The 2022 harvest of New Zealand’s largest horticultural produce, kiwifruit, is now largely complete with almost all 2,800 growers’ orchards from Kerikeri in the north to Motueka in the south picked for consumers. Current thought to the reduction is due to labour supply, crop loading and weather. Despite the uncertainty of seasonal labour supply at the beginning of the year, all growers had the opportunity to have their kiwifruit picked and packed. The success of the 2022 kiwifruit harvest hinged on the ability for industry’s supply chain to operate effectively with a restricted labour supply under the changing COVID-19 settings. The kiwifruit industry is an important player for communities across New Zealand, contributing $2.2bn in 2021.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 28, 2022 13:36 UTC