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Presidents Report

A short note from me as we welcome in 2025. HBFA looks forward to serving the needs of our growers and members like we have for the past 125 years.
To start the year, I want to announce that HBFA are on the move. We have secured new office and storage space at Foodeast Haumako. https://www.foodeast.co.nz/ This is a state-of-the-art new building and food / innovation hub situated at 4 Hanui Rd Hastings – positioned just off Elwood Rd.

The team are excited about the new move which will position us to network with other core players in the industry allowing HBFA to be exposed to a wider audience. We will begin the move this week and will be operating out of the new premises by the end of next week. The Hub has everything we need to operate including breakout rooms, working stations, small and large board rooms and a large meeting room. I’d like to thank NZAPI for accommodating us over the last three and a half years at their offices. This gave us a chance to build stronger relationships with the API team and enabled a very coordinated joint approach to supporting the industry throughout the cyclone. HBFA are still supporting our growers nearly 2 years on with well-being help from Wanda Douglas still available to all growers, other networking events which you will hear about and of course Callum and I are always available to contact for a chat.

Our key corner stone events are all booked, including what will become our annual golf day – more info to come. We start off with our industry awards night in early Feb, everyone is welcome to come and celebrate our Eit and ITO students receive their certificates for finished studies. Scholarships for students and own industry awards will also be awarded. We look forward to seeing you there. (see newsletter for more details)

The weather has cooled off since Christmas slowing things down a little, but the season still looks to be early, we just need the size profile to continue its upward trend. No doubt most growers will be harvesting when my February report comes out so all the best with your harvest. Believing that 2025 will be a year that all things come together to make it a great and prosperous harvest and sales year for all companies.

Kia kaha
Brydon Nisbet President HBFA

Hawke’s Bay Fruit Growers Association update
Explore, Grow & Thrive – Take a breath, and grow!

Happy New Year! As the orchards hum with activity and the season begins to ramp up, we look forward to a year of growth, resilience, and opportunity. January marks a fresh start, bringing with it the promise of new beginnings while setting the stage for the busy harvest season ahead. It’s a time to reflect on our collective journey, celebrate achievements, and prepare for the opportunities and challenges 2025 will bring.

The energy and dedication you bring to your work are the backbone of Hawke’s Bay’s thriving horticulture industry. Your unwavering commitment not only supports your own operations but also strengthens the wider community. We’re here to ensure you have the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed.
As we turn our focus to 2025, harvest preparation becomes a top priority. Ensuring that your teams, equipment, and orchards are ready for the months ahead is crucial. With an early season anticipated for many growers, now is the time to finalize those preparations.
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Looking ahead to 2025

2025 promises to be a year of new opportunities and celebrations. One of the standout events on our calendar is the HBFA Industry Awards Night, scheduled for February 5, 2025, at the Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre in Hastings.
This prestigious evening will:

• Celebrate the achievements of EIT and Primary ITO graduates.
• Highlight the contributions of scholarship recipients to the horticulture industry.
• Recognize excellence through the presentation of the Fourneau Award and the Emerging Achiever Award, honouring the innovation and leadership driving our sector forward.

The Industry Awards Night is more than a celebration, it’s a moment to reconnect with peers, reflect on our shared accomplishments, and look forward to the year ahead. Make sure to secure your spot and learn more about this exciting event click here.
In addition to this celebration, HBFA remains committed to supporting growers through advocacy, meaningful events, and timely updates on policy developments. We are dedicated to ensuring you have the tools and information needed to navigate challenges and seize the opportunities that 2025 has to offer.
Together, we will continue to innovate, grow, and strengthen our industry for the future. Here’s to a successful, productive, and prosperous 2025!
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Highlights and updates – upcoming events

HBFA Industry Awards Night
Wednesday February 5, 2025 @6pm to late

Join us to celebrate the achievements of our EIT and Primary ITO graduates, scholarship recipients, and industry leaders. It’s an evening to reconnect, recognize excellence, and look ahead to a prosperous year. Learn more here.

Advocacy updates:

• Future Development Strategy (FDS):
We continue to advocate for growers in discussions around the FDS to protect the livelihoods of our industry. Have your say by participating in our grower survey, closing soon, with submissions were by January 20, 2025.
• Water Allocation (TANK):
The regional council workshop in January will determine the next steps for processing TANK applications. No action is required from growers until further updates are provided after the workshop.
• Natural Hazards Submission:
HBFA is actively contributing to the Building Resilience to Hazards insights briefing, addressing critical challenges such as floods, droughts, and climate change. Insights are expected in April 2025.

Wildfire Awareness:

Regional Fire Weather Indices Check out your region and closest weather station data. Once in your region the slider bar can be shifted to daily observed (1pm every day) or current, or forecast 5 days out.

Drought Code (niwa.co.nz) This is the fire drought code – soil moisture below 0.1m depth – indication of dryness of large fuel and how hard it is to put a fire out.

Fire prevention and fire safety | Fire and Emergency New Zealand (checkitsalright.nz) The dry weather increases wildfire risks. Stay vigilant, ensure fire safety protocols are in place, for updates on fire risks.

The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association (HBFA) is committed to aligning our efforts with the priorities and needs of our grower members. To ensure we focus our resources on the areas that matter most to you, we would greatly appreciate your input through the following survey if you haven’t done so please do!
This survey is a valuable opportunity for you to share insights and feedback that will help us better address the challenges and opportunities within our industry. Your responses will remain completely anonymous, ensuring you can provide open and honest feedback. Thank you for helping us shape a stronger, more responsive HBFA.

Reach out for support:

If you or someone you know is struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact me, Callum Ross, at HBFA, or directly connect with Wanda Douglas at 021 1700 506 or wandspsychology@gmail.com. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, and we’re here to support each other.
A heartfelt thank you to our members, partners, and sponsors for your continued support. Your contributions enable HBFA to champion growers’ interests, host meaningful events, and drive initiatives that strengthen our industry.

As we embrace the new year, we remain committed to fostering resilience, innovation, and collaboration. Together, we will tackle challenges and seize opportunities to sustain and grow New Zealand’s pipfruit industry.

Wishing you a prosperous season ahead,

Warm regards, 

Callum Ross 

Chief Executive Officer HBFA & Chairman HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group) 

 

 

HB Fruitgrowers Association Newsletter

January 2025

While there is plenty of the Hawkes Bay Summerfruit season to go its worthwhile having a bit of a review.

Winter was cold with chilling starting early. There was plenty of soil moisture and the weather at pollination was mostly pretty good, even for apricots. Despite there being some possibility of Cyclone Gabrielle hangovers, fruit set was good without being over the top in most cases. Cherries and apricots in the lower chill area of Bay View set good crops and with the warm dry conditions post bloom, started harvest 12-14 days earlier than normal. Bay View and previously Esk Valley are important as that’s were the first fruit of any season comes from. That and the one Wairoa grower who has had a very good season as well.

The dry weather until Boxing Day has been fantastic for fruit quality, with very few complaints from the markets, as well as the farmgate price holding up well for the whole season. It has truly been one out of the box.

We were warned that La Nina like conditions might become apparent by the end of the year. Since Boxing Day the clouds have rolled in and set up camp. We have gone from 30˚C plus to high teens and low twenties with rain, rewinding the memory to seasons immediately past. Despite the change in weather pattern, there is good Summerfruit available, and this should be so for another three weeks and longer for plums.

The shelves are now full of Central Otago cherries, and they are good buying. Peach and nectarine from there should dovetail very nicely with the end of Hawkes Bay supply. All in all, the 2024/5 season has seen good volumes of quality fruit selling at prices over the cost of production.

December brought the region a change in weather fortunes.  The timing wasn’t great for holidaymakers, but some relief was needed from the extended dry period.  It hasn’t helped that temperatures have been grim since people knocked off work for Christmas. Overall though, December’s temperatures were more than 2°C above average and rainfall was approximately 180% of the month’s long-term average. All parts of the region got the rain, with just the Kaweka Range receiving near normal rather than the above normal rainfall that fell everywhere else.

Soil moisture has returned to near or above median levels for summer. River flows have been recovering and we should know in the next month how well the rain has replenished groundwater levels.

The outlook in the three months ahead suggests further rain should come.  The La Niña indices are treading a fine line with making an event official, though any event is likely to be brief.   Furthermore, the sea surface temperature pattern is atypical of La Niña conditions because the cooler than average temperatures are located centrally in the equatorial Pacific Ocean rather than in the east.  Sea temperatures have cooled around northern New Zealand but remain well above average in an area east of the country.

The forecasted pressure pattern has higher than normal pressure to the east and south of the country and lower than normal pressure extending across northern New Zealand, but with the chance higher pressure builds over eastern New Zealand towards the end of the three months.  Winds may often have an easterly component as a result and bring us near or above normal rainfall.  Modelling also suggests temperatures should improve, which would be a tonic.

All the best,

Kathleen

The new year kicked off with a bang when routine inspections of a biosecurity surveillance trap in Auckland found a single male Oriental Fruit Fly on January 3.
For many across New Zealand’s biosecurity network, this signaled an abrupt back-to-work and a swift move to a Level 1 Response.

The area of Papatoetoe where the find was made was immediately identified as a controlled zone, divided into two sections – Zone A which was 200m radius area from the original find and Zone B was a 1500m radius area from the original find.

Additional traps and lures were added to the zones as part of the response and the checking frequency was increased with an initial goal to determine whether a breeding population was present.
Thankfully to date, no other fruit flies have been found.

As a signatory of the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) deed, NZAPI was highly involved. Biosecurity Manager Rachel Masters, as a member of the Response Governance team, and Chief Executive Karen Morrish, met daily with GIA partners.

To ensure all affected parties were informed, meetings were held with other key stakeholders, exporters and communication teams, ensuring efficient and effective information was distributed in the most appropriate and timely manner.

Preparations are ongoing to ensure we are prepared for any further fruit flies finds or if the response level is changed.

As we move through the response, it has provided the opportunity to test our systems and processes, develop and foster relationships with key stakeholders and collaborate on finding the most effective solutions.

This has been the first fruit fly response since 2019 and highlights the critical role of our biosecurity systems and the 7878 surveillance lures and traps across the country.

The Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) can affect more than 300 hosts including apple, kiwifruit, citrus, and tomatoes and an established population would generate control costs and production losses, with some international markets potentially halting imports from Aotearoa.

It is also a very important reminder of the role of biosecurity when maintaining how we do business, which means now is a good time to consider the part you play and how you could be affected.

New Zealand will continue to face biosecurity risks. And while we have one of the best biosecurity systems in the world, we must all play our part in improving our risk management effectiveness.

NZAPI provides a range of resources on preventative measures that you can be doing now in your business.

If you’d like to know more about how you can do your part, please reach out to NZAPI Biosecurity Manager Rachel Masters on rachelm@applesandpears.nz

Sunburn browning

With the recent bout of cooler weather, you’re forgiven to ask, “where has our summer gone?” The good news is, NIWA is 90% sure that temperatures for our region, during the Jan-Mar period, will be either near (40% chance) or above (50% chance) average. Great apple growing weather yes, but with it comes an increased the risk of Sunburn damage (Figure 1).

The most common damage is called Sunburn browning. This requires both heat & light. Sunburn browning occurs when the fruit surface temperature (FST) climbs to 46 – 49oC, combined with the high UVB rays that we are blessed with here in New Zealand. Photooxidative damage can also occur when FST climbs above 30oC. This is expressed as a bleaching of the skin. Both result in rejected fruit.

The FST can be 11oC higher than the air temperature but on stressed apple trees this can be up to 17oC hotter. For example, on a 30oC air temperature day, the FTS on a healthy apple tree could be as high as 41oC and thus avoids sunburn browning but on a stressed apple tree the FTS could be as high as 47oC, resulting in sunburn browning. Managing stress in the orchard is therefore the most effective way to mitigate Sunburn browning.
Some strategies to consider:

1. Avoid water stress
a. Avoid water stress but equally avoid over irrigating.
b. Base irrigation scheduling on accurate soil moisture monitoring.
2. Balanced nutrition
a. Avoid Potassium deficiency. Potassium is involved with stomal opening & closing so critical for efficient water movement in the tree.
b. Ensure adequate Fruit Calcium status. Calcium protects cells from toxins.
3. Appropriate crop load – do not over crop.
a. Over cropped trees are stressed trees and much more prone to Sunburn.
4. Balanced/calm canopy
a. Optimum leaf to fruit ratio
5. Good management of pests & diseases
a. Minimise disease pressure and lower tree stress.
6. Avoid sudden exposure of fruit to direct sunlight.
a. Take care with late summer pruning.
i. Note: heavy summer pruning is symptomatic of more serious underlying problem. Seek expert advice.
b. Take care with late fruit thinning and breaking up bunches exposed to the light.
c. Take care/avoid leaf plucking without over-head net protection
7. Overhead netting reduces fruit surface temperature. Light intensity is reduced under net because the light is diffused or scattered when it enters the net.
8. Keeping sward cover at a longer length will keep the temps lower in bottom of the canopy.
9. Sun protection products such as white particulate coatings and clear sun blockers, can help reduce FTS and solar radiation on exposed fruit. Note: Care needs to be taken with the use of these products on certain varieties. Seek expert advice before application.
10. Don’t leave bins of Apples baking the sun for too long after harvest. Move bins to the shade sheds a.s.a.p. or cover them.

Figure 1

Dean Rainham
Agfirst Horticultural Consultant
027 839 9613

Kia ora koutou,

Happy New Year!  We hope you have all enjoyed some quality R and R with friends, family and loved ones,  despite the rather unseasonal southerly flow.

EIT classes all start before harvest and we are looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces over the next three weeks.  Level 4s will complete the whole compliance course, whilst Level 3 will do weeds and weather, and there’s a tractor course for our first years.   We break from 31st January and start back in May, to allow full focus on harvest.  

We are looking forward to seeing Level 4 and 5 graduands receive their certificates at the HBFA industry awards night, as well as scholarship recipients.

Level 5 Fruit production hits the ground running with a first lecture on Wednesday the 22nd of January at the Taradale campus.  This course is Horticulture Business Skills – Budgeting, Capex and performance stats. We then break for harvest and resume the teaching in May. 

Level 5 Post Harvest students have completed the teaching and are now working on their assessments. The new program will start in July and I am happy to come out and meet HR and potential students at any pack house operations to go through the program and commitments. 

The last two years have been extremely challenging for the industry, and as a result the level 5 program student numbers have been low. If the industry values and want to keep these programs we will need to increase student numbers to make these viable. I am happy to say we are seeing improved interest in the Fruit production program, but its about bums on seats and we still need a few more to take this program out of the at risk zone.  Post Harvest is even more challenging and we need to see a significant increase in industry engagement to secure this programs future. (cthorman@eit.ac.nz for any enquiries). 

Clare, Chris, Steven and Warren.

Presidents Report

My last “short” report for the year 2024 – It’ been a hugely busy year for all of us here at HBFA. We are all here, giving of our time to serve our growers and help our industry grow and succeed. Our focus for 2025 and beyond will be to engage and target our younger audience and do what we can to support, educate and promote our industry as a fantastic community to work and be involved in.

We look forward to next year running our key event – our Industry awards night on the 5th of Feb, celebrating the completion of studies for our EIT Hort students and the awarding of scholarships for those who have been chosen. We have our emerging achiever award to present and the Fourneau trophy for innovation.

Early in June we have our HB Young Fruit grower competition. We are all looking forward to seeing new emerging talent compete for the prestigious young fruit grower of the year. Please encourage your under 30’s who work in your companies to consider entering the 2025 competition – details will be our early next year so keep an eye out.

On behalf of HBFA our thoughts and prayers are with the people and Nation of Vanuatu. Many of our growers will have RSE relationships in their own businesses and will be feeling this first hand. Please reach out to us if you or if any of your Vanuatuan staff need to talk. We can provide professional help if needed.

Finally, to all our members, growers and readers of our newsletters have a very merry Christmas, enjoy your break from the trees, enjoy time with your family and will see you in 2025.

Kia kaha

Brydon Nisbet

President HBFA

 

Hawke’s Bay Fruit Growers Association update
Explore, Grow & Thrive – Take a breath, and grow!

As we move through December and the year begins to wind down, yet the orchards are full of energy as the summer season takes hold. It’s a time of contrasts -busy days in the field and opportunities to pause and reflect on a year filled with challenges, achievements, and growth. As always, your dedication drives not only your orchards but also the strength and resilience of our industry. So whip out the cheque book and treat that special someone with something nice.

This month, we celebrate the hard work and milestones achieved across the region. December marks a chance to reconnect with family, friends, and peers to celebrate the successes of 2024. Whether through a well-earned break or festive gatherings, take a moment to acknowledge how far you’ve come and the vital role you play in sustaining the prosperity of our region.

December also brings us closer to the start of harvest preparations, looks to be an early season for some. It’s a critical period to ensure orchards, teams, and equipment are ready for the demanding months ahead. Alongside this, we remain focused on supporting growers with the latest updates, advocacy work, and opportunities to engage with key initiatives! Hawkes Bay Regional Economic Development Agency have released “Understanding Opportunities and Challenges for the Hawke’s Bay Economy’’ have a read here. With that in-mind please check out Charlottes update on TANK (further down).

The dry weather greatly increases the risk of wildfires. We have seen this recently in Havelock North, so please be vigilant during the wildfire season, generally runs from October to March, but fires can occur anytime conditions are favourable. Stay updated on fire risks by visiting Check It’s Alright for the latest information.

2024 Highlights & acknowledgements
Throughout the year, HBFA has worked to bring value, connection, and support to our growers. From successful events such as the Industry Awards Night, Young Fruitgrowers, Innovative events, Grower dinners and Wellbeing Workshops and not forgetting our 125th, to vital policy engagement on water allocations, natural hazards, and many submissions, your involvement has shaped our shared successes.
A heartfelt thank you goes to all members, partners and sponsors who have contributed time and effort to HBFA initiatives. Your support underpins everything we do.
Next year brings new opportunities to grow stronger together. We remain committed to championing growers’ interests, delivering meaningful events, and creating pathways to thrive in an ever-changing environment. Your engagement will be key as we face both challenges and opportunities in the new year.
As we sign off for the year, take pride in what you’ve accomplished, and take time to rest, reflect, and recharge. The entire HBFA team wishes you and your families a safe, joyful, and restorative holiday season.

Celebrate together – Upcoming events

HBFA IAN industry awards night – February 5, 2025 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – A chance to celebrate, connect. The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association Industry Awards Night recognizes the achievements of our EIT and Primary ITO graduates, scholarships recipients and contributions to the horticulture sector with the presentation of the Fourneau Award and the Emerging Achiever Award. See more here.

Advocating for critical industry challenges

While December may feel like a time to slow down, key submissions continue to progress. Topics like water allocation (TANK), Future Development Strategy (FDS), and the Joint Waste Management and Minimization Plan remain priorities as we advocate on behalf of growers (to name a few). Your voice is essential, and we will keep you informed as these issues develop. See more below.

Future Development Strategy (FDS):
We are actively in the FDS to ensure the voices of our growers are front and center. These discussions are vital for protecting livelihoods of our industry and ensuring long-term prosperity and securing food supplies. We ask our members to contribute your thoughts to our Grower Survey on this topic, survey out now! Time is getting by and the submission along with our partners is due before the 20th of December.

Joint Waste Management and Minimization plan:
The council is seeking your feedback on how we manage resources moving forward. The next opportunity for you to provide input on the plan will be at the consultation stage, anticipated in April 2025, but now is the time to familiarize yourself with the plan and prepare to provide input. More info here

Water & the TANK Plan: From Charlotte Drury 
Just a quick update re the TANK water permits that the regional council are processing. The last communication many of you will have had was that the regional council had extended the processing timeframes to 30 December this year (2024) and we’ve had lots of questions from growers asking what you needed to provide. At the Council meeting yesterday (Wednesday), the Council decided to hold a workshop in January (2025) to decide what to do with the TANK applications (ie. whether to keep them on hold while TANK mediation continues, or process them through). What this means is that you do not need to do anything before 30 December this year – you don’t need to provide council any further information.
We will be in touch again in January after the Council workshop to let you know what the outcome of that workshop is. You do not need to do anything until you hear from us then.

Natural Hazards submission: Building Resilience
HBFA is contributing to the Building Resilience to Hazards – Long-term insights briefing, a critical discussion led by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This initiative focuses on understanding and strengthening New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards, including floods, droughts, earthquakes, and climate-related events. As growers, these hazards pose significant risks to our livelihoods, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.

Key dates for Natural Hazards submission:

Insights Briefing Release: April 2025 (anticipated)
By actively engaging in these consultations, we ensure that growers’ perspectives are not only heard but also central to shaping policies that safeguard our industry and communities. This work reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting the long-term viability of horticulture in the face of increasing natural challenges. We encourage growers to stay informed and engage in future opportunities to influence these critical conversations.

The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association (HBFA) is committed to aligning our efforts with the priorities and needs of our grower members. To ensure we focus our resources on the areas that matter most to you, we would greatly appreciate your input through the following survey if you haven’t done so please do!
This survey is a valuable opportunity for you our members to share insights and feedback that will help us better address the challenges and opportunities within our industry. Your responses will remain completely anonymous, ensuring you can provide open and honest feedback.

Thank you for helping us shape a stronger, more responsive HBFA.

HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group) update:

The Cyclone Recovery Fund is now complete. We sincerely thank all applicants who shared their information and impact statements. Our hearts go out to you as we acknowledge the immense challenges you’ve faced since Cyclone Gabrielle struck nearly two years ago.

Reach out for support:
If you or someone you know is struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact me, Callum Ross, at HBFA, or directly connect with Wanda Douglas at 021 1700 506 or wandspsychology@gmail.com. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, and we’re here to support each other.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Explore, Grow & Thrive—Together we flourish.

Warm regards, 

Callum Ross 

Chief Executive Officer HBFA & Chairman HAG (Horticulture Advisory Group) 

 

 

This year was a transformative one for New Zealand Apples and Pears, with our long overdue strategic review setting the organisation on a clear path forward.
Independently conducted and with a focus on supporting the industry to growth and prosperity, we were delivered a clear remit from growers.
Our members wanted increased focus on market access, communications and advocacy, evidence-based and data-focused progress, as well as R&D programmes that protected growth.
I believe our team has delivered against this in spades.

Relationships have been strengthened with key personnel at MFAT, MPI, MBIE and EPA, as well as those with key ministers and local MPs, research projects focused on market access have been commissioned and completed, and new team members have been recruited to address any remaining gaps in our workforce.
Economic impact analysis – that we conducted earlier this year as a key component of our advocacy work – illustrated the immense value our sector injects into the Hawke’s Bay economy and this data has proven its worth in our conversations with local government on TANK and “actual and reasonable” water supply.

This data has been also proven valuable to central government, fuelling productive conversations with ministers and MPs alike.
All of this sets us in good stead for supporting the industry back to prosperity and development in 2025, with orchard gate returns our key focus.
However, for now, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have the chance to relax, enjoy the sunshine and be with your families before harvest – which already promises to be early!

I’d like to also take this time to acknowledge to incredible work of my team, and the passion and dedication they deliver week after week. Together we are excited for the year ahead, knowing that as an industry we can innovate, grow, and continue to contribute to the legacy of New Zealand’s pipfruit industry.