Zespri’s strategy is to market the world’s leading portfolio of kiwifruit 12 months of the year and our Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) team was created over 20 years ago to focus on this strategy. Now led by Zespri Chief Global Supply Officer Alastair Hulbert, the core ZGS team is made up of around 70 full-time operational staff based in Italy, France, Korea and Japan. This team works with local growers in the Northern Hemisphere to grow Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit and procure Zespri quality green kiwifruit to fill shelves when NZ fruit is not available.

In 2019, through a Producer Vote growers approved the planting of 5,000 hectares of SunGold kiwifruit in overseas countries (excluding China and Chile), to support the 12-month supply strategy. The approval also included up to 20m trays of Green procurement, and 1,000 hectares of new varieties. In 2021, 12-month supply of green kiwifruit was achieved in key European markets and good progress was made for Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit with ZGS supplying fruit for up to 21 weeks in some markets – leaving a gap of only five weeks before NZ fruit re-entered. We will shortly have planted the 5,000 hectares of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit allowed under the current approval, but this will not generate enough fruit to fill the gap during the NZ off-season.

Following consultation with the industry earlier this year, Zespri is now seeking New Zealand grower approval for expansion of the Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) business in a Producer Vote concluding at this year’s Zespri Annual Meeting on Wednesday 24 August. This Producer Vote is to supplement the current approvals for growing SunGold Kiwifruit and new varieties outside of NZ (excluding China & Chile).

This site is designed to support growers to consider the proposed expansion of ZGS through the upcoming Producer Vote. We’re very keen to hear directly from you and the wider industry so we can understand your views and provide any further information you might need.

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