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

First shipment of record Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit crop sets sail for Japan and Korea

Bay of Plenty Times
16 Mar, 2021 10:56 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

The MV Kakariki docked at the Port of Tauranga. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services

The MV Kakariki docked at the Port of Tauranga. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services

The first shipment of what is expected to be a record season of New Zealand-grown Zespri kiwifruit is now en route to Asia, with China set to try their red variety for the first time.

The fruit is aboard the MV Kakariki, the second of three new specialised reefer vessels built by Fresh Carriers to ship New Zealand-grown kiwifruit to Zespri's Asian markets, with the ship expected to complete its maiden voyage in early April.

Zespri's chief global supply officer Alastair Hulbert said MV Kakariki was the first of 57 planned charter reefer vessels under Zespri's shipping programme this season, up from the 49 charter vessels used last season.

This season will see five sailings to north Europe, 12 to the Mediterranean and 40 to Zespri's Asian markets. Zespri also expected to send around 18,000 containers of kiwifruit.

"We're expecting to supply around 177 million trays of kiwifruit this season, or approximately 700,000 tonnes, which will be a record-breaking crop of New Zealand grown Zespri kiwifruit," Hulbert said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
 Zespri Red variety of kiwifruit.  Photo / File
Zespri Red variety of kiwifruit. Photo / File

"Our latest forecasts indicate we could potentially reach 100m trays of Zespri SunGold kiwifruit this season which would be a significant milestone for the industry and reflects the growing popularity of the variety since its commercialisation 10 years ago.

"We're also excited to be providing consumers in China with their first opportunity to try Zespri Red Kiwifruit."

The red variety will be available in New Zealand stores shortly, with the first shipments scheduled to arrive in Singapore, Japan and China in early April.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With this season's harvest now under way across all growing regions in New Zealand, Hulbert said the wider kiwifruit industry was again working hard to ensure it could safely pick, pack and ship another delicious crop of Zespri kiwifruit.

"There has been a tremendous effort from everyone in the kiwifruit industry to respond to the ongoing challenges posed by Covid-19 and our focus continues to be on safely delivering another great-tasting crop.

"We'll again be embracing enhanced hygiene and safety protocols throughout the supply chain to make sure consumers in our markets around the world can still enjoy our fresh and healthy fruit."

Hulbert confirmed that while Zespri was closely monitoring the global shipping situation, it was well placed to mitigate any risks associated with port and container congestion.

"This season we've increased the number of charter vessels we're using, providing an additional 47,500 pallets of reefer capacity.

"The use of our reefer vessels, in combination with our refrigerated containers, is providing extra flexibility on when we ship our fruit," Hulbert said.

"As we start the delivery of this season's New Zealand-grown kiwifruit, we'll continue to work closely with our long-term port and shipping partners to ensure our fruit is reaching consumers in premium condition."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Small Kiwi distillery outshines rap legend Snoop Dogg in world gin awards

13 Jul 10:44 PM
The Country

Go fishing with Scott Barrett and Kaiwaka Clothing

13 Jul 10:42 PM
The Country

Farmers help foodbanks with milk and meat donations

13 Jul 10:30 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Small Kiwi distillery outshines rap legend Snoop Dogg in world gin awards

Small Kiwi distillery outshines rap legend Snoop Dogg in world gin awards

13 Jul 10:44 PM

The competition attracted more than 1300 entries from 47 countries.

Go fishing with Scott Barrett and Kaiwaka Clothing

Go fishing with Scott Barrett and Kaiwaka Clothing

13 Jul 10:42 PM
Farmers help foodbanks with milk and meat donations

Farmers help foodbanks with milk and meat donations

13 Jul 10:30 PM
'Mountain of work': Schools closed in Tasman but calmer weather ahead for country

'Mountain of work': Schools closed in Tasman but calmer weather ahead for country

13 Jul 06:10 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

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