New Zealand's horticulture industry has emerged largely unscathed after heavy rain throughout much of the country over the weekend, although there were reports of damage to kiwifruit orchards in the Coromandel.
There was little in the way of crop damage to the key grape and apple growing regions, but a Zespri spokeswoman said "a couple of hectares" of kiwifruit orchards were badly damaged in the Coromandel.
Pipfruit New Zealand business development manager Gary Jones said that in the Hawke's Bay, the Royal Gala corp - which represents about a third of the total apple crop - had been harvested before the downpour.
He said there would now be a seasonal lull before the rest of the crop was harvested but the higher rainfall was not ideal as it made fruit softer to handle and prone to bruising.
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Advertise with NZME.New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said most winegrowers would have heeded the weather warnings last week.
"There was a lot of warning that there was going to be heavy rain, so I am confident that winegrowers would have got their grapes off before the inclement weather," he said.
Xan Harding, vice chairman of the Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Association, said the grape harvest resumed today after the rain brought it to a halt over the weekend.
He said the wet weather would bring a welcome end to drought conditons in the region.
