Grower advocate NZKGI supports the resolution, as does Māori Kiwifruit Growers Inc, whose members represent 10 per cent of New Zealand’s total export crop.

Producer-owned Zespri Two years ago, he failed to gain enough grower support to expand his SunGold plantations overseas, excluding China and Chile, to 10,000 ha.

The vote was close, but was not successful because some producers who did not own shares did not believe that increased plantings abroad would benefit them. Less than 50% of Zespri’s producers own shares, a level the company is working to raise.

Zespri, which industry sources say has been “challenging” in its attempt to expand offshore this time around, has the legal right to export all New Zealand kiwifruit except Australia.

The company has operated offshore production for almost 25 years to complement New Zealand’s supply. It has 1,500 offshore producers under contract.

The objective of this expansion is to support the distributor’s strategy of being able to offer Zespri brand fruits to the whole world 12 months a year. In New Zealand, kiwifruit is a seasonal crop. The maximum approved offshore area of ​​5,000 ha has been allocated.

Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said the expansion of overseas plantings was important to deliver value to growers and the proposal reflected the positive outlook for kiwifruit and one more fruit category. more competitive.

Zespri is supplied by approximately 2,800 New Zealand growers and, working alongside the multi-million dollar post-harvest sector, is New Zealand’s largest exporter in the horticulture sector.

Observers say Zespri’s credibility with the industry is at stake with the second vote.

He lost two producer votes in recent years; a third party would not be a good idea for its leadership in the integrated industry, they say.

Andrea Fox has joined the Herald as a senior business journalist in 2018 and specializes in reporting on the $26 billion dairy industry, agribusiness, export, logistics sector and supply chains.