Zespri's licensing of 600 hectares of kiwifruit growing land for the planting of three new cultivars is a move towards increasing the period of time Gold kiwifruit are available in supermarkets.
Two of the three new varieties are a Gold type; an early season fruit called Gold3 and a potentially long storing fruit called Gold9.

Prime Minister John Key on a tour of Te Awanui Packhouse after he held private discussions with Zespri management in Tauranga.

Zespri chief executive Lain Jager says the decision to target Gold kiwifruit for industry growth is based on statistics.
"In Gold, Zespri has the world's best performing horticulture product," says Lain.
"Gold orchards are highly productive, yielding approximately 22 per cent more fruit per hectare than Green kiwifruits, and Gold product then achieves premiums of more than 100 per cent over other varieties - something which, to Zespri's knowledge, no other horticulture marketer has ever managed to achieve.
"We have therefore made the strategic decision that the next best step we can make in our business is to strongly grow the Gold product line, and take a major step towards year-round supply - primarily from New Zealand.
"We can do this highly efficiently, without the cost of launching an entirely new brand into the marketplace and it avoids the risk of confusing consumers with too many similar offerings, as other horticultural businesses have sometimes done.
"Our taste tests indicate that the two new Gold varieties are seen as near-identical to the existing Zespri Gold kiwifruit so that they can be marketed within that brand portfolio."
Lain says their research indicates consumers in Europe, Japan and elsewhere in Asia want Zespri Gold all year round, driving Zespri's 12-month supply strategy.
"Right now, New Zealand can meet demand for Zespri Gold kiwifruit for 20 weeks of the year, with the rest being met from offshore supply.
"Today's decisions are about taking that towards 30 weeks, delivering a potential 50 per cent efficiency gain in our marketing and distribution network from New Zealand, with the balance of demand to be met by Zespri Gold growers in the northern hemisphere as that business develops in the future."