Blueberries Could Be NZ's Next $150m Horticultural Export
Blueberries have the potential to become a major horticultural export, earning up to $150 million within the next three to five years.
Trainees in the horticulture industry studying towards a certificate or diploma can now apply for Horticulture New Zealand's (HortNZ) 2026 Industry Training Scholarships programme.
Twenty-five scholarships worth $600 each are available.
The scholarships are part of HortNZ's annual programme of scholarships for New Zealand students with a special interest in the commercial fruit and vegetable production sector.
The scholarship is applied for at the beginning of the academic year and awarded pre-Christmas for keeping up with work and study throughout the year.
HortNZ chief executive, Kate Scott says the organisation is focused on supporting the next generation of achievers undertaking industry training or education with a vocational provider.
“Horticulture offers so many opportunities for people with a very wide range of interests and abilities," Scott says.
“That includes being able to earn while you learn, working with experienced mentors in interesting roles in orchards, greenhouses or field crops, or throughout the horticulture supply chain, while pursuing a direct pathway to gaining NZQA recognised qualifications.”
Applicants for the Industry Training Scholarships must be active in the horticulture industry and be studying towards a certificate or diploma.
Applications close Sunday, 29 March.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.
As we move into the second half of 2026, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that Year-to-Date figures ending June 30 saw new tractor deliveries hitting 1,386 units or 10.7% ahead of the same period in 2025.
The avocado sector is entering the new season with a larger crop and positive market opportunities.
New Zealand growers have always adapted to changing conditions, but one challenge is steadily gaining ground across the horticulture sector: resistance.

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…