedicated degree in Horticultural Science. This degree was co -developed with the Horticultural Capability Group and is fully supported by the industry to train future leaders. The flexible degree programme can be completed internally on the Palmerston North campus or via distance either full time or part-time. The degree is interdisciplinary – a key feature – combining science, technology and business. It covers the whole value chain, from breeding and plant growth to the final consumer in domestic and international markets. Our graduates have priority in the job market and their careers are accelerated due to the wide range of disciplines, knowledge and experience they gain during their study. This includes plant biology and crop production, soil and water management, plant protection, business and post-harvest management and marketing. Many of our students are offered multiple jobs throughout and at the end of their studies. Graduates contribute to the industry’s innovativeness, productivity and sustainability through diverse careers including orchard and production managers (pipfruit,
Employment and career opportunities in the horticulture sector are many and diverse with demand for graduates far exceeding supply. PHOTO CREDIT MASSEY UNIVERSITY.
kiwifruit, vineyard, vegetable, and other crops) horticultural science managers, grower service provider representatives, and horticultural and environmental consultants. Last year, a graduate passionate about the industry, joined the team of career-liaison officers for HortNZ – NZ Apples and Pears and is now education supporter inspiring local youngsters to start a career in horticulture.
HORTNEWS Introducing Hort News, a national publication serving the needs of our booming horticulture sector. Distributed with the leading national farming publication Rural News, Hort News will be delivered to all key horticulture regions nationwide. It is the complete solution for readers and advertisers, covering every aspect of the wider horticulture industry – news, agribusiness, management, markets, machinery and technology.
with an industry partner is being developed by Massey University. This post graduate qualification is specifically tailored for people working in the primary industries who may be seeking to gain additional knowledge in a specific area while continuing to work in the sector. • Dr Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva is the programme leader in horticulture science at Massey University.
Massey University also offers a Masters in Horticultural Science (MSc) for those who want to pursue postgraduate study for further specialised learning and/or a scientific career. This can be completed in 18 months full time study. Many of our Master graduates now work as researchers and in senior positions in the industry. A professional Masters in Horticultural Science co-delivered
HORTNEWS
New apple ‘dazzles’ Chinese consumers – Page 4
0 (print) ISSN 2624-349 4 (online) ISSN 2624-350
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Sudesh Kissun
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Largest-ever kiwifruit harvest begins NEW ZEALAND’S 2021 kiwifruit harvest has begun with the first commercial crop picked earlier this month in Gisborne and more to be harvested across the country during the next few months. The 2021 season is forecast to be another record-breaking year with more kiwifruit produced than ever before, overtaking last year’s record of 157 million trays of export Green and Gold.
together last season meant the industry could safely pick, pack and ship a record-breaking crop of fruit. She expects the 2021 season to be no different. “Growers and the wider kiwifruit industry are working hard to make sure consumers across the world can enjoy fresh, healthy fruit like our kiwifruit once harvest begins,” Ward says. “We’re encouraged by the strong demand we’re seeing for our fruit, and
The 2021 crop is forecast to be another recordbreaking year with more kiwifruit produced than ever before, overtaking 2020’s record of 157 million trays.
Kiwifruit is the country’s largest horticultural export. The Gold variety is usually picked first, followed by Green kiwifruit in late March. Harvest peaks in midApril and runs through until June. In addition to the Green and Gold kiwifruit, Zespri’s sweet, berrytinged tasting Red kiwifruit, will also be picked for supermarket shelves in New Zealand and some overseas markets this year. New Zealand has around 2,800 growers who produce kiwifruit across 13,000 hectares of orchards between Kerikeri in the north and Motueka in the south. New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc chief executive Nikki Johnson says that the lead up to harvest has been a mixed bag for growers. “This year has been devastating for a small number of growers whose crops in Motueka and other isolated areas who were hit by hail. “On the other hand, the season is shaping up to produce high quality kiwifruit which means consumers can anticipate a great tasting product coming to supermarket shelves.” Zespri’s chief grower, industry and sustainability officer Carol Ward says the wider kiwifruit industry’s ability to adapt and work closely
we’ll continue to closely monitor the Covid-19 environment and its impacts both in New Zealand and abroad as we begin shipping this year’s crop.” Meanwhile, the forecast record crop means that there are a plenty of jobs available for picking and packing. Up to 23,000 seasonal workers will be in orchards and packhouses during the April peak. With border closures reducing the number of backpackers and Pacific Islanders from the RSE scheme, locals are encouraged to try their hand at picking. “The kiwifruit industry offers well paid jobs across a variety of roles,” says Johnson. “There’s a great team environment and you can have fun while you work and meet people from all around New Zealand.” She says that almost all packhouses have told NZKGI that they will be paying at least the living wage of $22.10 per hour. Kiwifruit picking is also expected to exceed the living wage with an average of $24 per hour paid last year when the minimum wage was $18.90 per hour. The kiwifruit industry is an important player for communities across New Zealand, contributing almost $2 billion in 2020.
Farmer Brad Burling and his daughter
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Ex Feds boss’s grape escape Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
FOR YEARS, as a sheep farmer Bruce Wills spent hundreds of hours with a hand-piece cleaning up daggy sheep. Now he’s spending hundreds of hours with a pair of secateurs pruning grape vines. That sort of sums up Wills’ change in lifestyle, now a professional company director and on the boards of many agri-related companies – such as Ravensdown, the Primary ITO, QEII Trust and Apiculture, of which he chairs the last three. He was also president of Federated Farmers in the past from 2011-2014. Wills is no stranger to horticulture having served on the HortNZ board and he also has investments in kiwifruit in the Bay of Plenty. Until a couple of years ago, he ran the family farm Trelinnoe Station, a unique sheep and beef property on the Hawkes Bay end of the Napier Taupo road. The property is world famous for its large, world-class garden. But now Wills has moved on from running
a large livestock farm to being a small time, contract grape grower with a house on a hill that has some of the most spectacular views in Hawkes Bay. “I come from a large family and I’d been at Trelinnoe for quite a while,” he told Hort News. “At the same time, I began to get busy with my governance work, which I enjoyed and felt wasn’t giving Trelinnoe the fair deal that it deserved. After an extensive discussion with wider family members and children – I have four – and a swag of brothers, we decided to sell Trelinnoe a couple of years ago.” For Wills and wife Jo, the next decision was where to from there. He says he’s always been keen on architecture and his instructions to the real estate agent was to find him a site where he could build a special house for his semiretirement. But, instead, the agent came up with an entirely different proposition – a stunning architecturally-designed house, which had been owned by two of the
Bruce Wills has moved on from running a large livestock farm to being a small time, contract grape grower.
original founders of the Trinity Hill vineyard, plus a few hectares of grapes. The house is on a hill and looks down on the Trinity Hill vineyard complex. “So, it was a case of horticulture by default. I didn’t really seek out the vineyards but when we came here, the house and site fitted what we were
after,” Wills says. “So, with it came five hectares of syrah grapes, plus some olive trees. We’d only been here six months when the neighbouring 53ha of land came up for sale, which we bought and that had another five hectares of grapes on the flatter gimblett gravel – plus another hectare of
olives as well as some sheep and cattle.” In terms of the grape growing operation, the vines on what Wills calls the ‘farm block’ and down on the flat are a mixture of chardonnay, merlot and syrah. He employs a manager to run this area. It once belonged to Cyprus Wines, who moved on.
Around the house on the hill or terraces are the syrah grapes and these are the ones that he personally looks after – doing the pruning and other tasks. But there is no ‘Bruce Wills’ brand. “We are simply contract growers. We have a strong association with Trinity Hill but we may sell to other
winemakers,” he told Hort News. “We are just keen to learn about grapes and happy to say we are complete amateurs at this stage. We have only gone through a season and a bit and we have learned how to prune, pluck and manage, and are getting the lingo sorted,” he says.
HOUSE ON THE HILL’S SPECTACULAR VIEWS EVERY ROOM in Bruce Wills’ house has a view. To the north, in the distance, you see the port of Napier and ships waiting in the Pacific Ocean waiting to berth. To the west, there are ranges and then more stunning views of the Hawkes Bay coast. The house was built by an English couple, Robert and Robyn Wilson, one of the original owners of Trinity Hill, which was established in 1993. They owned the Bleeding Heart Restaurant chain in the UK and they wanted their own NZ wine for their restaurants. The house is concrete and there is no garage. Wills says the Wilsons came out from England every year in our summer and just stayed for a month or two. Bruce and Jo have plans to put a new building alongside the existing house – a space for family and potentially a B&B. But it will be separate and not attached to the present house. His governance work takes up about four days a week, leaving
the rest of the time to tend the grapes and olives, as well as indulge in one of his favourite pastimes – planting thousands of trees. This includes a range of species such as poplars on the steep hill, which leads up to the house. He and wife Jo are also developing an extensive wetland. “Six months ago, that was just a dirty little gully with five springs, which ran all through last year’s drought and I thought it was just too good to not do something with,” Wills told Hort News. “So, we got a digger in there and built five ponds and did some design works and put a secure post and batten fence around it. The result is that the wetland filters the water as it enters the gimblett gravels. Conservation has always been part of my life and I enjoy planting trees.” Wills says he doesn’t miss Trelinnoe and says this is partly because he took time to come to the decision to move. “It was time for us to move on. Trelinnoe was a big commitment and a difficult property to run
and being a little way out of town, so I was constantly in the car on the way to airports,” he explains. “I have had the philosophy that life is short and you have to grasp opportunities, and now that we have moved, I am happy. I tell my sheep and cattle colleagues I have moved to the
dark side, but I have still got a few sheep and cattle here. But I don’t miss dagging dirty lambs and doing lambing beats or things like that,” he says. Today when he’s not attending a board meeting in person or on Zoom, Wills is busy caring for the grapes around the house
Every room in Bruce Wills’ house has spectacular views of Hawkes Bay. or out planting trees and being distracted by the magnificent views from his hilltop, grape escape.
HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
11
Blowing life into apple harvest Mark Daniel markd@ruralnews.co.nz
PROBABLY BETTER known in the viticulture sector, Tractor Repairs and Spares (TRS) is now expanding into the horticulture area – with a focus on apples – after purchasing the FMR business in late 2020. At a recent demo day in the Hawkes Bay, TRS showcased a New Zealand-designed and manufactured machine, with the aim of increasing the quantity of premium quality, pickable apples, while reducing labour costs. The ERO Impulse pneumatic defoliator uses tried-and-tested key componentry from a German manufacturer.
The machine delivers a pulsed flow of compressed air to shred and remove the green leaf material from apples during the ripening stages. By allowing more light to penetrate the crop canopy, the onset of ripening is brought forward, while the vibrancy of colour is also markedly improved. “There are also major production gains, given that in a typical season, orchardists will typically ‘pick’ the orchard three times to take fruit as they ripen,” explains TRS’s Chris Clifford. “Using the pneumatic defoliator results in major colouring changes in 10 to 14 days and usually reduces the
The ERO Impulse pneumatic defoliator delivers a pulsed flow of compressed air to shred and remove the green leaf material from apples during the ripening stages.
ANTONIO CARRARO BY THE NUMBERS: • Founded in 1910 by 20-year old Giovanni Carraro. • Based at Campodesago Padua Italy. • 450 employees. • 600 importers/distributors/ resellers worldwide. • Manufacturers of compact tractors for specialised agriculture and civil operations from 30 to 98hp. • Doug McFarlane Tractors was established in 1957 and has imported the Antonio Carraro brand since 2000.
picking passes to just two events.” The system comprises a front linkage mounted tool carrier/tower that can move through four different axes. This in turn carries a selectable configuration of twinrotor distribution heads that direct the air flow into the crop canopy. Depending on the orchard
layout, the rotor heads can be stacked vertically to deal with a taller wall of fruit, or 2D formats, or in tandem to operate in more conventional 3D layouts. A rear-mounted, heavy-duty compressor sends air forwards to the distributor heads, where in the first instance it enters a manifold/gallery.
This creates a “pulsed” effect as the rotating nozzles pass by. The machine is said to be easily adjustable to change air pressure or rotor speed to suit the crop being managed. The unit normally passes through the orchard at a forward speed of 1-2km/h, with a typical horsepower requirement
of around 100hp. TRS notes that the development stages showed that a “pulsed air flow” is required to shred the leaf material, as a constant flow of air will just “bend” leaves away from the air flow, from where they will quickly return to their original growing position once the machine has passed.
The modular design of the system tower on the front linkage means that it is also capable of carrying the ERO/ Binger OBS Orchard Trimmer, thus saving the capital costs of two separate machines, while facilitating overall canopy management. www.tractorrepairs. co.nz
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HORTNEWS
MARCH 2021
Italian stallions hit the spot Mark Daniel markd@ruralnews.co.nz
HAVING GOT through the ravages of PSA, kiwifruit production has bounced back delivering record harvests and record prices for orchards. Further confirmation of this upswing is the placement of a large order for 45 specialised tractors. The bulk is destined for Seeka, a cooperative based in the Bay of Plenty that achieved revenues of $237m in the 2018/19 season. Nine shipping containers of Italian-built Antonio Carraro TN5800 Major tractors are being delivered by Hamilton importer/distributor Doug McFarlane Limited. The tractors are primarily destined for transport duties during the harvest season, pulling bin trailers to central loading areas or the packhouses. Traditionally this was the domain of old, locally-modified tractors that were difficult to operate in the confines of the orchards, often without power steering and with limited stopping power. The move to more specialised machines was driven by the need for efficiency, but also the recognition by many orchardists that they
needed to upgrade their health and safety requirements to meet current standards. “A lot of the older tractors are pulled out of storage for a short period of work every year,” managing director, Stuart McFarlane says. “In a lot of cases, they are poorly maintained, only two-wheel drive, have single ratio gearboxes, no power steering, little or no braking and in a lot of cases, not having the towing capacity required.” The new low-profile tractors are fitted with 50hp Yanmar 2.2 litre fourcylinder engines mated to a dry-clutch transmission with 12 forward and 12 reverse speeds. They have four-wheel drive and equal-sized wheels with 31-15.5 R15 low-ground pressure tyres. Combined with a low centre of gravity and fourwheel braking, the tractors offer a towing capacity of 1500kg. The full, cast chassis features a central articulated joint between the engine and transmission allowing 15 degrees of longitudinal oscillation, which helps maintain traction and grip. Featuring a foldable roll bar, a low engine hood height of 1050mm and a standard seat height of 820mm,
Seeka has a large fleet of Italian-built Antonio Carraro TN5800 Major tractors supplied by Hamilton-based importer/ distributor Doug McFarlane Limited.
the machines are said to be ideal for kiwifruit operations. However, for those with lower pergolas or low hanging vines, a modification can get the seat as low as 690mm.
“The equal-sized wheel layout, combined with the central pivot, allows safe operations at angles of up to 38 degrees,” says McFarlane. “While the 60:40 front to rear weight distribution
and diff locks mean these tractors can safely cope with steep inclines, sidling land or tricky situations.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews
SORTING OUT YOUR SOILS STRUCTURE Gypsum as a highly available Calcium source with immediately available sulphate sulphur – really assists with in-row trafficking or compaction issues, helps the root zone & air-filled porosity of the sub soil. Helping the roots of the tree be at their best. • Calcium increases postharvest conservation of Apples & subtropical crops such as Kiwifruit, is a vital element for fruit quality, cell growth & rigidity prevention of Bitter pit etc • Soil applied Calcium sources can augment & substitute the foliar applications traditionally used in apple orchards, in-order to lower production costs, provided there is no water shortage. • Healthier roots are encouraged, & assisting the xylem pump the Calcium which is available up the tree into the new shoots & fruitlets which are forming. • Getting things right at the start of the crop’s development & in the root zone • Gypsum is a soil conditioner that improves soil quality, drainage, aeration and particle size • 23.3 % Calcium & 18% Sulphate sulphur • Secondary benefits such as suppression of Phytophthora with no significant effect on pH
For more about Natural Gypsum and soil stabilisation visit gypsum.co.nz