increase font size
Mr Apple has 1250 hectares of apples in Hawke’s Bay.
The chair of New Zealand's biggest grower, packer and exporter of apples says it's been a bumper season.
Mike Peterson is the chair of Scales Corporation, which owns Mr Apple along with several other operations within the horticultural sector. Mr Apple has 1,250 hectares of apples in Hawke's Bay, their only growing region.
Peterson says immediately after Cyclone Gabrielle, his company took action to get back up and running which is why things are so good today. He says some companies didn't do this and are struggling for a variety of reasons.
Peterson says capital is precious right now in Hawke's Bay and he feels for some of the smaller orchardists who are having hard times two years on from the cyclone.
"We are going well and continuing to invest in premium products. We understand exactly what we need to do to grow with our varieties; it is really a solid growing platform. We haven't gone down the fully automated track, but we're sort of in the band of fast followers but not leading the pack," he says.
Peterson says Mr Apple is introducing technology where it's needed and says it's about being smart in business and having a good balance sheet. So far, he says it's been a cracker of a season and things are looking good.
"This season is one out of the bag, but I have learned over the years you never to jinx the crop. We could get a hailstorm tomorrow and the whole thing is gone. So, fingers crossed for this year's harvest," he says.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
Acclaimed fruit grower Dean Astill never imagined he would have achieved so much in the years since being named the first Young Horticulturist of the Year, 20 years ago.
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
