Katikati couple tackle avocado market challenges with innovation and passionfruit

Carol Palmer and Alistair Niven on their avocado orchard near Katikati. Photo / Debbie Griffiths

A Katikati couple who have owned an avocado orchard for only five years are “branching out” with clever solutions to survive market downturns.

Alistair Niven and Carol Palmer flipped their lives from corporate city dwellers to hands-on orchardists, after an “a-ha” moment while sitting on the deck of their 12th-floor Auckland apartment during Covid.

“We were thinking, this really isn’t the ideal place to be,” Niven recalled.

It was a conversation about avocados that sparked an idea and before they knew it, they were heading south to Katikati, the heart of avocado country, with no idea what they were getting into.

“We didn’t know a good avocado from a bad one,” Niven said.

“All we knew was avocado on toast.”

Niven’s background in agriculture meant he hit the ground running.

For Palmer, though, the change was profound.

“I spent my career in corporate leadership roles,” she said.

“This is a huge lifestyle change, but I love it.

“The fresh air, the sounds of the birds and cicadas – it’s incredibly grounding.

“Alistair always asks what podcast I’m listening to, but honestly, I’m just listening to nature.”

Realisation

Carol Palmer and Alistair Niven with Storm the dog. Photo / Debbie Griffiths

The couple soon realised the reality of working in the horticulture sector and running an orchard presented challenges.

“When we first started growing avocados, we were getting $37 per export tray,” Niven said.

“The following two years, adverse climatic events meant we got down to single figures.

“This year we’re expecting around $20.

“It’s nerve-racking, not knowing what the market will bring.”

The uncertainty of the avocado market led them to get creative.

“We hit every market possible,” Niven said.

“We’re determined our fruit is the highest quality, so it can be exported.”

This year their fruit was exported to Australia, South Korea and Taiwan.

“Last year, Costco came to inspect the orchard,” he said.

“Now, we’re supplying them with avocados.

“We also supply the local markets through Apata.

“It’s great to know we’re part of something bigger and that our fruit is going everywhere.”

Income and diversity

Alistair Niven checks his avocados. Photo / Debbie Griffiths

To supplement their orchard income, they decided to plant 100 passionfruit vines alongside the avocados.

“Passionfruit love a humid, sheltered area, so the avocado trees are protecting them,” Niven explained.

“When we spray, the bugs are different, but the same chemicals kill them and the fertilisers work together.

Read more Coast & Country News stories here.

“We use a lot of seaweed, which works really well for them, and copper, so the fruit trees are complementary.

“The passionfruit provide a secondary income, but the avocados are helping the passionfruit to grow.”

“It’s a test and we’re still learning, but so far it’s working well,” Palmer said.

“The vines can turn very quickly, though, so I’m always checking the backs of the leaves to see if there are any bugs on them.”

Adaptability

Carol Palmer looks in on her passionfruit vines. Photo / Debbie Griffiths

The couple have learned to roll with the punches, especially when the weather doesn’t co-operate.

“We had a brutal windstorm in December 2023, and it devastated a lot of orchards in the region,” Niven said.

“The result was this year, our best export pack out across the Bay of Plenty was 60%, and some orchards were as low as 20%.

“It’s tough, especially when that directly impacts exports and the export return.”

“The weather may be unpredictable, but that’s horticulture for you,” Palmer said.

“You can’t control everything.”

Being active members of discussion groups, workshops and field days run by Apata and NZ Avocado ensures the couple are constantly soaking up the latest research and best practices.

“We’ve even hosted field days on our orchard,” Niven said.

“We had a number of people show up to our field day and it’s amazing how much you can learn from fresh eyes.”

Now, when they’re not in the orchard, Niven works at Apata Grower Services and Palmer was elected to the board of NZ Avocado in 2023.

“You’ve got to look outside your square and be adaptable,” Niven said.

“If more New Zealanders ate avocados, we wouldn’t have this issue with supply.

“If each person ate just one more avocado each year, the entire crop would be consumed in New Zealand.

“It’s really that simple.”