Confidence in the kiwifruit industry is at an all-time high judging by the number of new orchards being constructed in the Bay of Plenty and plants being ordered from the region's largest kiwifruit nursery.

Southern Cross Horticulture specialises in establishing new orchards and expects to sell around 60,000 kiwifruit plants for orchard establishment in 2016 – a significant increase on the previous year.

Rob St Leger nursery manager (left) and Andrew Dunstan, joint managing director of Southern Cross Horticulture which expect to sell around 60,000 kiwifruit plants this year.

'It's fair to say we're experiencing unprecedented interest in nurseries and orchard development businesses,” says the company's joint managing director Andrew Dunstan. 'That growth is a combination of people undertaking orchard improvements and new greenfield developments.

'Our orchard construction and establishment teams currently have a pipeline of over 20 ha of new construction or establishment projects in the Bay of Plenty this year which is extraordinary.”

Southern Cross Horticulture has just finished constructing a new 5ha kiwifruit orchard on Matakana Island on behalf of a local Maori trust guided by professional trustee organisation Te Tumu Paeroa.

Southern Cross Horticulture has just finished constructing a new 5ha kiwifruit orchard on Matakana Island on behalf of a local Maori trust.

'It's the first new orchard over there in decades and it's the beginning of a plan to kick-start Maori Trust development by investing in high-value horticulture.”

Construction of vine structures, artificial shelters and irrigation systems on site is now complete.

'The next step is to begin planting in July and we expect to harvest the first crop in winter 2019.”

Andrew says strong orchard gate returns for both gold and green kiwifruit has also convinced many people to expand their existing orchards, despite many not knowing exactly what varieties they'll grow on their newly converted land.

'There's a high level of confidence in the future of kiwifruit, along with preparation and speculation around possible release of further hectares of G3 or other new varieties over the medium and long term.

'This is underpinned by strong confidence in Zespri's ability to successfully deliver strong returns to growers despite significant volume growth over past and future seasons.”

Southern Cross Horticulture is a family-owned business founded by Chris Dunstan in 1978. Its nurseries now stretch across 7000sqm of greenhouses in the Tauranga and Te Puke areas, making the company one of the largest suppliers of new kiwifruit plants in New Zealand.

'We manage the whole process from paddock to tray – designing the orchard, constructing the physical structures, installing irrigation and training the vines right through until we have a cropping canopy.

'We also grow all varieties of kiwifruit plants in our nurseries, so our focus is on producing a quality product right from the very start to ensure new orchards get the best start to deliver a high return on investment as quickly as possible.”

Southern Cross Horticulture is always looking for more skilled people to join the company to help cope with increasing demand for its services.

'We are certainly looking to expand at a controlled rate and are keen to attract people who are passionate and driven to be the best in the business.”