Developers catch up with strawberry fields

Strawberry grower John Garelja hopes to have another three years on his Kumeu property. Photo / Paul Estcourt

For 48 years, the Garelja strawberry farm's striped fields and crouching pickers have been a symbol of productive rural life for city dwellers venturing out northwest of Auckland.

But the mounds of red tasty treats are destined to give way to industrial development.

As Garelja Bros strawberry farm, the land provides 100 seasonal jobs. But as part of the Massey North growth cell opposite Westgate, it will contribute to a potential 10,000.

Co-owner John Garelja recalls his parents moving their family growing businesses there in 1962 after their Henderson Valley site was taken over for a school and a post and telegraph depot.

"They bought here to get out of the way of development."

His father, Len, and uncle, Albert, were originally growers together. Albert built the big brick house which has become a landmark on SH16.

Brothers John and Tony took over from their mother, Mary, who kept the business running when her husband died in 1974 and the boys were at school.

As a wholesale operation - the neighbouring shop is not connected to their business - the farm has supplied a supermarket chain for 20 years and suburban fruit shops such as Jack Lum in Remuera.

They gradually increased landholding from 4ha to 30ha, because it was a convenient location for them as West Auckland residents and also for their staff.

About eight years ago they learned about Waitakere City Council's plans for rural land at the end of the Northwestern Motorway. Realisation of plans seemed far away until on March 12 when the Auckland Regional Council approved a shift in the northwest's metropolitan urban limit to free an extra 435ha for industrial, commercial and residential development.

Last week, huge trucks and machinery were at work on a 3km extension to the motorway behind the farm.

The council was negotiating with the major landowner NZ Retail Property Group and a half dozen non-developer landowners, including Garelja Bros, for future roads and reserves and public amenities.

"We are in the industrial part of the new development land," Mr Garelja said. "We not really happy about losing the land to development. We would have happily stayed. But you have to accept it's going to happen and you cannot stop it."

Mr Garelja said he hoped to have a further three years or more production before bulldozers starting cutting into the farm.

"We have to see it as an exciting opportunity to develop a new farm rather than a hassle."

The brothers are in their 50s and are in the vanguard of an industry in which individual growers combine production and use technology to produce more on less land.

Waitakere City Councillor and chairman of the committee leading metropolitan growth Linda Cooper said the aim was to create thousands of jobs so western residents could work locally.

The plan is also to create a new town centre, linking over the road with the Westgate shops.

"It will be staged and landowners are not under pressure to develop until they are ready."