Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Walter Bayliss - a grower who pioneered the kiwifruit industry

John Cousins
By John Cousins
Senior reporter, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
4 Jul, 2016 01:40 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Pioneer kiwifruit grower Walter Bayliss under the canopy of his former orchard in No4 Rd, Te Puke.

Pioneer kiwifruit grower Walter Bayliss under the canopy of his former orchard in No4 Rd, Te Puke.

The last of Te Puke's pioneering kiwifruit growers Walter Bayliss has died at the age of 90, bringing the curtain down on an era that laid the foundation for New Zealand's billion-dollar export crop.

The little, hairy, brown fruit were still called Chinese gooseberries when Mr Bayliss and his two brothers Jim and Graham joined forces with Jim MacLoughlin to form the vanguard of a fledgling export drive.

Mr Bayliss, who died at his Welcome Bay home on June 18, had a lifelong passion for kiwifruit. In a 2006 interview, he remembered his father Vic "taking a bit of a punt" and buying six plants from a man hawking a new type of fruit.

They grew vigorously on the family orchard on No3 Rd. But it was the next generation, the three brothers, who reaped the rewards of the early gamble.

When Mr Bayliss was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 for his services to the industry, he had been the only person to grow and export fruit continuously for nearly 50 years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He and wife Fay moved from their No3 Rd orchard in 1980 to a much smaller block on No4 Rd where he grew the once highly-prized Hort16A gold variety that bore the brunt of the vine-killing disease Psa.

Mr Bayliss ripped out his vines and sold the block before the couple shifted to Greenwood Park retirement village in Welcome Bay a year ago.

Mrs Bayliss said they never dreamed the industry that the family helped pioneer back in 1950s would grow into today's worldwide success.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Walter and his brothers made their pocket money as young boys selling Chinese gooseberries grown from a vine their father bought out of curiosity from a hawker at a stock sale."

She said the brothers later shared their ideas with neighbour Jim MacLoughlin and the export began. Mr MacLoughlin exported the original 75kg 10-case consignment to London's Covent Garden in 1952, which was so successful that the Bayliss brothers supplied subsequent shipments, with Walter's first export consignment in 1956.

"Many were the frustrations and triumphs over the coming decades with new ideas and skills shared between growers to create a lifestyle and industry employing thousands."

Mrs Bayliss said the family tradition was carried on by their son, the late Rod Bayliss and his wife Anne.

"Now all the original vines have passed on to new growers and newer ideas, and the Bayliss family has gracefully moved on."

Each of the three brothers contributed to the growth of the industry, Mr Bayliss becoming a foundation director of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Licensing Authority - serving as a grower representative on the inaugural board for four years.

It was the precursor to global success story Zespri.

He told the Bay of Plenty Times in 2006 that he was never tempted to give up on kiwifruit, even in less buoyant times.

"You could call me a dedicated grower who has stuck with it because I have faith in it. I do it still because I like growing plants, trees and shrubs."

He is survived by wife Fay, daughter Helen, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Walter Francis Bayliss 1926-2016

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

11 Jul 02:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

11 Jul 12:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM

Power was cut to 21,529 customers at 12.30pm in Tauranga.

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

11 Jul 02:00 AM
'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

11 Jul 12:00 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP