Blueberries and strawberries might be a great match but an even better partnership has formed in the Far North to help grow more of the sweet berries earlier in the season.
Ngāpuhi-owned Kaikohe Berries has signed a 9.5-year partnership with Australasian horticulture business T&G Fresh.
The joint venture will expand the berry growing at Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park, helping to meet the growing demand from Kiwis for premium berries, while strengthening the iwi’s horticultural base.
Named T&G Kaikohe Berryfruit Limited Partnership, the partnership leases Kaikohe Berries’ site, including its orchards and packhouse, employing 20 people in the first year and up to 40 people at harvest time.
Formally called Kaikohe Berryfruit Limited Partnership, Kaikohe Berries formed in 2021 and is 80% owned by Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company and 20% by Far North Holdings - the commercial arm of Far North District Council.
Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company chairman Nick Wells said while Kaikohe Berries has been successful in growing strawberries, it soon found its small size meant it was not able to get the latest advances in technology nor new berry varieties.
“We realised that although we’re the biggest iwi in the country, when it comes to horticulture, we’re very new and a minnow.”
Over the past two years, Kaikohe Berries had been “speed dating” to find a partnership that would provide better scale, access to bigger markets and access to the latest advances in berry genetics, Wells said.
T&G Fresh was a good pick because it not only had the latest advances in strawberry genetics, it also had new blueberry varieties, he said.
“T&G are getting these giant blueberries - they’re just superb - and new varieties of strawberries which are grown earlier, stay on the shelves longer and they’re really sweet,” Wells said.
The 9.5-year partnership is long enough for locals to learn all about horticulture, while not committing the assets for a lifetime, he said.
“Ngāpuhi is a bit wily. We like the thought of a period of nine to 10 years, then stopping and seeing what we’ve got.”
T&G Fresh managing director Rod Gibson said the timeframe worked well because berry plants have a lifetime of seven to eight years, much shorter than something like an apple orchard, where the trees last for 20 years.
This was the first iwi partnership of its kind for the domestic-focused T&G Fresh, although the global company does have long-term partnerships with iwi in export-focused apple orchards, he said.
Gibson said the partnership was like “the stars aligned” for the two organisations, with T&G Fresh wanting to expand its berry operations as there is high demand for berries in New Zealand and globally.
T&G Fresh already had a blueberry and citrus orchard in Kerikeri, but this was a chance to expand to an area with a local workforce available, along with space and good access to water, he said.
New cultivars of blueberries and strawberries will be able to be harvested in winter and early spring, when Kiwi customers previously had to import Australian-grown berries, Gibson said.
Wells said Kaikohe Berries has 10ha of tunnel houses but has 27ha of land at Ngāwhā, so there is room to expand.
Ngāpuhi’s social services arm had already noticed the benefit to the community of Kaikohe Berries being able to offer secure local jobs and this would continue, he said.
Locals would also continue to be able to buy fresh berries from the supermarket shelves, while seconds would continue to be offered to community groups, Wells said.
“The connection with the community has been quite strong and that’s something we’re looking to maintain.
“We want a local workforce that’s engaged, and can see the product on the shelves and have pride.”
T&G Kaikohe Berryfruit Limited Partnership officially formed on July 1 but was formally marked with a celebration at Ngāwhā on Monday morning.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.