The Country’s Biggest Group Of Māori Kiwifruit Growers Is About To Export Fruit To Hawaii This Year With Taiwan Next In Its Sights In A First For Zespri-Māori Collaboration

The country’s biggest group of Māori kiwifruit growers is about to export fruit to Hawaii this year with Taiwan next in its sights in a first for Zespri-Māori collaboration. Māori Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated has 40-plus members who contribute around 10 per cent of New Zealand’s annual kiwifruit export volumes and have signed a marketing partnership with Zespri, to send Zespri-branded kiwifruit to Hawaii from May. MKGI chair Anaru Timutimu says Māori growers have been keen to export for several years and are next eyeing Taiwan. The group is a mix of Māori land trusts and incorporations, and will export around 80,000 trays or 13 containers of fruit this year. Zespri’s chief grower, Carol Ward says Hawaii is a relatively underdeveloped market, with sales of around 80,000 trays of green and SunGold fruit a year.