"We have a team working around the clock to get the trees in the ground over the next few weeks. The new planting has created about 20 new jobs and will continue to provide permanent and seasonal jobs through the year.
"The new apple tree varieties include Premier Star, TCL3 and Kingsbeer Red - all are bright red, sweet, juicy apples, which appeal to the overseas markets," said Mr Treneman.
"The apple industry is growing to meet international demand and every day we are working to ensure we have the apples, demanded by our customers."
This is the first stage of the new tree variety development.
"Bostock New Zealand has a strategy of ongoing tree replacement; at least 10 per cent of orchard land should be in redevelopment every year," Mr Treneman said.
"As trees get towards the end of their economic life, both fruit quality and overall yield suffer, new plantings recover the yield and offer the opportunity to upgrade to exciting new varieties.
It's taken months of planning and project management and we are really excited to finally see the trees being planted."
Mr Treneman says New Zealand apple growers are becoming more focused on Asia markets and the new plantings reflect this.
"We need to grow apples which appeal to the Asian palette and these are sweet, juicy, bright red apples. So it's time to get out of the old varieties and into the new sweeter varieties."
The new trees will start bearing fruit in 18 months.
In May New Zealand's $700 million apple industry was named the world's most competitive performer, with the World Apple Report ranking New Zealand first over 33 major apple producing countries.
Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard earlier described it as a "great achievement".
"We know New Zealand is the best country in the world to grow apples. We've had a fantastic harvest. The size and quality of fruit is outstanding and we have produced another record earning export crop.
"We are now well ahead of realising our goal to become a billion-dollar industry by 2022.
"Our provinces are prospering from the apple success, we are growing hundreds of fulltime jobs across the sector in all areas including production, post harvest, logistics, marketing and exports. It's certainly a great time to be an apple-growing region," he said.
The World Apple Report said New Zealand was focusing on new or exclusive apple varieties that earned a substantial price premium in many international markets.
New Zealand had a long history of grooming new apple varieties aimed at niche, premium-priced markets. Because its total exports were small relative to total world supplies, New Zealand shipments did not burden any single market, the report said.
