Writing this message has been a challenge – where do I even start?
The enormity of what we’ve been through and continue to endure is hard to put into words. In some ways me not knowing where to start reflects what we are experiencing on our orchards, properties, and homes. As we move from response to recovery, the enormity of the task ahead can make it hard to know where to begin.
I couldn’t get out to my orchards for 4 days and what I encountered was worse than I had envisioned. It took the next 3 days of going back and forth until I got my head around everything. One of my blocks has been flattened, the river also went through my orchard across the road but for the most part it is still standing. Last Monday we made the call to do everything we could to save the trees – this is a mammoth task as the silt is between 300 – 400mm deep on every square inch of my 5ha block. Will I save the trees? Will the orchard bloom again in October? I don’t know, but I need to give it my best shot.
There are growers and members of our association who have been hit extremely hard. A number have completely lost their orchards and their homes – our friends in the Dartmoor Valley, Esk Valley, Puketapu, Pakowhai, Twyford and Korokipo regions have experienced damage beyond belief. I am absolutely gutted for all of those impacted – my heart and genuine prayers go out to you and your families.
I am encouraged how people are pulling together, helping others where and when they can. This is community and this is the spirit of our growers. For me personally dealing with my loss has had its ups and downs – there has been lots of tears and hugs with my wife and others in the community. I fell emotion welling up now as I write this. The other day a grower just grabbed me and said “come here” and gave me a hug – this was powerful and I imagine helps us in our own healing and coming to terms with what has happened.
To help in this process we as an Association have engaged Wanda Douglas to provide free and confidential psychological support to our members and their families. Wanda is a Registered Psychologist with the NZ Psychologists’ Board. She is based locally in Taradale. HBFA will fund the first three one-hour sessions for impacted growers and/or their direct family members. If anyone feels like they need to talk with someone about anything please do not hesitate in calling Wanda on her personal mobile which is 021 1700 506. The Rural Support Trust is another way to reach out, they can be contacted on 0800 787 254.
Harvest must go on and 70% of our industry are out there picking, packing, and getting their fruit ready for market which is hugely important for us and our region. I know we are all cheering you on to pick and pack the best fruit HB can offer to the world.
I have had lots of media engagements where I have shared the plight our growers are facing but also letting them know our industry is resilient and the harvest is going on.
Finally, I’d just like reiterate the importance of community in getting through this event. I encourage you to keep communicating with your neighbours, your friends, and the wider horticultural community. This is an area that we will be focusing on over the coming weeks and months. If you have contacts or colleagues who are not members of the Association, please encourage them to reach out so we can include them in our communications and events. We will be waiving membership fees for the year ahead so there will be no cost to join.
Take care and please don’t be afraid to reach out directly if you have anything you’d like to get know or just someone to talk too.
Brydon Nisbet
HBFA President
Given the events of the last few weeks all I want to say in this RMA update is that there are any planning/regulatory issues you think I may be able to assist with – perhaps things that might assist with clean-up and recovery, please do get in touch on 027 3225595, or via email Charlotte.Drury@hortnz.co.nz – navigating red tape is something that I can definitely help with.
Also, anyone that has a regional council consent that expires on 31 May 2023 and haven’t yet lodged your replacement, please get in touch with me ASAP – I have spoken with the regional council and they do still want applications in on or as close to 28 February (next Tuesday) as possible – they don’t have to be top quality, but they do need to be lodged. Again I can help with this – please get in touch.
Otherwise, please take care
Charlotte Drury, 027 3225595, Charlotte.Drury@hortnz.co.nz
I normally use this space to describe the previous month’s weather and the outlook. The recent brutality of ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle made me reconsider and even made me forget what January was like. But having looked back, I think January is worth briefly mentioning before looking at the extraordinary event that was Gabrielle.
January was the region’s sixth consecutive month of above normal rainfall. The region had approximately 400% of January’s long term average however it was closer to 500% on the Heretaunga Plains, in the Kaweka Range and Tangoio and Esk areas. From Tangoio southwards, January 2023 was the highest recorded January total at all but a handful of our rainfall sites. River flows had a similar percentage increase above average, most of our groundwater sites hit new record January levels and soil moisture levels across the region were at field capacity or saturated.
We were soaked and then came Gabrielle. February immediately became our seventh consecutive month of above normal rainfall. Tangoio and Esk swiftly exceeded 450% of average February rainfall, with one site hitting 700%. It’s where we recorded 500 mm of rain, approximately half a year’s worth, in 24 hours and half of that was in 6 hours. We have gauges dotted across the region that recorded 400-500 mm during the event – from north of Mahia to the hills along the south coast and across to the western ranges. At least half of our sites recorded their highest 6 to 24 hour totals. Those that existed during Bola in 1988 experienced higher intensity rainfall during Gabrielle. More than half of our river level sites recorded new highs.
We expect the very windy conditions meant our gauges didn’t capture the full extent of the rain and they likely missed some localised heavy falls. We’ve had reports of 700-800 mm in places. So we have put out a call for people to share their rainfall totals with us along with the location. We’ve set up an email, storm@hbrc.govt.nz, for that purpose and we’d welcome you to use that.
Despite the La Niña weakening, it’s influence lingers and makes the outlook for the next few months bleak. We still expect an easterly flow to be a key feature, bringing the likelihood of above normal rainfall and warmer than usual overnight temperatures if not during the day. Potential remains for an El Niño to develop later in the year however after so many months of wet weather, any risk of drier than normal weather down the track seems hard to take in.
Percentage of Normal Rainfall
Dr Kathleen Kozyniak
Principal Scientist Air
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
The Council has identified a number of waste types and these will need to be dealt with in different ways.
The aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle has resulted in large volumes of waste. In most instances residential waste will be dealt with by your local council, and you should check their websites for advice and guidance. If you have waste on a lifestyle block, farm or orchard, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) will be able to help you remove the larger volumes. The Councill has identified a number of waste types and these will need to be dealt with in different ways. Please try to keep these waste types separate so that we can minimize the amounts of mixed-waste that end up in our already overloaded waste sites.
The types of waste covered in this advisory are: Animal (livestock) carcass retrieval and disposal, Silt, Wood debris, Posts and wire. Advice on disposing of hazardous materials, contaminated silt and chemical waste will be provided later
1) Livestock carcass removal
If already on a farm, farmers may be able to bury their own dead stock as per normal conditions. Large scale events should be reported to HBRC so that in these instances the dead stock can be removed from the property, particularly if located over an unconfined aquifer or within a source protection zone. If disposing of stock on a property, please consider the following before burying:
If deceased stock are not on a farm, or there are too many on the property for the landowner to deal with, please phone HBRC on 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838. HBRC will coordinate collection and appropriate disposal.
2) Silt removal
Many areas have been inundated with silt from the flood waters and there are concerns regarding the level of contamination of the silt. Residential silt removal will be co-ordinated through your local council. Please check their website for guidance and details. If you have waste on a lifestyle block, farm or orchard, the Regional Council will be able to help you remove larger volumes. These landowners are asked to remove the silt from around vines or trees and move it to a location on their own property with suitable access for trucks. The landowners can then contact the regional council on 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838 who will coordinate with a contractor for the removal of the silt.
The silt will be rapid-tested when collected to measure any levels of contamination and to ensure contaminated and non-contaminated silt is kept separate. Silt that is not contaminated or has a low level of contamination will be repurposed..
3) Wood waste
Wood waste has washed up on beaches, river sides, roadsides, public areas and private properties after the cyclone. The Regional Council will remove debris and chip it from public places, starting with the immediate area around the Heretaunga Plains and then progressing further afield from there. The Council strongly recommends against burning this waste as it will be contaminated and burning the waste risks spreading any contamination. If you have wood waste on a lifestyle block, farm or orchard, the Regional Council will be able to help you remove larger volumes. Landowners are asked to move the wood waste to a location on their property with suitable access for trucks. The landowners can then contact the regional council on 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838 who will coordinate with a contractor for the removal of the wood waste.
4) Posts and Wire
The cyclone has caused many vineyard, and orchard posts and wire to be ripped out of the ground, and these are now scattered across properties, neighboring land and roadsides.
PLEASE NOTE – Tanilized posts and wire that make up this waste cannot be disposed of through burning. Burning of this waste will release toxic chemicals into the wider environment.
Where landowners have large quantities of posts & wires from fences, viticulture and horticulture operations, these can be collected by HBRC and held in a secure site for further work. HBRC will arrange collection and suitable remedial work to separate wire, for wire recycling and returning of usable posts to farmers. Landowners can contact the regional council on 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838 to coordinate the removal of posts & wire fences.
Please find the following link to a fact sheet released by MPI – Recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay
2023 Recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay FS (002)
We are aware that many of you are currently running on adrenaline as you digest and respond to the trauma of recent days. Trauma is an emotional and psychological response when a person experiences high levels of fear or stress without having the chance to remove themselves from the situation. Some of the symptoms of trauma include:
If you are affected by stress reactions and symptoms to the point where they are continuing for longer than two weeks and/or are of increasing concern to you or those around you, it may be helpful for you to access further assistance to aid you in moving through them in a more proactive and healthy way.
HBFA has engaged Wanda Douglas to provide free and confidential psychological support to our members and their families. Wanda is a Registered Psychologist with the NZ Psychologists’ Board. She is based locally in Taradale.
HBFA will fund the first three one-hour sessions for any member of the association and/or their direct family members. Wanda can be contacted via her mobile on 021 1700 506
We also remind members and the wider rural community that they can also contact the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254 if they have any wellbeing concerns.
Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association is proud to present Pick The Bay on behalf of our industry and with the support of a large group of sponsoring parties including Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, MSD, MPI, MBie, NZ Apples & Pears, NZKGI, Summerfruit NZ, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers and EIT.
Pick The Bay is a series of Job Fairs where jobseekers can connect directly with employers in the Hawke’s Bay Fruit growing Industry.
In February 2023, we are hosting two casual “pop-up” events in both Napier & Hastings (details below). Our employers are keen to meet you – so come along for a chat and score yourself a job!
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
If you can't make it to the Napier or Hastings Job Fairs in person - fill out the form below and we'll get in touch with you to talk about potential job opportunities.
The future of Hawke’s Bay’s horticulture industry was on display at the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association Industry Awards last night.
The Awards recognise the achievements of students studying at Te Pukenga – the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) and Primary ITO, scholarship recipients and contributions to the horticulture sector.
The Emerging Achiever Award was presented to Kurt Livingston, from Fern Ridge Fresh for his demonstrable ability to positively impact horticulture through significant industry immersion and leadership skills that have strengthened not only his capability but his ability to develop and grow industry relationships.
“Kurt has developed strong relationships within the industry” says Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association (HBFA) president, Brydon Nisbet. “He has always made himself available to growers for a chat or orchard walk and participated in any industry meetings, field walks and horticultural field days such is his non-exhaustive quest for knowledge of all things in the pipfruit industry.
“He is always going the extra mile to ensure growers are supported and ensuring added value opportunities are sought and exhausted”.
David Styles, from Hawk Technology, earned the Fourneau Trophy for innovation in horticulture with the development of de-nesters, inserters and robotic packers – technology that is considered world-class and took five years to refine and test.
The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers Association Charitable Trust, in conjunction with funding from the Horticentre Charitable Trust, also provide 20 scholarships for Hawke’s Bay students working towards their Level 4, or higher, Industry Training Qualification. Excellence among those scholarship recipients was also recognised at the Awards night.
Horticulture New Zealand extension and engagement manager, Kate Longman, presented the HortNZ scholarships to eight Hawke’s Bay students.
“Each year HortNZ selects 30 learners from across the motu who are interested in the fruit or vegetable industry and are undergoing vocational training,” Kate says. “The recipients of these scholarships have demonstrated commitment and skills that HortNZ is proud to support on behalf of growers.
“The next scholarship round is open on our website – applications close 20 March 2023.”
Adam Bourke, formerly from Bostock NZ was awarded the Hawke’s Bay Organic Trainee of the Year Award. The Horrocks Memorial Award for overall excellence in Horticulture was presented to EIT student Lochie Dew and Primary ITO student, Navneet Kaur.
New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc chief executive, Terry Meikle, spoke at the awards ceremony, saying it was great to recognise and celebrate industry excellence.
“These award events are always the highlights in my calendar, as we get a chance to celebrate the future innovators, thinkers and leaders of our industry.”
ADVERTORIAL
From a sprayer built in a garage in NZ in 1972, 50 years later Croplands and Cropliner have become a major contributor to the commercial spraying industry in New Zealand, Australia and further afield.
Croplands Equipment was founded in New Zealand by Miles Deck in 1972. He developed the now market-leading Cropliner airblast sprayer in response to New Zealand’s horticulture boom and the brand has since grown to become one of the most popular sprayer brands on the market, servicing the horticulture, viticulture, arable, compact and home garden sectors in New Zealand, Australia and beyond.
Croplands General Manager Sean Mulvaney said Miles’ initial motivation for producing the Cropliner sprayer 50 years ago was to create a machine specifically designed for NZ conditions, believing imported sprayers at the time were inadequate.
“Croplands has a long history of delivering practical solutions for farmers stemming right back to the development of the Cropliner in 1972,” he said.
“We pride ourselves on being resourceful and adaptable in meeting the needs of our customers – something Miles instilled in the company from day one.
“Croplands has been owned by Australian company Nufarm since 1988, but we continue to be guided by the strong family values that marked our beginning 50 years ago.”
“Our equipment is designed to help crops and farmers thrive. For example Croplands’ Quantum Mist sprayers are another example of cutting-edge technology being developed to meet the needs of customers.” he said.
“With its axial driven hydraulic fans, the Quantum Mist creates a turbulence among the leaves of vines or trees that produces unrivalled coverage and has been a game-changer in vineyard spraying,” he said.
“The Cropliner also remains one of our most popular products, demonstrating just how innovative Miles’ original idea was.”
Mr Mulvaney adds the collaboration with Nufarm and long-standing relationship with PGG Wrightson and Fruitfed Supplies in New Zealand has meant customers receive the best support possible from machinery purchase right through to application in the field.
“Together, we have a major focus on chemical stewardship. That means our customers don’t just get the sprayer, they also get the best advice in nozzle selection and best practice spray application as well.”
Here in Hawke’s Bay there is a special link to Croplands roots through Croplands Spray Shop owner Greg Deck, who is Miles’ son.
Croplands Spray Shop builds and sets up a majority of the new Croplands spray units for the New Zealand market and provides servicing and maintenance of these units for a large number of key Hawke’s Bay growers.
“I’m really proud to be able to continue the family legacy through my independent business Croplands Spray Shop.” says Greg. “After all it carries the name of something that has been a huge part of my life. Dad (Miles) recently moved to Hawke’s Bay and now pops in from time to time, to keep an eye on things!”
You can watch a great little 50-year history video interview with Miles Deck on the Croplands Spray Shop website, sprayshop.nz.
Croplands will be celebrating its 50th year by expanding its Australian operation in Adelaide and a number of new product releases.
“We will continue to partner with farmers across New Zealand and the world to bring them the equipment they need to be profitable and productive,” Mr Mulvaney said.
“Key to that will be our strong relationships with our dealer network.”
Earlier this month, NZAPI hosted “A Taste of India in the Bay”. The event was honoured with the presence of the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, Her Excellency Neeta Bhushan (appointed September 2022), who made her first trip to Hawke’s Bay to engage with our apple and pear industry. The event also provided an opportunity for new and old exporters to India to hear from Chandan Ohri from Duco Consultancy, and Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director of New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) following his first trip to India the previous week.
The High Commissioner’s visit started with a tour at Craigmore Sustainable’s Springhill orchard in Central Hawke’s Bay. The visit was led by Graeme Hodges and Ben James, and showcased the excellence in apple production in Ongaonga. Discussions with the Craigmore team included fruit quality, varietal opportunities, workforce training and upskilling, the industry’s young grower network, and international movement of leaders. Craigmore Springhill has an excellent set up and is ready to welcome the future in orchard management and automatization. The visit was wrapped up with an outstanding lunch of premium NZ lamb (courtesy of gourmet chef, Graeme) and a selection of seasonal vegetables picked for the occasion!
The High Commissioner reminded us that India is one of the fastest (and largest) growing economies in the world, following a swift recovery from Covid-19. The top imports from India to NZ are pharmaceuticals, travel and tourism, followed by machinery. Our main exports to India are timber, then travel, with fruits, nuts and wool following in third place.
The High Commissioner made it clear that we must step up our trade between both countries, and quickly. Trust and relationships are important. She recommended traders go and experience for themselves, interact with the locals, and learn how easy it is to do business in India.
The demand for goods – specifically high-quality, organics food items – is increasing rapidly. Fifty percent of India’s population is under 35 years old. It is estimated that fifty percent of the population are vegetarians, so fruit has a key role to play in their diet. There was emphasis that India is urbanising at a very rapid pace, buzzing with interest and demand for high-quality food products. Future premium apple and pear varietals could find a nice home in India!
NZAPI were pleased that HE Neeta Bhushan recognises New Zealand’s high-quality apples and pears, and to hear her express positivity for our relationship moving forward. The message on the importance of growing a mutually beneficial partnership was clear and the HC emphasised the counter-seasonal nature of our harvest.
Deals including joint ventures, seasonal tariffs, strategic alliances, and foreign direct investments should be contemplated. Stephen Jacobi made a clear observation that India is well-resourced with talented people and young people are India’s future and will be the path in our international relationship.
During the meeting we had the chance to showcase the ongoing efforts to maintain and deepen the apple industry’s partnership with India through the launch of the G2G video from Himachal Pradesh World Bank project. This has certainly laid an excellent foundation from which we can all lean in on. The partnership and collaboration captured in the following video speaks for itself.
Himachal Pradesh case study video LINK HERE
Sharing the NZAPI strategy with HE Neeta Bhushan and the members created clear views of possibilities for partnerships, collaboration and exchange to reinforce commercial links and strengthen future trade. This event laid an excellent foundation to continue our work together as we strive towards new approaches to help reduce or remove tariffs. We know it won’t happen overnight, but this relationship matters greatly! India is only going in one direction.
Finally, we would like to thank The Apple Press for the lovely gift presented to the High Commissioner. We look forward to having Her Excellency back again in the region once the harvest starts.
NZAPI Int Engagement Mgr. Dr Elena Duter
