Richard Mills, Summerfruit NZ Technical Advisor
We are all but done and dusted for the 2021-22 season. There is little stone fruit still on supermarket shelves and at reasonably high retail price but all in all that’s it.
The lasting memories of this season are of lower volumes, higher prices and more rain than desired in December, February and March. But in general it was considered an “okay” season. Just. It was not often that the fruit received the ultimate consumer accolade of yum, even the home-grown tree ripe fruit, but mostly acceptable.
What has got me thinking is the amount of probable inoculum in the mummified fruit that is in the trees or on the ground. A couple of seasons ago Summerfruit NZ put together a wall chart, the ‘brown rot action plan’ with a recommendation for on orchard autumn work to ‘destroy mummies from ground and tree’. I can’t help but think that this will be so much more important this year given the wet season that we have had. The standard recommendation is to bury (which seems unlikely) or burn the fruit and stones that are remaining. This this too seems unlikely from a practical sense, especially when I look at the amount of fruit under some trees.
If the essence is to have a clean and hygienic orchard before next spring, we need to have those stones well decomposed. Raking them into the grass sward and smashing them to tiny little pieces seems like a good option – and the sooner the better to give maximum time for decomposition. There was some work done by Plant & Food Research on cherry stones in Central Otago looking at botrytis control which resulted in near 100% efficacy when the pits were out in the grassed area compared to directly under the trees. I’m picking that this area has a better microbiological life than the herbicide strip. I can’t see why this same idea wouldn’t work for brown rot control. Weedy herbicide strips are going to make this task challenging but it does need to be done.
I would encourage having this type of conversation with the orchardist across the fence as well as the home growers nearby. Anything to lower the inoculum level in your area before spring seems like a really good scheme. I’m sure the spray reps will be keen to chat about proprietary products that might be helpful in this space as well.
If you think that there were sufficient fungicides applied but the result was still poor, it might be time for a resistance test to be done. These are not cheap but neither is crop failure. If you are interested give me a call and we’ll work though the process together. If we can send a group of samples away together this is more efficient for the lab and cost effective for the growers.
Changing subject slightly Summerfruit NZ needs to collect and collate the data from Summerfruit spray diaries from this season just gone. The data once collated is anonymised and used to provide information in response to many queries that come from various regulatory bodies and government agencies such as MPI. With this information we can track trends, respond to proposals to limit use and decide as an industry what research to fund. Please send your spray diaries to research@summerfruitnz.co.nz in whatever form you have them, preferably electronic and we will add them to the collated data.
Please put aside the afternoon of 10th May for a SummerGreen winter technical meeting at the function centre in Havelock North. It is planned to run from 2-5pm (final details will be confirmed closer to the date) and we plan to include a networking session over some refreshments after the meeting.
Richard Mills
Summerfruit Technical Advisor
021 632559
Erin Simpson, Manager Labour and Capability, New Zealand Apples & Pears
This month marks 6 months since Muka Tangata , People, Food and Fibres Workforce Development Council was stood up in Wellington. Muka Tangata is one of 6 Workforce Development Councils (WDC) that the Ministry of Education have created to bring about the biggest reform of vocational education in over 30 years.
The reform of vocational education or RoVE is a collection of new entities and policy changes that together will create a much more future focussed system of work based training across the entire country from senior school qualifications into pre-employemnt and trade training and then on into industry training at Level 2-7 up to but not including degree level programmes. The key changes that will be most visable to industry are .
1. The bringing together of all sixteen polytechs around the country under one giant polytechnic named Te Pūkenga or the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. As New Zealand’s largest tertiary education provider, Te Pūkenga will have the national and regional reach to become a long-term skills training partner for firms and industries, enabling learners to move between workplaces and other educational offerings and locations as their needs change. It will be the cornerstone of a cohesive, sustainable vocational education system that helps improve wellbeing for all New Zealanders and supports a growing economy that works for everyone.
2. The creation of 6 WDC , Workforce Development Councils were established on the 4th of October 2021 through the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) . The role of the WDCs is to ensure the vocational education system meets industry needs and gives a stronger voice to Māori business and iwi development. WDCs will set standards, develop qualifications, and help shape the curriculum of vocational education for the future. Many of the functions of the Industry Training Organisations (ITO) have been moved into the WDC.
Waihanga Ara Rau (Construction and Infrastructure) Workforce Development Council represents industries including Construction, Concrete, Plumbing, Infrastructure, Water, Gas, Electricity, Telecommunication and Roading.
Find out more at Waihanga
Toi Mai Workforce Development Council represents industries including Creative, Technology, Entertainment, Hairdressing and Barbering, Makeup Artistry, Skincare, Journalism, Radio and Television Broadcasting, Gambling, and Sports & Recreation.
Find out more at Toi Mai
Toitū te Waiora (Community, Health, Education, and Social Services) Workforce Development Council represents industries including Care Services, Disability Services, Education and Education Support Services, Funeral Services, Health Services, Public Order Safety, Regulatory Services, Skin and Nail Therapy Services, Social Services, and Urban Pest Control.
Find out more at Toitū te Waiora
Hanga-Aro-Rau (Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics) Workforce Development Council represents industries including Manufacturing, Processing, Extractives and Drilling, Transport, Postal, and Warehousing.
Find out more at Hanga Aro Rau
Muka Tangata (People, Food and Fibre) Workforce Development Council represents industries including Dairy, Sheep and Beef, other livestock, Arable, Horticulture, Fishing, Seafood Processing, Winemaking, Aquaculture, Livestock farming, Sports Turf Management, Silviculture & Harvesting.
Find out more at Muka Tangata
Ringa Hora (Services) Workforce Development Council represents industries including Advisory Services, Aviation, Cleaning Services, Business Services, Contact Centres, Financial Services, Hospitality, Local Government, Real Estate, Retail, Security Services, State Sector, and Tourism and Travel
Find out more at Ringa Hora
3. The Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLG) Will identify, and support better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs in our regions and cities. They are part of a joined-up approach to labour market planning which will see our workforce, education and immigration systems working together to better meet the differing skills needs across the country. Functioning independently, the groups are locally based across fifteen regions of New Zealand and regionally enabled, and supported by a team of data analysts, advisors and workforce specialists at the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. The groups inform, coordinate, and create links with local initiatives that impact their region’s workforce supply:
• Schools and careers advisors will get clearer information about current and future skills that will be in demand, to support school leavers to make good career decisions.
• Employers and schools will get support to connect to attract school leavers into local training and jobs that will be needed.
• Employers can act on the groups’ advice to tackle barriers to employment and productivity growth, by pooling resources and offering attractive job opportunities.
• Training providers, skills hubs and local economic development initiatives will have the right information to tailor their programmes to meet their region’s labour force and skills needs.
4. The last element of RoVE is the new Unified Funding System (UFS) which will fund the delivery of vocational education and training that is focused on learners, supports employers, and addresses national and regional skill priorities. In December 2021, Cabinet approved the design of a new unified funding system (UFS) for vocational education and training (VET). The UFS is an essential element of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). It will unify funding for provider-based study at levels 3 to 7 (non-degree) and for all industry training.
The Hawkes Bay region and Horticulture sectors are well represented across all of the above RoVE elements with Erin Simpson sitting as Chair of Muka Tangata and Co- Chair of the HB RSLG , it is important that Horticulture employers, growers and post-harvest operators have a strong voice throughout this process of change to ensure that the workforce and skills we need for tomorrow are designed and funded today.
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua: ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’
Dr Kathleen Kozyniak
Principal Scientist Air
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
The La Niña weather pattern has been generous to a fault and I wouldn’t mind if it pared back its benevolence. We had more than double our March rainfall, on top of more than double our average February rainfall. Wairoa was hit hard by twenty days of rain in March, which saw new records being set for the month’s total at all of our sites in that area and across most of the region, even surpassing the days of Cyclone Bola. In some cases it was the wettest month in a site’s history, not just for March.
The hefty falls over the last couple of months have given us saturated soils, burgeoning river flows and groundwater levels biased towards above normal levels as we settle into autumn. The almost constantly cloudy March skies suppressed our daytime temperatures to below average levels but, along with warm sea temperatures, raised our overnight temperatures by a solid degree. Soil temperatures were similarly warmer than usual and ended the month at 20°C on the Plains and 15°C in the ranges.
The La Niña may loiter through autumn before a final farewell in winter. That leaves our weather patterns for the next three months largely unchanged. Normal or above normal rainfall is predicted, along with warmer than usual temperatures. It’s all courtesy of sea temperatures that are likely to stay warm, and a northeast air flow arising from sea level pressures that are lower than usual to the northwest of the country and higher to the southeast. As I write, the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Fili bear down on us, threatening to deliver April’s rainfall in a twenty-four hour window. We’d happily see it display some sweet dance moves and take a last minute shimmy further east.
Charlotte Drury, View Consult, Consultant Planner on behalf of Horticulture New Zealand
Again, not much to report on the RMA front. We are still waiting for decisions on TANK and the Water Conservation Order (WCO) and are expecting these in the next couple of months. A further mediation for the appeals on Plan Change 7 to the regional plan relating to outstanding water bodies is happening on Tuesday 12th, and we are hopeful more positive progress can be made. Jordyn from HortNZ’s Wellington office has also been involved in the first two stages of the Central Hawke’s Bay District Plan hearings – changes she sought to ensure that indigenous vegetation can be cleared if needed in a biosecurity emergency appear to have been accepted which is good for growers. The next stage of that hearing relates to the rural zone provisions which obviously Hort will be involved in, but the dates have not yet been set. As usual, if anyone has any RMA related questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As things start to slow down after harvest, hopefully you have an opportunity to have some time away from work, but once you are back it is potentially a good time to check that any necessary resources consents are sorted for next season, and if you aren’t sure (especially if you are changing crops or something that will impact your water use), then please give me a call or an email and we can have a chat about it.
If you have any RMA questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly via email at Charlotte.Drury@hortnz.co.nz or on 027 3225595.
Charlotte Drury, View Consult, Consultant Planner on behalf of Horticulture New Zealand
At a national level, feedback is being sought on a number of proposals, including the RMA reform. HortNZ is currently preparing submissions for these proposals. From a regional perspective, plan change updates pertaining to horticulture include:
TANK (Plan Change 9)
No decision has been released on the TANK (Plan Change 9) yet. Some of the rules of TANK had legal effect when they were notified (last May) – this is particularly relevant for the land use change rules. So if any growers are changing land use on over 10ha of their property, or more than 10% of their property, then please get in touch, and we can figure out whether or not a regional council resource consent might be needed for this – better to check early than possibly run into problems with the regional council compliance team later on. The rules are focused on land use change where nitrogen losses are likely to increase, so if you are converting what was a squash crop into orchard for example, you are unlikely to require consent, but I would suggest it pays to check it out first.
Plenty of information is available on the HBRC website.
Outstanding water bodies plan change (Plan Change 7)
We attended another informal mediation in late February. It was productive and another meeting is scheduled for April.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council District Plan hearings
These hearings are starting next week. They have separated the hearings into seven different streams/sections which are being heard separately. HortNZ’s head office in Wellington is fronting this. No major issues – just raising reverse sensitivity matters as there is increasing subdivision down there, as well as potential growth in horticultural operations, so we want to make sure that horticultural operations can carry on about their business without neighbours complaining.
Kotahi
This is the rest of region plan change to the regional plan. It will deal with the catchments that a specific plan change hasn’t been done for – including Esk, Mohaka and Wairoa Catchments were there are a few horticultural growers. The regional council are still at the start of this process – we will be keeping an eye on it to make sure at the appropriate time that we are involved, as it is important that horticultural interests are provided for in the new planning framework.tional level there is feedback being sought on quite a few proposals, including RMA reform. HortNZ head office in Wellington is preparing submissions on them, which HBFA has had the opportunity to review.
If you have any RMA questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly via email at Charlotte.Drury@hortnz.co.nz or on 027 3225595.
Harvest 2022 is in full swing with all Royal Gala picked and other varieties well underway. We saw an accelerated rate of maturity with this variety, which in turn, generated high demand for labour for a relatively short harvest period.
Omicron is a concern for our sector, as outbreaks are becoming more prevalent across the entire supply chain. I have heard encouraging reports of growers, corporate businesses and contracting companies supporting each other with labour supply. There are also a lot of people working very hard in the industry supporting our growers – thank you for your commitment to support our horticulture family.
Post-harvest is also facing similar issues with capacity rates, with some sheds running at only 60 to 70%. Logistics around shipping delays only add to this. Some exporters are increasing CA capacity, as it is likely to be a long post-harvest season.
Summerfruit harvest has finished and I’m hearing mixed results from our growers. The kiwifruit harvest has just begun here in Hawke’s Bay. As the harvest continues, remember if you face challenges harvesting your crop, please talk with your grower neighbours, industry contacts and your packhouse. It is likely that someone may have a picking gang who may be able to help for a couple of days. Two weeks ago, I was contacted by two growers who were let down on their first day of picking. Later that day another grower/ contractor phoned me up to say he had six pickers available for the rest of the week – problem solved. Things change daily, so it’s important to talk and ring one another.
I am pleased to welcome Megan Davitzki to our team. We have employed Megan as our new Business and Relationship Manager and are very much looking forward to working with her and believe she has the right capabilities, personality and skills to build on the great work that Jo Pentreath has undertaken over the last few years. There has been a lot of change– a change of premises, system and operation improvements and a complete rebrand two years ago, to better prepare and position HBFA for the future. Change can often be hard, but it is vital for any organisation that wants to remain relevant and thrive.
Finally, I want to thank Jo Pentreath who stepped up 12 months ago to run the general business operations for the Association. Over the past few years Jo has taken the Association to a new level – raising the bar and bringing excellence to the organisation. We have increased sponsorship, our events have been run seamlessly and our operations streamlined. Jo will still be working within the event space and be supporting Megan into her new role.
Take care and look out for each other.
Brydon Nisbet
HBFA President
Megan Dravitzki
I am really excited to be joining HBFA as the Business and Relationship Manager where I can support and advocate for an industry I love, am connected to, and believe is the heart of our region. My primary sector experience extends into viticulture including vineyard development and grape growing. My most recent role has been Business Growth Advisor with Regional Business Partners and Hawke’s Bay Mentor Co-ordinator for Business Mentors NZ, with previous experience in marketing and business management. I live in Napier with my lovely husband Dave and my mostly lovely three teenish children!
I can’t wait to hear from, learn from, and work with you. You can contact me anytime at manager@hbfa.co.nz or 027 233 99 00
Kia ora koutou,
Our thoughts and best wishes are with you all as you forge your way through this harvest. We appreciate the weather is doing its part, at least. At EIT we try to ensure that students do not have any extra pressures from us during this busy time, but will look forward to seeing them back in class at the end of April. Some Diploma students have started the research project and Steven has seen some good ideas coming through.
Clare is working on the unification of qualifications for Te Pukenga – their hope is that by next year all of the providers will be delivering a unified program of study for Fruit Production. Currently our course is tailored to apples, just as in other regions it may be tailored to kiwifruit or blueberries, so next year there will be some changes. We will keep you informed as this work progresses. We also have some qualification development in the pipeline and will be seeking industry feedback after harvest. Welcome Megan Dravitzki to HBFA and we look forward to working with you in the future.
Please contact Stacey Higgins, (ddi 06 974 8000 ext 5623) for enrolments for all courses, or feel free to call Clare or Steven.
Terry Meikle, Chief Executive, New Zealand Apples & Pears
The first 90 days – the road to global leadership.
As I approach the first 90 days as CEO of New Zealand Apples and Pears, I reflect fondly on what can best be described as a challenging start. With Omicron firmly establishing itself in New Zealand and the South Pacific, inflation rising globally, labour shortages, shipping and logistics disruptions; the last thing the industry, country, or world needed was a war in Ukraine.
Whether we like it or not, as a small country in a globalised world, we need to deeply understand these new challenges. Increasingly, we must have our finger on the pulse of both New Zealand’s foreign and trade policy. While our industry may only be a speck in the sand of the geopolitics currently playing out, you can guarantee we will be impacted one way or another.
While a tiny player on the global stage, New Zealand has often demonstrated global leadership. One example in our own industry comes in the form of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. Despite the challenges we continue to face, New Zealand apple and pear growers, and NZAPI, should be very proud of the key role we play in the success of the RSE. In 2022 we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the RSE. It is truly a win-win partnership. The RSE has been transformative for the New Zealand apple and pear industry. I must admit some surprise when I learned that close to 80% of our fruit is picked by RSE workers. I was equally delighted to hear stories of the way in which the RSE scheme has transformed families, villages and communities all across the South Pacific. In the coming years I would like to see us deepen these partnerships further. The upcoming review of the RSE provides us with a golden opportunity to make this fabulous programme even better. In future years, I believe the RSE will become a temporary migration model that the world will want and need to learn about.
As the world moves towards reducing its environmental footprint from food production, horticulture and plant proteins will play an increasingly important role in government policy and consumers’ diets globally. This will drive transformational change in New Zealand and around the world. Global consumers are increasingly demanding that food is produced sustainably. At New Zealand Apples and Pears we want to be the world’s most competitive and sustainable industry in the world. The industry has set itself a long-term goal of becoming spray free by 2050. Later this year, NZAPI will also undertake a life cycle analysis of our apple production. We are also investing in a Global Sustainability Advisor, whose role will be to help our members meet the global expectations of sustainability coming at them in the form of government policy and regulations and private sector standards.
New Zealand apples and pears has some amazing stories to tell the country and the world. I am very much looking forward to the journey.
Jack Wilson
Harvest is now well underway which means it is time to be thinking ahead so that key tasks are not missed in the postharvest period. Right now with the hoops you’re having to jump through as growers in today’s climate, it’ll seem crazy to be thinking that far into the future. However, planning ahead is critical to achieving your goals in this game.
Pickout percentage
If you are consistently seeing 15%+ of your crop left on the tree, it is time to ask why. Is it shading? Poor genetics? Not enough labour to get the crop off? Summer conditions? It is likely that several factors are influencing the outcome. A quick 5-minute walk in a block between-picks and once finished harvest, can give great insight into areas for improvement.
Figure 1. An example of a tree with a pickout percentage of approximately 85%
Nutrition
Postharvest presents a good opportunity to correct tree nutrition. Pre-harvest leaf tests can help to inform your postharvest applications (how much or how little to apply).
Leaf tests should be taken to determine the need for any nutritional replenishment. Elements that often need attention coming into the autumn season include Nitrogen, Magnesium and Boron. As an example, leaf N levels <2.2% measured at the end of Jan early Feb period mean your trees would benefit from Autumn N.
Foliar N applications are most effective in directly raising N concentrations in the floral bud. Foliar N should be applied immediately postharvest before leaf fall starts.
Where larger N inputs are required, foliar applications won’t be sufficient, with either ground applications or fertigation an effective option. If using ground application you must have the ability to wash the fertiliser into the soil solution with either rainfall or irrigation.
Boron is also most effectively applied immediately post-harvest. Boron is needed for pollen tube growth and therefore fruit-set. Adequate boron levels ensure a good seed set and the higher the seed numbers the higher the fruit size and calcium levels in the fruit.
Pruning
Taking ‘large cuts’ out post-harvest can be an effective way to remove large branches and spread the labour demand later in the winter. By having your higher skilled pruners undertaking structural cuts, revisiting for winter detail has no need for loppers or saws.
It is important to note that in doing this task with leaf on, you are likely to see a vigour reduction. This type of structural pruning is most desirable on strong growing trees where a reduction in vegetative growth is desired. Renewal of the branch is less likely so keep that in mind depending on your desired result (and do not forget to paint!)
Note taking at this time of the year is worth its weight in gold. What you might notice now might be extremely useful information to you when planning for the 2023 harvest come mid-winter. Simple notes as you are driving around the orchard picking up any key outcomes which may alter your planning are important. These things are easily forgotten so let’s stay on top of it.
