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.
It produced the biggest-ever total return to growers, highest-ever Green return per hectare and record sales volumes for both Zespri Green and Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit.
Zespri chairman Peter McBride says total sales revenue for the season also grew to hit $1.9 billion, up 21% from the previous season.
The total fruit and service payment to growers for New Zealand-grown fruit increased 22% on the previous year to $1.143 billion, with average return per hectare reaching a record $60,758.
"Zespri sold 131.6 million trays in the 2015/16 season, up 21% on the previous season. New Zealand-grown kiwifruit sales hit 117 million trays – nearly 22 million trays more than the previous year – and 14.5 million trays of non-New Zealand kiwifruit," says McBride.
