NZ pip and kiwifruit hurt by weather and covid disruptions

Labour shortages affected the harvesting of apple crops. (Image: File)

Fri, 20 May 2022

Weather and covid-19 are taking a bite out of New Zealand’s pip and kiwifruit harvests. New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI) lowered its forecast for the 2022 harvest by 12% to 20.3 million tray carton equivalents. It had previously expected 23.2m TCEs and said the new forecast meant export earnings would be about $105m lower than it had expected.Kiwifruit has also been hit, although the harvest is still under way. Seeka said NZ-wide the SunGold kiwifruit crop is now estimated to be 103.3m trays, a reduction of 9.7% on prior fo...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Technology Best of BD Reviews

Best of BusinessDesk: Top tech reviews from 2025

Two keyboards, a TV glow-up and some vacuums.

Jacques Steenkamp 5:00am

World

Greenland or NATO? Trump can’t have both

It isn’t for sale, and the consequences of a military takeover would be dire.

The Wall Street Journal 5:00am

Greenland or NATO? Trump can’t have both

Cars Opinion

Tesla’s greatest threat is being boring

The biggest threat may not be flaming out spectacularly.

Bloomberg 5:00am

Sponsored

Generative AI will disrupt 90% of jobs - what it means for the future of work

Here’s what that means for the future of work in New Zealand.

Cognizant

Sponsored

AI is only as good as its data foundation

NZ leaders explain why clean, connected data drives AI value.

Cognizant

More Primary Sector

Primary Sector

Ample Meats made to file financial accounts for first time

It operates a single plant in Taranaki.

Riley Kennedy 15 Jan 2026

Primary Sector

Construction costs rise at fastest pace in more than a year

Construction costs in the final quarter of 2025 rose at the fastest pace in more than a year, according to new data.The Cordell Construction Cost Index (CCCI) shows residential building costs increased by 0.9% in the three months to December.This was the largest quarterly rise si...

Staff reporters 14 Jan 2026