Ngāpuhi and T&G look northwards for better berry growing opportunities

Monday, 22 September 2025

A shortage of land in Auckland and a surplus of sun and natural resources in Northland has seen a new premium, exporting berry venture established in Te Taitokerau.

Ngāpuhi and T&G Fresh have joined forces and are heading to the first harvest of their Northland berry production season. Kaikohe Berryfruit, which began operations in July, will lease a 10-hectare Ngāpuhi-owned site, including orchards and a packhouse, for 9½ years.

The venture aims to grow premium blueberries and strawberries for domestic sales and high-value exports into Asia. It comes as horticultural land in Auckland becomes increasingly scarce, Ngāpuhi Asset Holdings chair Nick Wells says.

“At a time when housing and urban development in Auckland is increasing, land there is harder to access for horticulture,” Wells said. “In Northland, we have both land and water available, which gives us the opportunity to grow and feed New Zealand.”

He said the area’s high-quality iwi land and access to water made it ideal for horticulture.

Ngāpuhi will retain ownership of the land while accessing T&G’s berry varieties and global marketing channels. Wells said the focus would be on crops with longer seasons to provide sustained employment and planned to expand the Kaikohe site over time.

“Our aim is always to plant crops that give the longest possible season, so our people can stay employed longer,” he said.

Operationally, T&G will manage planting, harvesting, packing, sales, and workforce planning to ensure optimal returns. Currently, 3ha of strawberries and 7ha of blueberries are planted, with potential for another 6ha and more than100 employees once fully developed.

Most fruit will be sold domestically, with export opportunities to Asia leveraging T&G’s proprietary jumbo blueberry varieties and operations in Queensland, Australia.

“This partnership gives us a runway of 9½ years to maximise sector expertise, market access, innovation, skills training and efficiencies, while creating pathways for skilled, rewarding careers in horticulture and agribusiness,” Wells said.

Employment

Beyond production, the partnership aimed to upskill local kaimahi and provide meaningful, long-term employment.

“Historically, there hasn’t been a lot of investment in Northland, and unemployment has been high,” Wells said. “Some of our kaimahi hadn’t worked for five years or more before starting here.

“Now they’re in positions of responsibility and leadership, and you can see the pride it brings to them and their whānau. That’s just as important to us as the commercial returns.”

Ngāpuhi Asset Holdings is also moving into horticulture to diversify from the “volatile” fisheries market. The organisation is a major shareholder in fish supplier Moana NZ alongside Sealord.

“We can see the north is growing in need for us to be in an opportunity to really feed the rest of New Zealand as Auckland comes under housing pressure. The need for more water and cultural land is increasing, so we are looking at that with great interest,” Wells said.

T&G’s growth strategy

For T&G Fresh, the venture is part of a broader growth strategy, even as its majority shareholder BayWa prepares to divest its New Zealand stake.

Managing director Rod Gibson told The Post,“Our major shareholder BayWa has said it is looking to divest its stake in T&G as part of a longer-term reorganisation.”

“But from a business perspective, T&G has a strong growth strategy and solid underlying performance. This joint venture is a good example of that growth strategy in action.”

T&G Fresh revenue rose 5% to $229.2 million in the half-year, aided by the acquisition of Hinton’s Central Otago stone fruit business, a strong cherry export season and solid sales in Taiwan.

“When the opportunity came up to partner with Ngāpuhi, it made perfect sense. They had the vision and land, and we brought expertise, plant stock and market channels. Together it’s a genuinely beneficial partnership,” Gibson said.