Horticulture Sector Support
Cleaning Up The Fruit Bins
Many orchardists in Hawke’s Bay were hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle. Tens of thousands of apple bins were caught in flood waters, covered in silt and scattered across the landscape.
Evergreen allocated an initial $100,000 to a bin sanitisation programme which includes receiving bins from growers, cleaning them to standard, and returning them back to the orchard for our next harvest.
Ensuring the crops meet regulatory standards for both New Zealand and overseas is paramount, and it’s not possible to produce new bins in time, nor was it cost effective.
We also received support from the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to assist the programme, which has enabled the industry to keep people employed during the recovery phase.
The project is on track to deliver back 31,000 clean bins to orchards by the beginning of December. We have a dedicated team of 6 people working 45 hours a week to make this happen in time for the upcoming harvest season.
Growers' Conference
Evergreen supported 40 local growers to attend the annual New Zealand Apple and Pears conference in Christchurch in July. We allocated $80,000 to ensure that those most affected had the opportunity to connect with their peers.
After such a difficult time for our local growers this initiative was a great opportunity for growers to network, and feel part of the broader industry.