Conflict in the Middle East has not stopped the new season’s kiwifruit from reaching foreign shores.

Jason Te Brake, chief executive of Bay of Plenty‑based kiwifruit marketer Zespri, said while it's a “dynamic geopolitical environment”, the 2026/27 season has started well, with the industry making good progress with the harvest and supporting a fast start to another large crop of around 220 million trays to sell.

“Despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty from the ongoing tension in the Middle East, fruit is moving steadily into market, with fruit to Europe shipped via the Panama Canal.

“We continue to work with our long-standing shipping partners to monitor the expected impact of freight costs.

“Our initial guidance reflects positive demand for our fruit and the removal of US tariffs, while factoring in assumptions about the cost of bunker fuel and freight based on the latest information available, as well as the estimated impact from the conflict in the Middle East, including the potential for wider supply chain disruption.”

Zespri was also anticipating continued movement in its foreign exchange positions this season due to the changing environment.

Its initial guidance reflects positive movements with the euro and Chinese yuan, offset by downward movement in its position with the US dollar, Japanese yen and Korean won.

The RubyRed harvest was now complete, with five million trays this season.

“With RubyRed volumes up from around three million trays last year, our sales programmes have extended to include Australia, Vietnam and Canada for the first time,” Te Brake said.

The SunGold and Green harvests were also now underway.

Te Brake said guidance for the 2026/27 season was a preliminary forecast, with updates provided throughout the year once there was a firmer view of fruit and market performance, as well as the scale and duration of the conflict in the Middle East.

New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry was horticulture’s largest export, with growers located from Kerikeri to Motueka.

Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake. Photo / Jamie Troughton / Dscribe Media

There were about 2800 kiwifruit growers and 3200 registered orchards in New Zealand, with around 14,500 hectares of kiwifruit in production.

Almost 80% of New Zealand‑grown kiwifruit came from the Bay of Plenty.

Zespri International Ltd is the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, managing about 30% of the global volume.

Orchard advice

Fuel issues relating to the Middle East conflict have spurred police to issue warnings and advice to rural landowners.

Tusha Penny, Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing and District Support, said police were starting to see an impact in reports of diesel theft and petrol drive‑offs.

“Our districts have been watching closely, and we will continue to monitor what is happening.

“We encourage people to report all suspicious behaviour to police, as this is how we catch offenders. We also need people to continue reporting these crimes so we have a full picture of what is happening and can respond accordingly.”

Penny said police would remain visible in communities, both urban and rural, and respond to incidents as they arise.

“We know many people feel more reassured when they understand what practical steps they can take to help keep themselves and their property safe.”

Tusha Penny, Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing and District Support. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Guidance from the police, FMG and Federated Farmers includes:

• Park vehicles with fuel caps close to the wall or another vehicle to restrict access to fuel tanks.

• Try to keep fuel out of sight and ensure fuel tanks are secured and locked to restrict theft and tampering.

• Install security lighting that lights up fuel tanks and fuelling areas.

• Keep an inventory of fuel consumption so any thefts can be identified quickly.

• Install fuel tank locking devices on all petrol and diesel tanks on your property.

The advisory also noted that camera and alarm systems can be the difference between a burglar only having seconds in your property before they’re detected or having minutes or hours to ransack your property.

Security cameras can also capture details of suspicious people and vehicles, providing crucial leads to police.

• Position cameras at entry points to your property to allow early detection of unwanted visitors.

• Install cameras around buildings that contain high-value farm property and assets.

• Consider cameras with integrated flood lights and alarms as additional deterrents.

• Place clear signage advising of the use of cameras on your property.

• Place alarm monitoring stickers around all sides of your home.

• Dummy cameras and alarms can also act as a deterrent to thieves.

Always report any suspicious activity to police.

Call 111 if it’s happening now, or for a non-emergency call 105 or use 105 online police.govt.nz/use-105. For anonymous reporting call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.