Tasman growers given $100m hail Mary pass

The “unprecedented” hail pummelled an area spanning Motueka, Riwaka. Tasman, Upper Moutere and into the Motueka Valley for up to half an hour. Hailstones the size of large cherries blanketed the ground so thickly that it remained more than a day later.

“It was all through, not just patches here and there,” orchardist and New Zealand Apples and Pears Board director Evan Heywood told Hort News. “There wasn’t anyone in that area that didn’t get hit really hard.”

He estimates that 40% of the district’s apples and 50% of kiwifruit has been lost. Heywood says there is nothing that can be done with the damaged fruit.

“Nothing that’s got any value. And you’ve got to get it off the tree or it’ll impact next year’s crop.”

Heywood’s own orchard lost about 90% of its gold kiwifruit.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says affected crops include apples (a total estimated area of 800ha with a complete loss expected for 300ha and an average loss of 30% for the rest), kiwifruit (loss estimated at 2 million trays of gold kiwifruit and 300,000 trays of green kiwifruit), hops (estimated at 100-150ha with around 50% loss) and grapes (40ha with 40-50% loss).

“After the hard task of removing damaged fruit, growers will need to prepare their trees and vines for a slow recovery over the next year for the 2022 harvest,” O’Connor says. “Having spoken to growers I understand the hard work ahead of them. Weather events are unpredictable by nature and determining the long-term effect is difficult because of the growing cycle.”

He says support was already available for those affected.

“For example, growers can make use of the Rural Support Trust-administered Farm Business Advice Support Fund, to which the Government allocated $200,000 of funding last year,” O’Connor explains.

“For a qualifying grower, the fund will provide up to $6000 to pay for financial or business advice from an independent consultant. The RSTs will provide up to $3000, depending on an assessment of need, and the relevant bank will match that dollar for dollar.”

He says the Ministry of Social Development has assistance available for both growers and staff whose income has been hit, while Inland Revenue has tax flexibility and income assistance options.