Kiwifruit
King Country Kiwifruit
Bridget and Richard Neeson grow kiwifruit deep in a valley 40 minutes drive south of Taumarunui. The fruit gets plenty of winter chilling. Their crop is one of the last to be picked in New Zealand. Audio, Gallery
Kiwifruit growers await decision on migrant workers
A government decision is expected this week to allow thousands of migrant workers to stay on in New Zealand. Bucking a trend of declining demand for workers, a bumper crop of kiwifruit is hanging… Audio
Kiwifruit harvest gets underway
The harvest of New Zealand's largest horticultural export crop has just begun. Nikki Johnson from NZKGI says, with Covid-19 restricting travel, growers are hoping there will be enough backpackers… Audio
Kiwifruit - who renamed the Chinese gooseberry?
The American fruit importer who coined the term 'kiwifruit' for chinese gooseberries from New Zealand has died in California at the age of 96. Frieda Caplan was known as the Kiwi Queen, after she… Audio
Allocating Water for Dates
Plant and Food Research is working the the Middle East to help an environment agency there know how much water can be safely allocated to date plantations. It's an extension of the work it has been… Audio
Preparing for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Professor Max Suckling has been to Italy to see the devastation in crops caused by the brown marmorated stink bug. He's been looking at ways of trapping the bug and other controls that could help… Audio
From Canton to Kerikeri: the varied life of Joe Ngan
Joe Ngan was born in 1932 in a small village near Canton (Guangzhou) China. When he was two, his mother died while giving birth to his sister. That meant Joe and elder brother Sun, were virtual… Audio
Seeds of Success
The New Zealand kiwifruit industry started in 1904 when a woman brought in a handful of seeds after visiting her brother, a missionary, in China. Now the industry is worth $2.3 billion. Elaine… Audio
The cost of covering up: Bees prevented from doing their job
Around three quarters of the world's food crops rely on pollinators like bees - but what happens if they can't actually get to the crop? That's been the subject of a recent study carried out by Plant… Audio, Gallery
Sweet and Safe - Kiwifruit are back the menu for diabetics
A Plant and Food Research principal scientist John Monro says if some carbohydrates in a meal are swapped out for kiwifruit it will help reduce blood glucose levels. Audio
The highs and lows of running an organic orchard
Opotiki couple Catriona and Mark White predict that one year in every seven they'll receive no income from their kiwifruit orchard. They say it's just the nature of the business... Audio
How does a kiwifruit orchard get organic certification?
Ryan McDonnell comes from a "really heavy spray background" but now manages four organic kiwifruit orchards. Country Life tags along as BioGro auditor Vivienne Cruickshank checks out whether they're… Audio
A fruitful partnership
The Thompsons have just planted 15 hectares of kiwifruit trees and 4,000 Yen Ben lemon trees on their Kerikeri property. Back in 2008, the couple tried to retire, but it only lasted six months. Audio
Iwi kiwifruit venture grows Māori economy
A three way collaboration between iwi groups Ngāti Awa Group Holdings, Rotoma No I, and Te Arawa Group Holdings recently secured a deal, buying three Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchards. Together as the… Audio
Kiwifruit industry wins part of case against govt
The Kiwifruit industry has won part of its case against the government over the spread of the vine killing disease PSA. Video, Audio
High Court partially upholds kiwifruit PSA claim
The High Court has partially upheld a claim from a group of kiwifruit growers for damages over a PSA outbreak in 2010. Video
Kiwifruit packing company describes jobs as 's*** work'
After pointing to "welfare dependency" as a reason for its worker shortage a fortnight ago, a kiwifruit packing company has now admitted its jobs are "shit work". Video, Audio
Kiwifruit ‘crisis’ – how hard is picking really?
The kiwifruit industry is making big, big money, yet it hasn't been able to fix its self-described worker 'crisis'. Zac Fleming went kiwifruit picking and packing to try and figure out why. Video, Audio
Zespri reports strong year despite lower volumes
Zespri has reported a lift in earnings for the season, despite the volume of kiwifruit sold falling by 11 percent during that period.
NZ Kiwifruit industry to lobby for more RSE workers
New Zealand's kiwifruit grower's body will be asking the government to increase the cap on Pacific workers as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme for the 2019 season. Audio