The venture currently has 3 hectares in strawberries. Photo: Supplied / T&G Kaikohe Berryfruit
A joint venture between a horticulture company and the country's biggest iwi could see Northland become a major producer of berry fruit.
Under the agreement launched on Monday, T&G Fresh will grow strawberries and blueberries in partnership with Ngāpuhi at Ngāwhā, near Kaikohe, for domestic sales and export.
Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company chairperson Nick Wells said the iwi would provide the land, water and labour, while T&G Fresh would provide expertise, new berry varieties and access to markets.
The joint venture, named T&G Kaikohe Berryfruit, currently has three hectares of strawberries with seven hectares being planted in jumbo blueberries.
There was space to add another six hectares of growing tunnels.
Wells said the operation began in 2022 as a joint venture between the iwi and council-owned company Far North Holdings, but after a "tumultuous" few years it became clear outside expertise and increased scale were needed.
An initial trial season with three hectares of strawberries went well, but Cyclone Gabrielle hit during the first year of full production.
Wells said the cyclone all but wiped out seedling production in Hawke's Bay.
Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company chairperson Nick Wells, (left) and T&G Fresh managing director Rod Gibson in one of the strawberry-growing tunnels. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
As a new, small-scale grower, Ngāpuhi was forced to the back of the queue when it came to buying plants.
"So instead of being able to produce 10 quality hectares we ended up with three ratbag hectares of low-quality fruit.
"That hit us quite hard, and led us, over time, to restructure and downsize to be able to deal with the economic circumstances."
Access to markets, including supermarket shelves, was also difficult for small growers, he said.
Rod Gibson, managing director of T&G Fresh (formerly Turners and Growers), said horticulture was "inherently tricky", whether that was a result of weather, biological pests or a soft market.
"I guess what T&G brings to this partnership is experience in the market and as a grower, as well as better genetics," he said.
"For instance, one hectare of the strawberries planted out there now is a new variety. It grows a consistent size, has consistent flavour, it's sweet and has good shelf life.
"So you increase your odds of success through good genetics and good growing, and having great channels to market."
Te Tai Tokerau Water trustee Dover Samuels greets kaimahi Janie Paraone, 62, who was last season's top strawberry picker. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Wells said the iwi had a reliable supply of water from the neighbouring Matawii Dam, completed last year by Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust with a Provincial Growth Fund loan.
"That's particularly important in times of climate change, if we're worried about climate volatility and long dry periods," he said.
"We also have access to a large, committed pool of kaimahi (workers). Our workforce is here, they're hungry to learn, and they want to plan out careers here in Kaikohe."
Also working in Northland's favour as a food-producing region was its proximity to Auckland's ever-growing population, and the loss of horticultural land at Pukekohe, south of the city, to housing.
Gibson said T&G Fresh and iwi shared a long-term approach to doing business.
"Most businesses, because they're focused on the stock market, focus on quarterly and annual announcements, whereas we can focus on 10, 20 years out...
"We've been doing this for 128 years. We know it's a long-term future, and partnering with iwi enables us to have a partner that sees it the same way as us."
The Maunsell family performs a waiata during the joint venture launch. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Gibson said the Kaikohe Berries brand would be retained for the domestic market. How the fruit would be marketed overseas had yet to be decided.
Wells said if the venture went to plan it could serve as a prototype for other iwi-owned land around Northland.
"We had a tough start, but we've learned a lot and we feel quite confident now, both in partnering and in our own experience...
"At Ngāpuhi we have the whenua, we have the kaimahi, we have the water, we have the enthusiasm, and we have the dedication to build up a brighter future for Ngāpuhi katoa (all of Ngāpuhi)."
The venture currently had 20 workers, most of whom lived in nearby Kaikohe.
About half a dozen kaimahi employed since the first harvest in 2022 attended the launch, including Te Aroha Tamihere.
The Kaikohe woman had previously worked on kumara and dairy farms before starting at the Ngāwhā berry farm as a labourer.
She was now a packhouse supervisor.
Tamihere said the joint venture was a "turning point" for Kaikohe, both in terms of long-term employment and opportunities for youth to gain work experience before they settled on a career.
"Bringing mahi back into our community is a really positive thing, after all the other stuff that's happened in our town. I'm looking to whatever the future brings for this site as well."
Tamihere believed the joint venture would also bring certainty after a challenging few years.
Other speakers at Monday's launch, held inside a chiller next to the berry growing tunnels, included Te Tai Tokerau Water trustee Dover Samuels, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, and Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.
The blueberries being grown at Ngāwhā are an early variety which, coupled with Northland's warm climate, should mean they get to market before competitors' crops and command a good price.
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