Ōpōtiki grower wins 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award
Brett Wotton, an Eastern Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower and harvest contractor, has won the 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award for his work to support lifting fruit quality across the industry.
Zespri, in collaboration with ANL/CMA CGM, has initiated a feasibility study to investigate the potential for a low-emissions shipping corridor from Tauranga to Zeebrugge, Belgium, through the Panama Canal.
Zespri executive officer sustainability Rachel Depree says shipping plays a key role in New Zealand’s export-driven economy, carrying 99% of the country’s trade by volume and approximately 80% by value.
“Low-emissions shipping is a critical part of carbon reduction for exporters and also underpins our collective ability to achieve the government’s goal of doubling export value over the next 10 years,” Depree says.
“Collectively, we are already facing rising costs as carbon is priced into the economy and our markets and customers are starting to demand targets and plans to lower emissions over time,” she says.
Depree says shipping emissions is a key challenge to decarbonising the kiwifruit industry and meeting Zespri’s climate commitments.
“While kiwifruit is a low-carbon product, shipping emissions make up a larger portion of the product’s overall carbon footprint at 43% - and that’s why action is a priority.”
She says that, like many exporters, Zespri cannot directly reduce shipping emissions itself hence the reason why the exporter is working with its shipping and distribution partners to improve efficiency and find opportunities to pilot low-emissions fuel solutions as it works towards its aim of being carbon positive by 2035.
“This includes continuing to advocate for new port infrastructure and supporting the introduction of more low emissions shipping vessels, fuels and technology – all of which are critical and which require significant investment,” says Depree.
“The problem is significant and the answer complex but we do know success here will require coordinated action across government and supply chains,” she says.
Independent Waikato milk processor Tatua has set another new record for conventional farmgate milk price paid to New Zealand farmers.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
An early adopter of a 10-in-7 variable milking regime, the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm (LUDF) is tweaking the system this season in search of further boosting farm performance and profitability.
The dairy sector is in a relatively stable position, with strong milk price payout forecasts continuing to offset ongoing high farm costs, according to DairyNZ.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Fonterra has delivered a fifth straight year of record organic milk price for farmer suppliers.
OPINION: If the comments about the deceased Tom Phillips posted on social media by keyboard warriors were representative of parenting…
OPINION: This old mutt is loath to sound like Groundswell has been topping up his bowl with brisket off-cuts, but…