LeaderBrand constructing massive greenhouse in Gisborne

Photo / File

Increasing weather events in New Zealand have prompted one horticulture business to go undercover.

LeaderBrand is in the process of building a massive greenhouse to protect its crops from weather extremes.

Flooding in Gisborne last week showed Kiwi farming practices needed to change, LeaderBrand chief executive Richard Burke said.

While it was not the worst storm the horticulture business had seen, it still had a short term effect on its spinach and rocket crops, Burke said.

"They certainly get hit when you see that much rain," he told The Country's Rowena Duncum.

It could also potentially mean supply gaps early next year for corn and squash, he said.

LeaderBrand were "big salad suppliers" and Burke hoped the greenhouse would put Gisborne on the map as "the salad capital of New Zealand".

"That' really what drove us to it ... whilst we do grow in Matamata and Pukekohe, Gisborne forms a big part of it."

Salad greens were a "really sensitive crop" with a short growing cycle from seed to harvest, he said.

"The ability to keep it consistent is really key for us, so we've embarked on this new project to see if we can make it all work for us undercover."

Although using the greenhouse would be a big change, Burke believed this type of farming was the future, especially environmentally.

"You see these weather bombs and the colour of the water and the soil and everything else that's taken out, it really does challenge the sustainability of some of your farming practices."

Other factors also influenced the build, including the increasing competitiveness of the market and land availability.

"There's limited land that's good for growing salads and vegetables and right now we're seeing a lot of pressure come on from kiwifruit and apples which is returning really good money for landowners."

Listen below:

The labour shortage was another reason and Burke believed the greenhouse would help attract new employees.

"We can put our rates at whatever we like, but at the end of the day, the environment people are working in becomes really important."

New Zealand was a bit behind when it came to farming undercover, Burke said.

"We've spent a lot of time travelling the world and certainly in other countries, they are far and away more advanced than New Zealand in terms of undercover farming.

"So we're having a crack here, largely thanks to the Provincial Growth Fund, it's really encouraged us to give it a shot."