MP brings fruit to Parliament to celebrate forecast of record exports

Catherine Wedd (right) brought a spread of Hawke's Bay's finest fruits to Parliament. Photo / Catherine Wedd

Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd took a taste of Hawke’s Bay’s fruit bowl to Parliament, as a way to celebrate record horticulture export forecasts.

The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts horticulture export revenue will rise 5% to $9.2 billion in the year to June 30, 2026.

Wedd said she wanted to note the positive forecast in some way, so brought an abundance of Hawke’s Bay’s finest fruit and berries to share with her parliamentary colleagues and staff.

From juicy stone fruit to plump berries, the spread was a showcase of why the region has a reputation for its fruit, she said.

“Hawke’s Bay is leading the way in producing world-class fruit, and it’s something we’re all proud of. Bringing a taste of home to Parliament is a reminder of why supporting regional economies matters.”

Before the fruit made its way to the Beehive, Wedd visited Berry Farms NZ, Riverside Cherries, Tatsumi NZ, Bounce, Gourmet Blueberries, and Bayview Apricots.

She said they had told her they were experiencing an “amazing season”.

In the MPI report, the record exports were also being driven by a large cherry harvest, which is expected to lift cherry export revenue by 5% to $130 million, while apples were contributing to its $1 billion export milestone.

“This season, it was so exciting to see Hawke’s Bay exporting it’s very first cherries and I was out with the team from Bounce to experience this amazing feat, especially after Cyclone Gabrielle, which wiped out whole cherry orchards in our region. It felt good to be able to showcase some of these export cherries and the hard work that goes into growing them.

“These record export figures are achieved through supporting our growers and exporters showing how important it is to get the policy settings right.

“We have made positive changes to the RSE Scheme, invested in water security, hussled for trade deals so we have markets to send our fruit to, and ensured there is less red tape to enable our growers to grow.”