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

Mr Apple's Hawkes' Bay production levels delight owners Scale

Andrew Ashton
By Andrew Ashton
Hawkes Bay Today·
1 Mar, 2018 08:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Mary Maere processes Fuji apples at Mr Apple factory in Whakatu, Hastings. Photo / File

Mary Maere processes Fuji apples at Mr Apple factory in Whakatu, Hastings. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay apple growers, pickers and packers overcame harsh growing conditions last year, helping pick more than half a billion apples - and even more are expected to be picked this year.

In its latest financial result for the year-ended December 2017, Mr Apple owner, the Scales Corporation, revealed Mr Apple export volumes remained "consistent" with the previous record year, with 3.5 million trays of apples (weighing about 63,000 tonnes) exported in 2017.

Although pre-tax earnings (ebitda) for the NZX 50-listed Scales Corporation, which also operates coldstores and supplies pet food ingredients, fell 9 per cent for the year to $62 million, that is still higher than the three years prior to 2016.

Read more: Apple growers positive but labour shortage could spoil season
More hands needed as bumper crop leaves Hawke's Bay industry 'flat out'
Editorial: Employment there for the picking

Mr Apple accounted for $36.6m of ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Net profit for the year (including non-cash IFRS adjustments) was $31.8m (FY2016: $38.2m).

Earnings per share for FY2017 were 22.6c per share (2016: 27.4c per share).

"This is a very satisfying result in light of a challenging growing season and some competitive trading conditions", Scales Corporation chairman Tim Goodacre said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It demonstrates the skill, knowledge and personal application of all of the Scales team to continue to deliver excellent returns.

"As reported in our half-year results, the Hawke's Bay region experienced a difficult growing season. However, the horticulture team produced an overall export volume consistent with the record 2016 crop and an export packout percentage also in line with the prior year.

"This was supported by an excellent performance within the storage and logistics division and a solid result from the food ingredients division."

Revenues from the S an L division rose 16 per cent to $126m, with ebitda also rising 18 per cent to $19.1m.

Discover more

Watch: First Bluff oysters expected today

01 Mar 09:00 PM
Business

Fruit-growers get help to recruit missing pickers

13 Mar 07:33 PM
Business

Apple grower needs extra hands

13 Mar 07:47 PM

Apple harvest earliest in recent history

13 Mar 09:24 PM

Scales Corporation managing director Andy Borland said the result reflected the positive impact of "careful investment" made in prior years in order to respond to climatic and market conditions.

"We invested $13.5m in capital expenditure during FY2017 and our net debt at 31 December 2017 was $40.8m. Our strong financial position and low gearing enables us to react quickly and confidently to potential strategic acquisitions and other opportunities.

"During the year Scales declared dividends of 19.0c per share. As in previous years, the board expects to declare a final dividend in respect of FY2017 in May, with payment in July."

Lat year the company completed a merger of its coldstores, combining the South island-based Polarcold Stores and its Auckland coldstore brand with its Hawke's Bay Whakatu Coldstores.

Mr Boland told Hawke's Bay Today that its Hawke's Bay operations remained a "key part" of the Scales coldstorage network.

"We have five active sites in Hawke's Bay, obviously the largest complex at Whakatu being the biggest of these sites. Our coldstores are a critical supply chain partner for many of the Bay's food production businesses providing temperature controlled storage for products such as petfood, apple juice concentrate, frozen vegetables, meat etcetera."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The company stated this year's apple harvest was already under way and early indications were "positive", given harvesting started 7 to 10 days ahead of last year.

Gross production was expected to be about the same as 5-year average volumes, and export volumes, determined by packout performance, hoped to be slightly ahead of 2017.

Company directors believe that and other factors will result in an increase in ebitda of $7m .

Save
    Share this article

Latest from The Country

Premium
The Country

NZ can absorb 15% tariff shock – ANZ group chief economist

The Country

Operator of troubled Kāeo water scheme trespassed from plant

The Country

Back to school with David Seymour on The Country


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
Premium
NZ can absorb 15% tariff shock – ANZ group chief economist
The Country

NZ can absorb 15% tariff shock – ANZ group chief economist

Trump tariffs will hurt exports but the macroeconomy can cope, an economist says.

04 Aug 03:00 AM
Operator of troubled Kāeo water scheme trespassed from plant
The Country

Operator of troubled Kāeo water scheme trespassed from plant

04 Aug 02:44 AM
Back to school with David Seymour on The Country
The Country

Back to school with David Seymour on The Country

04 Aug 02:11 AM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM
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