Kiwifruit harvest halted by Cyclone Cook

Cyclone weather is affecting Kiwifruit harvesting. Photo / File

Kiwifruit harvesting has been halted in areas around the country following ex-Cyclone Debbie last week and before Cyclone Cook, which is expected to make landfall today.

It is harvest season, with a number of orchards having to delay harvest last week due to flooding, and further delays expected.

Chief executive of industry body New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI) Nikki Johnson, said the group would be monitoring the situation and would assess damages after the weather had cleared.

"Since the rainfall last week, NZKGI has been identifying severely affected orchards near Edgecumbe and providing support where necessary, particularly with pumping water off orchards," Johnson said.

"We have also been communicating the availability of pastoral care for members of our grower community who are experiencing stress."

Johnson said she was aware of a number of orchards that had experienced some degree of flooding last week but said at this stage only a small handful had been severely affected.

"We will now be looking to identify any additional orchards that have been severely impacted by Cyclone Cook," Johnson said.

An industry spokesperson said although rain didn't tend to affect kiwifruit growth, high winds could affect a harvest.

Johnson said growers had previous experience with issues such as flooding from Cyclone Bola in 2005 which was helping them prepare for potential effects from Cyclone Cook.