50 | Dam adds scope to business Lynwood Avocado Nursery HORTICULTURE Sue Russell Lynwood Avocado Nursery is a specialist avocado nursery, producing healthy, pest free, disease free, certified avocado trees. Horticentre is proud to support Lynwood Avocado Nursery GENERAL CARRIERS NEESON TRANSPORT Proudly supports Lynwood Avocado Nursery The expertise of our people and planning, coupled with our commitment to this industry, means our growers are in safe hands. The Wade family has been involved in growing Avocado trees to supply New Zealand’s burgeoning avocado orchard sector for generations now. Back in 1941 Steve Wade’s grandparents bought 10ha of land at Maunu, near Whangarei, drawn to the rich volcanic soil that offered many growing opportunities. The first four hectares of avocado trees were planted in 1983, and due to a shortage of trees, an avocado nursery was started in 1988. The Lynwood Avocado Nursery is a specialist avocado nursery, producing healthy, pest free, disease free, certified avocado trees. Today, Steve Wade leads the business with Stuart Pascoe as CEO, supplying avocado trees to both orchardists and garden centres. There’s a team of about 40 staff working fulltime propagation, nurturing mother trees and maintaining a model orchard. It takes 18 months to produce a tree to sell to customers both commercial and to the public. The trees are sent all over New Zealand. “It’s not been a great year for the avocado grower but equally many fruit growers are biding their time as the markets open up and adjust.” And in true pioneering style the Wade’s have bought a new 56 ha block of land, of which 40ha will be converted into an avocado orchard. This opportunity has been made possible due to a water storage scheme, at Te Kopuru, near the Kaipara Harbour, where massive investments have been made to bring water to areas identified as being ideal to grow food on. “We’ve had the land now 13 months and the water-storage scheme has made it possible for us to develop an orchard of a commercial size,” Steve explains. A $36million dam, complete with piping and pumping infrastructure has been built, with funds partly available from the Provincial Growth Fund. In total, the dam will enable water, sufficient to grow fruit and vegetables on 1100 Ha, to transform the district, bringing development and significant employment opportunities. “One of the great things about the way the water system has been designed, is that the water is harvested just before it goes into the sea, so it could not be more environmentally sustainable. The water take is consented for 35 years giving growers real confidence to invest.” By Christmas this year the plan is to have 8000 trees in the ground and complete stages two and three next spring. An emphasis and part of the reason Lynwood Avocado Nursery has flourished is the energy put into training and looking after staff. “We don’t have much seasonal work at all. Our staff are full-time and we’re flexible about the hours they work, fitting in with parents, for instance, who want to work during school hours. Modern employers have to be flexible employers.” And it’s not just working out in the orchard that provides employment opportunities. Steve thinks its really important the industry provide full information about all sorts of jobs created in a busy productive avocado nursery. “We need agronomists, scientists, Orchard managers, HR managers, machinery operators along with those involved in picking and packing.” Equally, Steve’s concerned about the ageing nature of those owning avocado businesses. “There’s a lot of grey hairs out there. Where are the next consultants and managers coming from. There are many great jobs and opportunities in horticulture. Lynwood Avocado Nursery belong to sector organisations including the NZ Plant Producers Inc, NZ Horticulture and NZ Avocado. The business also presents its own scholarship for anyone undertaking qualifications such as Bachelor or Diploma in Horticulture. The scholarship is valued at $3,000 per year. Research is an ongoing activity at the nursery facility. “It’s the way we have got to be world-leaders with what we do. It’s constant research extending over the last 25 years.” The nursery has 1500 mother trees, which supply the bud wood for cloning trees. Trees are also supplied to overseas markets. “It is very difficult to get plant material over borders. New Zealand has a great reputation agriculturally around the world, so our trees are in demand.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=