Meet our Growers

Dave and Julie Smith

Te Puke, New Zealand – GREEN A commitment to growing quality kiwifruit and developing innovative orchard practices has attracted Dave and Julie Smith back to the land to tend to a struggling orchard and to build a home base for their large family. Looking though the scaffolding of what will be their new family home in the middle of their GREEN kiwifruit orchard, Dave and Julie view the result of their efforts over the past few years with pride. After much attention and hard work, this orchard is now high performing, with a quality crop of kiwifruit nearly due for harvest. When Dave and Julie first visited this orchard, they...

Darren and Tracey Chinnery

Katikati, New Zealand – GREEN and GOLD Characterized by a passion for life and for growing things, and with an intensity and determination to succeed, Darren has taken the kiwifruit industry by storm. Darren is a printer by trade and worked his way through an apprenticeship to eventually owning and running a successful printing company. It was whilst he was running the Auckland-based printing business that Darren decided to invest in a kiwifruit orchard. He contracted out the management for two years before he packed up his young family, sold his business, moved to the Bay of Plenty and literally threw himself into orcharding. Driven by a passion for growing...

Jeff and Shirley Roderick

Te Puke, New Zealand – GREEN and GOLD ORGANIC Generations of Rodericks have worked this land, originally as a dairy farm. Jeff recognized that the soil and climate were perfectly suited for Kiwifruit and was one of the first commercial kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand to attain organic certification. Jeff’s approach to orchard management has always been minimalist with regard to chemical input, so the move to organic certification for his GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit orchard was in keeping with his philosophy. It did however pose some challenges for him in controlling pests and plant diseases. As an industry leader in organic orchard practices, Jeff has worked closely with New...

Dennis and Debbie Robinson

Te Puke, New Zealand – GREEN ORGANIC With their house nestled within their organic kiwifruit orchard, Dennis and Debbie’s home is “paradise.” Their commitment to Organic Kiwifruit production reflects their way of life and their connection with the land around them. Dennis is one of New Zealand’s many dairy farmers who have converted farmland to a commercial kiwifruit orchard. He has been growing ZESPRI® GREEN Kiwifruit now for over 30 years and ZESPRI® GREEN ORGANIC Kiwifruit for over 10 years. Dennis’s decision to transition to organic practices was driven by a desire to protect and nurture the environment that provides shelter and a livelihood for his family. “We live by...

Phillipa Wright and Stephen Kenna

Ongare Point, New Zealand – GOLD As a horticultural consultant on assignment in the Bay of Plenty, Phillipa fell in love with the kiwifruit region and then a kiwifruit grower. Together they now manage a busy GOLD Kiwifruit orchard and have raised three boys along the way. “Our life on the orchard provides a wonderful experience for the boys. They live in a community focussed on harnessing the goodness of the land, so have a healthy respect for nature. Whilst they enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, they also know the hard work that comes with the kiwifruit harvest and are a great help throughout the season.” Phillipa and Stephen are innovative...

Loren Poole

Pahoia, New Zealand – GREEN and GOLD Loren’s approach to kiwifruit production combines innovation and environmental sustainability on an impressive scale. The majority of his GOLD Kiwifruit is grown under an artificial canopy that creates a microclimate in which the plants thrive; boosting growth and taste qualities. Loren owns and manages a large and diverse property that produces GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit; flowers such as hydrangeas, leucadendrons, viburnum and king proteas for the US export market; and energy crops such as maize, lucerne and oats. Additional areas of the property that are unsuitable for kiwifruit are being regenerated as native bush, attracting native wildlife back in to the area and...

Stephen Weenink

McClaren Falls, New Zealand – GREEN ORGANIC Stephen travels the world and firmly believes that ZESPRI® ORGANIC Kiwifruit are the best in the world and will not buy anything else – no matter where he is. Managing both a mid-altitude GREEN ORGANIC Kiwifruit orchard and a beekeeping and pollination business, Stephen looks forward to a few weeks in North America each year to re-energize before the busy kiwifruit harvest begins. Using most of his time to fuel his passion for skiing, Stephen also keeps an eye on his business interests. Not only does he produce GREEN ORGANIC Kiwifruit for the export market, Stephen also exports bees to pollinate Canada’s canola...