50 | HORTICULTURE Hume Pack-N-Cool T T Kim Bowden A key player in the kiwifruit industry Investment in automation is changing the packhouse floor, with grading, sorting and packing lines becoming increasingly mechanised. From its base in Katikati, the growerowned business Hume Pack-N-Cool connects orchards across the North Island with Zespri, and international markets. Harvest typically runs through until midJune, and a few weeks ago the 2026 kiwifruit harvest was well underway, with early red fruit largely picked, and gold fruit beginning to move through the packing lines. So far, the growing season has been “largely positive with good sunshine hours and regular rainfall – two key components in growing kiwifruit,” strategic project manager Simon Bowker says. While growers always keep a close eye on late-season weather risks, conditions across most regions have so far avoided the major weather events that can disrupt crops. The core team at Hume Pack-N-Cool is relatively lean – 65 permanent staff members keep the operation running year-round. They are supported by 140 Recognised Seasonal Employee (RSE) workers, who split their time between orchards and the packhouse. But during harvest the workforce swells dramatically, with up to 400 local staff helping to pick, pack and load fruit. Securing enough reliable, skilled labour for that intense harvest window remains one of the sector’s ongoing pressure points, Simon says. Investment in automation is changing the packhouse floor, with grading, sorting and packing lines becoming increasingly mechanised. Technology now scans fruit for size, colour, taste and defects before it reaches the packing trays, improving consistency while helping manage labour demands. Large mechanical arms take care of much of the heavy lifting, “collecting layers of product at a time and then orientating those onto pallet bases,” Simon says. Looking ahead to the 2027 season, there are plans to implement a second packing line, “which will enable us to deliver greater flexibility of packing as fruit volumes of new varieties continue to grow with increasing overlap,” he says. The company is also in the final stages of a substantial construction project to expand cool-storage capacity, and build covered loading areas to better protect fruit quality before and after it has been packed. Demand for New Zealand kiwifruit remains strong in key international markets, although exporters are increasingly operating in a more uncertain global environment, with shipping costs, trade routes and exchange rates all shifting from season to season. “There’s always something,” Simon says. When you’re dealing with international markets there are geopolitical factors, shipping pressures and currency movements to think about, he says. Meanwhile, Zespri is preparing to release a second red kiwifruit variety, expected to reach commercial production around 2028, while new green varieties are currently in trial. Simon says the new varieties are about giving consumers good fruit for longer. They are “about extending the sales window and creating a more consistent flavour profile and a more nutritious piece of fruit”. More than nine million trays of kiwifruit – roughly 270 million individual pieces of fruit – move through the Hume packhouse each season. Fruit arrives from the wider Bay of Plenty and increasingly other growing areas as well, including Kerikeri, Auckland, Waikato, Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay. The business began when Dave and Irene Hume built a packhouse so their own kiwifruit could be handled locally. As neighbouring growers began sending fruit through the same shed, scale improved returns and shareholding was eventually opened to suppliers. Today, close to 80 grower-shareholders own the company and supply most of the fruit, while the Hume family retains a majority shareholding, but has stepped back from dayto-day operations. Simon says the grower base is also shifting, with investment syndicates increasingly developing large, purpose-built orchards. There is still a mix of smaller and larger growers but getting into kiwifruit now takes serious capital. Hume Pack N Cool Proudly supplying quality corrugated packaging to OjiFS Packaging Central | +64 6 367 6800 | casectrl@ojifs.com ojifs.com Visit www.tomra.com/food TOMRA Food is proud to partner with Hume Pack-N-Cool on their next stage of postharvest development Hume Pack-N-Cool is supported by TOMRA’s advanced kiwifruit sorting solutions, helping them deliver the quality, consistency, and e ciency their growers and customers expect. TOMRA solutions enable them to maximise pack-outs, protect brand reputation, and reduce operational risk with every harvest. By combining world-leading technology with local expertise, TOMRA Food empowers Hume Pack-N-Cool to achieve better outcomes - fruit that meets specification, smoother workflows, and confidence in every pack. Creating value for New Zealand packhouses, season after season. Learn more about our sorting solutions for Kiwifruit
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