| 21 Embracing the change Last season was tough for the kiwifruit industry with crops hit hard by storms. from page 18 EBOP Chamber: Tirohanga Fruit Company REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The commitment of family business Windshadow is hard to beat. The company works hard on behalf of clients in extreme weather events, by preventing further damage and protecting their crops before issues with their windbreaks and shelter structures can arise. This established business had its beginnings nearly 20 years ago, being started by Vern Meyer. He has now been joined by several other family members: sonWade, a director who is in charge of the Eastern Bay of Plenty operations and daughter Erica who runs the logistics side of the company. Son Cameron and grandsonWes also work for Windshadow as well alongside a teamof dedicated sta . “This all means an extremely committed and personal service for our clients,” says Wade. “We work with them to ind the best solution for their needs.” Windshadow specialises in tailor-made solutions including windbreaks and wind protection, sun and hail protection, industrial media containment and environmental protection. “We combine practical knowledge with experience and expertise in the design and construction of our crop and environmental protection solutions,” explains Wade. Using high quality materials is key to providing a solution that stands the test of time, along withmeticulous planning and construction. Wade says that New Zealand has diverse and extreme weather conditions, fromharsh sun to wind, rain and hail; soWindshadow has developed systems tomeet all of these extremes to protect clients’ livelihood from the elements. Experience and expertise The process starts by working closely with clients right from the outset. Windshadow then keeps clients involved in the decision-making process to deliver a product that will meet their needs in the most cost-e ective way possible. “We will visit the site so that we can take into account all of the surrounding environmental factors and develop plans to accommodate or protect against these factors,” explains Wade. After the right system has been designed and constructed, Windshadow then continues to keep the lines of communication open, enabling it to promptly remedy any issues or concerns the client may have, to ensure the long-term viability and performance of their windbreak, canopy or other Windshadow system. Wade says an ongoing maintenance plan is in development. The company also o ers an emergency response service – particularly important with increasing extreme weather events. The result is long term, trusted relationships, such as that which the company enjoys with Tirohanga Fruit Company. This is a client that Windshadow has worked with for around a decade to increase their bottom line, by modernising structures and improving their shelters. “We enjoy what we do and take a great deal of pride in it. When clients choose Windshadow for their project they are working with a company which places integrity and commitment to service as the cornerstone of everything undertaken.” The large 40ha development at Te Kaha and Ōmāio was undertaken between 2008 and 2009, working with Maori land owners to develop orchards on long-term lease plans. This sees Tirohanga Fruit Company lease the land and own the orchards. When the lease is up the landowners get the land back along with the assets. “The project was undertaken with the intent of benefiting the local community to provide employment and growth opportunities. Half of the profits from the operations is returned to the landowners via lease payments each year. Last year was a record year of returning profits to the landowners. So works in the short term providing employment and growth opportunities and returning profits to the land owners and in the long term they will get an asset they can manage,” says Elly. The kiwifruit that Tirohanga Fruit Company produces heads all over the world, supplied to EastPack and exported via Zespri. It’s what Elly calls a “single desk structure” as Zespri optimises returns to growers and can then invest in marketing and research and development for the industry. “We are big supporters of this model as it means growers can work cooperatively together. We can share information, as there is no competitive advantage. If we do better the whole industry does better.” Tirohanga Fruit Company has development projects in progress, which will include Zespri RubyRed Kiwifruit. It’s another example of Tirohanga Fruit Company’s bid to diversify from predominantly gold, and a small amount of green, varieties. Zespri RubyRed Kiwifruit, the latest variant to come through Zespri’s world-leading kiwifruit breeding programme, in partnership with Plant & Food Research. “It has a milder, sweeter berry-like flavour that we expect to be popular with the Asian market,” she says. Last season was tough for the kiwifruit industry with crops hit hard by storms. “This year is about keeping our eye on the prize in terms of better returns. We have spent the winter repairing artificial shelters and doing what we can to ensure the kiwifruit is protected if similar weather events occur this year.” It’s prompted the family to consider the possible impacts of climate change on the business. Water availability for irrigation is a big challenge as some of Tirohanga Fruit Company’s orchards would not be viable without adequate irrigation. “On most of our orchards we just use water to enhance our crops to give better yields. But for other orchards it is necessary for survival. Good irrigation is also necessary for establishing new orchards. “We are working with councils to understand how things will work going forward including managing consents and compliance,” says Elly. This has not stopped Tirohanga Fruit Company from investing back into the business. It is a recognised seasonal employer and has just completed a two-year seasonal worker accommodation facility to house RSE workers. The 30-person facility is located on the home site at Tirohanga by the beach and workers from Vanuatu have already been enjoying staying there. “We bring in people from Vanuatu to work for seven months at a time. It means we have great accommodation for our seasonal workers and it’s a home away from home for them. We are now looking at securing further accommodation for backpackers now the borders are open.” Another project Elly has overseen has been installing fibre connection between the company’s office buildings, the accommodation facility and other buildings on the site, which include five houses and two large sheds. Security cameras are hardwired in and two sources of internet - satellite and wireless – has been installed. “It was a huge investment but it future proofs Tirohanga Fruit Company. We are planning on operating this family business for the long term so investments like this make sense.” A recent diversification has seen Tirohanga Fruit Company add two farms, a 1600 cow dairy farm in the Waitaki Valley, North Otago and a 958 hectare run-off farm in the Hakataramea Valley, South Canterbury, to the business. It hails back to the company’s roots, which started with beef farming and forestry investments prior to the purchase of the first orchard in 1995. “We are very focused on diversification and spreading risk but sticking with the primary industries, which is what we know. Both of the farms had opportunities for improvement, including irrigation, to make the land more productive,” explains Elly. A nice local touch is that Greg Nelson, who hails from Ōpōtiki and went to school with Elly, operates both farms.
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