The brix - or sweetness - measurement of the fruit has not been affected by the long, late season but there has been a higher measure of what the industry terms "dry matter" in some of the crop, he said. Dry matter is one of the determinants of flavour.
Mr Malley said Kerikeri-grown fruit, followed closely by Whangarei, were above the national average in the industry's taste and quality measurement.
"We grow good tasting fruit in Northland."
Last year the industry reviewed the way it measured taste and achievement, with some standards being raised to keep New Zealand grown fruit at the top of the international market, he said.
Because of its recognised quality, New Zealand's kiwifruit crop amounted to only 20 per cent of the international market but more than 50 per cent of its value. The industry in Northland is worth about $20 million.
Kerikeri orchards were hit fairly hard by the bacteria Psa, which decimated Bay of Plenty vines in 2011 through 2013.
Growers have been able to bounce back with the new Sungold variety that is more resistant to Psa - "resistant although not immune," Mr Malley said.
The bacteria has shown up in Whangarei vines only recently, in what growers hope is a minor and already contained outbreak.
