The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Yet another record apple export harvest for Hawke's Bay

By Patrick O'Sullivan
Business editor·Hawkes Bay Today·
10 Oct, 2016 11:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Record apple prices and volumes continue to grow in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Warren Buckland

Record apple prices and volumes continue to grow in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay is having another record year for apple exports.

CEO Garth Cowie said so far an 8.5 per cent increase on last year had been exported, with a record 22,205 twenty-foot containers shipped.

"Despite a late start to the season and a shortage of pickers, it has been a record harvest for our local growers," he said.

"Exports through Napier Port were up by more than 2000 twenty-foot containers on last season."

"It's great news for the pipfruit industry, and for the Hawke's Bay economy."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Volumes are expected to grow further, with an extensive programme of planting underway across the region.

"The pipfruit industry has set a target of achieving $1 billion in exports by 2020 and is well on the way toward achieving that. That's projected to translate into approximately 35,000 twenty-foot containers for export by 2025."

For the season to October 2 the port has shipped 22,205 containers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This represents significant growth since 2008, when we exported just 12,936 containers of apples through Napier Port."

Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said prices were strong and returns would be another record.

"We haven't got final numbers - we were forecasting $700 million and are confident of $720 million, which will easily be our export double in four years. In 2012 we did we did $341 million.

"It is a fantastic result and of course two-thirds of that is coming back to Hawke's Bay."
While volumes steadily increased, the value increase was mainly due to price.

"It is being driven primarily by New Zealand-exclusive varieties. We have moved the product category out of the commodity space into the high-niche premium-product space."

Fruit was currently "moving smoothly through the port", unlike 2014 when apple shipments missed their boats and fruit diverted to other ports as Napier Port struggled with a spike in fruit shipped by containers.

A season two weeks earlier than normal compounded the problem with exporters shipping straight to Asia instead of storage.

Major innovations were added to the port, including an off-site depot for empty containers, a vehicle booking system, new mobile harbour cranes, container handlers that can lift two containers at once and added refrigerated storage.

Mr Cowie said more were planned, not least another wharf, the biggest single investment in the port's history.

The port is associated with more than half of Hawke's Bay's Gross Regional Product and this year is also facing record log volumes, with a record 100 log ships calling so far this year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Last week KiwiRail and Napier Port signed an agreement for four dedicated log trains on weekends from Wairoa.

The deal, likely to be extended as log harvests increase, reopens the mothballed line using trains idle on the weekend from the port's other freight services running in the lower North Island.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

Premium
Opinion

Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

04 Jul 05:00 PM
The Country

‘Huge growth potential’: Willis on wool challenges during visit to NZ’s biggest scourer

04 Jul 05:00 PM
The Country

'Sassy' success: Climate-resilient apple's exports set to double

04 Jul 05:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

04 Jul 05:00 PM

News of merging ministries was just the tip of the iceberg.

‘Huge growth potential’: Willis on wool challenges during visit to NZ’s biggest scourer

‘Huge growth potential’: Willis on wool challenges during visit to NZ’s biggest scourer

04 Jul 05:00 PM
'Sassy' success: Climate-resilient apple's exports set to double

'Sassy' success: Climate-resilient apple's exports set to double

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Ex-TV host Matt Chisholm's bold new career; 'Hugely unpopular' - battle royale brews inside Stuff

Ex-TV host Matt Chisholm's bold new career; 'Hugely unpopular' - battle royale brews inside Stuff

04 Jul 10:13 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP