increase font size
Cyclone Gabrielle devastated orchards at Puketapu near Hastings.
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
The Ngai Tukairangi Trust has 65ha of kiwifruit across five orchards near Hastings along with 26ha near Gisborne as well as a 55ha orchard in the Bay of Plenty and another large one at Kerikeri in Northland.
But it was one of their orchards at Puketapu near Hastings that was devastated by Gabrielle. The orchards were under water, infrastructure damaged along with a massive loss of fruit and, of course, income for the Tauranga-based trust.
Two years on, the chair of the trust Ratahi Cross says all the damage has been repaired and new vines planted, although these will not be producing fruit for several years. Despite this massive setback - especially the cost of repairs - the remaining and undamaged kiwifruit blocks have produced a bumper crop.
"This season's crop is unbelievably good. We are predicting over 1.7 million trays to be produced this year even without those damaged orchards producing, which is equivalent to the year before we had Cyclone Gabrielle. It's simply amusing," he told Hort News.
Another major success for Ngai Tukairangi, says Cross, is the fact that their kiwifruit, a mix of Gold and Organic Gold, in both Gisborne and Hastings, was the first to be picked in NZ.
Cross attributes the success in getting the orchards up and running to the excellent staff they employ. He says they took the bit between the teeth and "realised that we needed to recovery these orchards as quickly as possible".
 |
|---|
|
Ngai Tukairangi Trust chair Ratahi Cross. |
"The staff pointed out that not only do they rely on the orchards for their own livelihood, they also wanted to recognise the work our trust board did for them by helping them deal with the damage Gabrielle did to their own properties," he says.
The fruit in Ngai Tukairangi's orchards in the Bay of Plenty is now also being picked as well and Cross says the economic impact of this bumper crop will be huge for the trust and NZ. Besides kiwifruit, Ngai Tukairangi also has extensive apple orchards in the Hawke's Bay and by and large there were not badly damaged by the cyclone.
The result, says Cross, is a phenomenal crop this season.
A new international study serves as a stark warning for New Zealanders: our health and wellbeing are in our hands, and increasing our intake of fruit and vegetables is a key step to reducing the pressure on our healthcare system.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says access to reliable irrigation water is essential for a thriving horticultural sector.
The chair of New Zealand's biggest grower, packer and exporter of apples says it's been a bumper season.
The recent East Coast Farming Expo, held over two days at Wairoa, offered an insight into the current state of agriculture on the east of the North Island, at a time when the locals are remembering the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Horticulture New Zealand has welcomed the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s decision to advance plans for a new water storage facility on the Heretaunga Plains.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
