HAG (Horticultural Advisory Group)

The Heretaunga Sustainable Water (HSW) steering committee continues to meet on a monthly basis to review project updates and set priorities.  HSW exists as a forum to advocate and coordinate work that supports long-term (100-year) water security for the Heretaunga plains.

In April the HSW steering committee met with representatives of the Tukituki Water Security project.  This project has successfully secured funding to complete feasibility analysis, geo technical testing and design work.  Mike Scott, former CEO of Waimea Water has been appointed as CEO for Tukituki Water Security project and Mike Petersen is  Chair of the project governance group. The site of this proposed dam is the same as the former Ruataniwha dam proposal but due to changing regulation and other factors, significant changes to the original design of the dam have been undertaken.

The HSW steering committee are also receiving regular updates from the Heretaunga Water Storage project which has selected a site at Whanawhana as a preferred water storage scheme.  This project has also been successful in securing funding to advance feasibility analysis including geotechnical and engineering design work and has a governance group including representatives of local government, mana whenua and industry.

Both water storage projects are progressing well at this time and are confident that they can provide viable solutions that will greatly enhance water security on the plains.  The HSW steering committee will continue to engage with both project groups as further information becomes available on economic, environmental, technical and cultural factors over coming months.   Other project work underway includes analysis of current water abstraction along with 3D models of the aquifer to determine locations where aquifer recharge could be possible.  Members of HSW can expect a newsletter update soon including details of an AGM meeting.

Richard Pentreath
Chair of HAG

NZAPI APPOINTS DANIELLE ADSETT AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Decision reflects deep sector knowledge & vision for billion-dollar sector

The Board of New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Danielle Adsett as Chief Executive, effective immediately.

Danielle’s appointment reflects her deep knowledge of the pipfruit industry and her future-focused vision for the organisation, its members and the sector.

As Market Access Manager for six years and Acting General Manager since December 2025, Danielle has provided strong and steady leadership along with clear direction and continuity for the organisation.

NZAPI Chair Andrew Gibbs said the Board was unanimous in its decision after a rigorous recruitment process.

“Danielle’s clear vision for the industry, leadership capability, and deep, long-term dedication to the sector were evident throughout the process and made her the standout candidate,” Mr Gibbs said. “We look forward to working with Danielle and the team to deliver further benefits for our members and New Zealand as a whole.”

The announcement comes at a key point in time for the industry, which achieved more than a billion dollars in exports for the first time in 2025, following several challenging seasons marred by weather events and covid-19.

Danielle said she was honoured with the appointment and has hit the ground running.

“I am committed to this sector. Our growers are passionate, innovative and resilient and they produce the world’s best apples.

“I am proud and excited to have the opportunity to support the industry, to advocate on their behalf as we seek to double exports and to work alongside a phenomenal team at NZAPI, who are all equally as committed to our members’ success.”

The Board also acknowledged the tireless work and commitment of former Chief Executive Karen Morrish, who departed at the end of 2025.

NZAPI has now begun recruitment for a Market Access Manager.

Kia ora koutou,

We are looking forward to welcoming students back to Eit in the next few weeks.  We have new cohorts starting the Cert in Primary Industry Operation Skills in May, so please get in touch if you have staff needing this entry level qualification.  It has a modest fee but also includes Growsafe and First Aid so is great value.  Our Level 3 students will be back to study the Growing Environment and Level 4s start on Crop Protection.

Diploma students are still working with their staff to harvest the last of the crop and will return in May to continue their analysis of their research topic. The topics are varied from tree reaction on pruning techniques to chemical application. Cant wait to see the results.

Our 2025 graduates attended the EIT graduation ceremony which was a great success and great way of reaffirming the work, commitment and their achievement over the last two years. Well done Danielle Sammons, Jordan James and Navneet Kaur.

Nutrition Considerations

Throughout the period from post-harvest through to leaf fall, fruit trees are accumulating nutrients and carbohydrates, storing these for use in the following spring. New Zealand’s long growing season provides a distinct advantage for growers as photosynthesis continues to occur well into autumn. This enables carbohydrate production to continue for a longer period in our trees compared to other growing regions. Growers should look to maximise this natural advantage, and make sure their trees enter dormancy with adequate nutrient reserves.

When walking blocks, growers should be sure to take note of foliage colour, tree health, areas of poor growth or any fruit colour problems. This information, coupled with a leaf sample analysis to verify the current nutrient situation will allow the post-harvest nutrition programme to be tailored to the block’s individual needs, and ensure the trees are then set up well for the next season.

Root Health Considerations

Turning the post harvest management attention underground, root health is also an important consideration at this time of the year. Dry roots are not going to be operating at optimum, therefore growers need to ensure blocks have adequate water, for root function, root renewal and nutrient uptake as they move into dormancy. We have quite a range of growing conditions across the Heretaunga Plains, with differences in rainfall, ET, soil type, subsurface hydraulic pressure, therefore a localised understanding of your rainfall and soil moisture status is key.

Flooded root systems will also not be operating at optimum. Therefore, the post harvest period is a good time carry out drainage system maintenance.  This helps ensure good root health is maintained prior to potential water logging from winter rainfall events. Poorly maintained drainage (root balls causing blockages, or collapsed tiles) is a limiting factor for root health and resilience. Good drainage allows deep root systems to develop and access underground water reserves, as well as supporting sustainable yields and nutrient uptake.

Sarah McArley, AgFirst Consultants

RMA Update

You may have recently received a letter from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) about a change to your resource consent expiry date. The key points are outlined below.

 What has already happened

• Your previously expired consent has been reinstated and automatically extended to 31 December 2027.
• You do not need to do anything for this extension to apply.

 What you now need to decide

You must decide what to do with the replacement consent application you lodged before your consent was originally due to expire.

You have two options:

• Withdraw the replacement application, or
• Leave the application in place, in which case HBRC will continue to process it (or keep it on hold, if within the TANK Catchment).

 HortNZ guidance

HortNZ recommends the following:

• If your consent is within the TANK Catchments:
  • Do not withdraw your application.
  • Your application will remain on hold until the Environment Court releases its decision on the TANK Plan Change (expected early–mid 2027).
  • No action is required from you at this time.
  • HBRC will contact you after the Court decision to confirm next steps.
• If your consent is outside the TANK Catchments and your activity has not changed since the consent was granted:
  • Withdraw your replacement application.
  • You will need to email HBRC to confirm the withdrawal.

Important notes if you withdraw your application

• Any processing costs incurred to date that exceed the deposit you paid may still be charged (there may be no additional costs).
• You will need to lodge a new replacement consent application before your consent expires in December 2027.

 If you are unsure which option is best for your situation, please contact Charlotte Drury on 027 322 5595 to discuss.

As we know, every season comes with its own specific factors that influence you as growers, and 2026 looks to be no different.

This season in HB started off relatively dry, sunny and warm, with not a lot of frosts or hail. While the wind challenged bees trying to pollinate, and growers trying to spray in spring, generally, it was a smooth start.

Weather windows for chemical thinning were available; trees were generally happy with active shoot growth. Spring had significantly less rainfall than normal and late November soil moisture levels saw the need for irrigation systems to be fired back into life. Sunny warm conditions had very high ET values for October, November and the first half of December.

Mid to late December saw changes to the dry, with rainfall events topping up the soil and putting the irrigation need back on hold. This has continued into the later part of the growing season with ongoing rain events creating little to no need for irrigation for the last few months. Growers that are on the edges of the rivers have seen multiple high flow events top up their soil moisture, despite some of these events not being connected to localised rainfall on the Heretaunga Plains.

The variation in received rainfall across the Heretaunga Plains during events in the 2026 growing season has been vast. Additionally, since the beginning of January there have been 27 days with a maximum temp above 25 degrees making it easy to feel that irrigation applications should be justified. Soil moisture management therefore needs to be assessed using specific data on each block of trees.

What does this all mean for the fruit in the 2026 harvest?

· The good chemical thinning and shoot growth conditions have increased tree vigour. This increases risk for apple leaf curling midge, powdery mildew and Calcium disorders in fruit.

· Carbohydrate has at times been partitioned to excess shoot growth instead of all for fruit growth, this could have a negative impact on fruit size.

· The season length is shorter than 2025 and this would likely give a smaller size than 2025.

· However, in 2026 where fruit has been thinned early and to good fruit numbers this should give a good average size.

· Sunlight and heat levels have been good, however sunburn levels are up in some blocks, especially where summer pruning has overlapped to a following high heat event.

· Fruit colouring conditions have been about normal close to harvest. Where crop loads are excessive or canopy light levels are low, there have still been colour development issues.

· Go date Brix has been a struggle in some varieties, often coupled with low fruit pressures. This is exaggerated in blocks where soil moisture has remained high for the late part of the season, caused either naturally by increased ground water conditions or by over irrigation.

· Fruit quality in 2026 looks to be a mixed bag, highly influenced by the specific seasonal situations of each of the individual blocks.

I believe 2026 season will be remembered as the year that looked good on paper but did not always deliver the final results, block specific factors are having a big bearing on the final fruit quality.

We need to identify what happened this year to each block and then understand what these results might mean for next years crop.

Jonathan Brookes AgFirst HB Ltd

Fundamentals of vigour management

Understanding the cause of your vigour in each block is key to establishing the most effective, cost-efficient management tool.

Back in 2018, the late John Wilton was concerned about the level of vigour seen in intensive plantings having a consequence on bud quality and fruit quality (colour and poor carbohydrate partitioning). 8 years on, and we are having the same conversations! In saying that carbohydrate balancing is key and vigour reduction can be taken too far. Ranking blocks in order of severity can help to prioritise areas for investment.

A useful way to think about vigour management is through the Liebig’s Barrel principle. It reminds us that until the most limiting issue is fixed, everything else is just plugging holes. As an example, fighting vigour using regalis does not fix the underlying issue if the growth is a result of excess Nitrogen. Identifying the cause of excess growth can be tricky with many factors influencing plant growth. To go into them all we would need a few more pages, but to list a few of the most common:

Tree structure –Fruit is the cheapest most rewarding form of vigour management. Does the canopy structure provide enough ’framework’ or ‘metres of fruiting wood’ to comfortably hold the target crop load in singles and/or even doubles (on preferred sites).

Wood texture should also be a consideration. As we have moved to more formal precision systems, the ‘fill a wire’ concept has been followed. This has been absolutely essential to fill the canopy and achieve cumulative yields; however a replacement programme must be implemented to ensure the larger, less fruitful, higher vigour units can be rotated out.

Pruning should focus on balancing carbohydrate. managing excess vigour and setting up high-quality wood for next season. Summer pruning is a highly effective tool for vigour management, but timing and execution will determine the response. E.g. for example, flush cutting when minimal regrowth is required, and stubbing when a stronger response is needed. Summer pruning off a weak/settled/terminated dart is counterintuitive to vigour management, and fruit quality.

Irrigation deficit is an ongoing balancing act that no one has truly mastered. Have your ever heard the saying, “treat ‘em mean keep ‘em keen?”. The first sign of plant stress is vegetative termination. If shoots are still growing, they are more than likely getting sufficient water. This comes back to the fundamentals of irrigation management – where is the active root zone and how is soil moisture behaving at each profile depth.

Combatting the vigour war will not happen overnight, but determining each blocks root cause will aid in making effective, cost-efficient decisions, leading to improved productivity and fruit quality.

Meg Becker