Zespri global sales top $5 billion for 2024–25 season amid strong demand
Zespri says global sales for the 2024-25 season topped $5 billion on the back of strong demand and market returns.
Zespri's inaugural Kiwifruit Innovation Symposium in Mount Maunganui today will showcase leading science underway across the industry to a sold-out crowd.
Zespri general manager marketing & innovation, Carol Ward, says Zespri set up the event to profile the work underway across the industry, share findings and get industry input into directions and priorities for future research.
"This is an innovation conference for the industry and with the industry. By bringing our Zespri innovation leaders together along with so many of our research partners – the Riddet Institute, Plant & Food Research, KVH, Massey University and many more – we can show the industry the great work that's going on right across the industry," says Ward.
Zespri chief executive Lain Jager says the pace of change in the world is getting faster and innovation is a race.
"We need to innovate faster than the competition to stay relevant to our consumers and drive value back to our industry."
The new cultivar breeding programme accounts for more than half of Zespri's innovation funding – with over $20 million invested by Zespri, Plant & Food Research and the government each year – and has produced the game-changing SunGold (Gold3) and Hort16A varieties, adding nearly $4 billion to the NZ economy.
Bryan Parkes, operations manager for the Zespri Plant & Food Research breeding programme will update the audience on progress towards producing another revolutionary cultivar for the kiwifruit category.
Zespri says health communication is their key marketing platform with consumers. Zespri innovation leader Juliet Ansell will outline how consumers around the world connect health with food and how Zespri's investment in health research supports its premium, healthy position in the market.
Zespri says the work towards recognised regulatory health claims and scientifically-proven health benefits underpins this and gives the industry credibility with health professionals and consumers.
The programme also includes interactive workshops exploring topics like how a new green cultivar would be integrated into Zespri's portfolio, ways to transfer innovations quickly throughout the industry and how the industry can apply learnings from Psa to other biosecurity threats.
Exploring the limits of kiwifruit production will also be outlined – with yields tripling in the apple industry over the past 50 years, the kiwifruit industry has significant room for improvement.
Chinese textile company Saibosi has partnered with Wools of New Zealand to put the 'farm to floor' story of New Zealand wool rugs on screen for its customers.
Showcasing the huge range of new technologies and science that is now available was one of the highlights at last week's National Fieldays.
Coby Warmington, 29, a farm manager at Waima Topu Beef near Hokianga was named at the winner of the 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer Award for sheep and beef.
Northlanders scooped the pool at this year's prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards - winning both the main competition and the young Maori farmer award.
Red meat farmers are urging the Government to act on the growing number of whole sheep and beef farm sales for conversion to forestry, particularly carbon farming.
The days of rising on-farm inflation and subdued farmgate prices are coming to an end for farmers, helping lift confidence.
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