Tuesday, 12 September 2023 07:25

Recovery staggers on

Written by  Peter Burke
The top of this pole would normally be standing two metres high, but it now has only a few centimetres showing with the rest of it and trees behind it buried in silt. The top of this pole would normally be standing two metres high, but it now has only a few centimetres showing with the rest of it and trees behind it buried in silt.

A leading Hawke's Bay orchardist says the recovery in the region is taking place in a ponderous way.

Paul Paynter, of the Yummy Fruit company told Hort News he believes it will take up to 15 years for the region to recover fully from Cyclone Gabrielle. He says the way things are going, the apple industry in the region could shrink by about a third.

In Esk Valley, Paynter's company has lost 120,000 apple trees - all buried under two metres of silt. The valley is still littered with cars caught up in fences and tangled vines, with houses wrecked in a way one might expect in a war zone.

"It's pretty hard confronting that every day. I've been to Esk Valley 8 or 10 times and every time I go I have to pull over at the side of the road and take a few deep breaths," he told Hort News.

"I know what I am going to see but it's difficult to cope with the tragedy. It has a psychological impact."

Paynter says in the Esk Valley there are people who open their curtains every morning and see a disaster zone.

"You know they may be living in their garage or fixing up their half destroyed house and it's pretty hard on them mentally," he adds. "It's hard on relationships, very hard on finances, so it's a very tough environment and people's heads are dropping."

Paynter says it's taken a long time for the Government to form a plan, which includes interest-free loans from Kanoa, a government agency. He says this is fine, but in essence it's just more debt and most people already have a debt problem.

He says industry margins have been squeezed over the last couple of years. Everything has gone up: wages, shipping, energy, insurance. Meanwhile, prices have gone down and the big question is whether people can service the debt.

Yummy Apple Cyclone Gabrielle

The sign says it all!

"The final thing is the demographics of the industry. Your average fruit grower looks a bit like your average farmer: north of 60 years old," he explains. "They are thinking that it may take them at least 20 years to get back to normal and are asking themselves, 'is it worth it?' Instead, they may opt to pull out the trees and plant an annual crop for Watties and spend time with the grandkids."

On the positive side, Paynter says there may be an option for orchardists to pull out damaged trees and replace them with newer varieties of apples, which could get a higher premium in overseas markets. They may also get to upgrade their growing systems.

However, he warns that if people do rebuild their orchards, they need to get their assumptions about markets right.  He points out, for example, the present problems with the Chinese market.

Paynter says with the sun shining people can hopefully turn their mindset around and see the opportunity for a new crop.

But he believes this won't be easy given that people have gone through a long, miserable winter trudging around in sludge.

"It's been pretty confronting for them," he says.

More like this

Cyclone Gabrielle lessons from Young Grower of the Year

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.

Featured

Owl Farm marks 10 years as NZ’s first demonstration dairy farm

In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.

National

Hort industry dishes out awards

Research and healthcare initiatives, leadership and dedication to the sector have been recognised in the 2025 Horticulture Industry Awards.

Machinery & Products

Yamaha acquires Robotics Plus

New Zealand based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired…

Ecorobotix announces NZ dealership

Swiss-based Ecorobotix has announced its entry into the New Zealand market through a strategic partnership with Canterbury-based New Zealand Tractors.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Quid prod quo?

OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…

Deadwood

OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter