| 47 T T Sue Russell Diversity a strength for growers Illawarra Orchard near Gisborne covers over 52ha, comprising apple, gold kiwifruit, grapes and citrus. Illawarra Orchard HORTICULTURE When Business Central spoke with Natalya Egan, part of the husband and wife team that own and operate Illawarra Orchard, located just on the edge of Gisborne, she described the day as typically autumnal. All up, Illawarra Orchard extends over 52ha, comprising 13.5 ha in apple, 11.6ha in gold kiwifruit, 15.5ha in grapes and about 4ha in citrus. “We’re nice and close to the city which is wonderful and being close to the coast the sea has a moderating influence so we don’t have to worry too much about frosts,” Natalya says. Husband Tim, has been farming in the district almost his whole working life and Natalya says there’s been a period of expansion, taking up the opportunity to purchase other plots of land to grow the orchard to what it is today. “We’ve been in the growing business long enough to have seen trends come and go in varieties. We started off with just 22ha.” Kiwifruit are exported through Zespri, with the range of apple varietals destined for different markets. Apple varieties include Envy™, Galaxy and Tarzi™. The first Envy™ tree was planted in 2009. Originally Illawarra was a partnership between Tim and his parents and began growing apples in 1988. It then transitioned into a company structure with another shareholder which is still in place today. Natalya has been working full time since 2017 and she has focussed on people, health & safety and administrative and compliance systems side of the business, leaving Tim free to be in the orchard, doing what he does best, growing fruit. Describing herself and Tim as very hands on the couple take great pride in producing the very best quality crop season on season. “We’re fortunate because we have a really capable team, they’re highly skilled, passionate and committed to getting a good outcome in each crop. For Tim and I it means we know the business is in good hands. We have real confidence in them and that’s a great place to be at,” says Natalya. While there is a small distance between one site within the business and the rest of the orchard, the land is very much treated as one plot. Asked how the devastating weather events of early last year impacted their land and business Natalya says there wasn’t one grower in the region who wasn’t affected in some way shape or form. “Gisborne had twice its annual rain fall in 2023 and while we had some flooding we’re fortunate to have exceptionally good drainage. The water disappeared and thankfully we had no silt to contend with.” No kiwifruit was lost during the weather bombs and Natalya says while there was certainly impacts “we did manage to harvest all of our crops which was a miracle given what the land had been through.” Managing orchards is all about seeing where trends and the market are taking the business. “In horticulture you have to develop a certain percentage of land all the time to make sure you are growing what people want. We’re going to redevelop a variety of apples that isn’t going so well and put it back into a variety of grapes that is, we see that diversity as a strength Asked about plans ahead Natalya says that while the market is not so good for orchard sales currently they would be looking for potential sales opportunities for their business in the future. She also says if she were to give advice to new people contemplating making a go of orcharding, that the best thing to do is to get good advice, then execute the decision. “There’s always more than one way to do things and every site has pros and cons. Getting good advice and also enjoying the process is really important!.” With lots of new innovations and technologies developing Natalya says this is a great time for those contemplating a growers life to get into the industry. “It really just comes down to getting the basics right. Growing something people want to buy, something that is suitable for the land and getting your infrastructure right. There are some excellent advisors out there to help with those decisons, and while there are always ups and downs, I think horticulture in new zealand has a excellent future and is a great industry to be a part of. “It really just comes down to getting the basics right. Growing something people want to buy, something that is suitable for the land and getting your infrastructure right.” 100% Horticulture Focused. 30
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