94 | Orchard of a new brand of apple; Joli ON FARM » FarmRight The Joli variety has been expressly developed for the Asian market – it’s a big red apple noted for its juiciness and for providing a fully balanced sweetness. Apart from the quality of the former dairying land’s soil type, the Pendarves investment is taking advantage of the availability of water for the previously irrigated block, the right ground and air temperatures for the variety, and the good labour supply assured by the orchard’s proximity to Christchurch, and to Ashburton which is just 20 minutes to the south. The planting of the orchard began last spring, and it’ll be a couple of years before the first fruit is harvested, with its performance helping determine what other varieties might be grown in the region. “We’re pretty excited to bring large-scale apple production to the MidCanterbury region: it really is an ideal place to grow a range of pipfruit.” Apple Orchard – Canterbury. FarmRight Ltd operates as Portfolio Investment Manager for the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and oversees more than 18,400 hectares of farm and orchard land across the country. Hugh de Lacy The cows on a 250ha dairy farm at Pendarves in Mid-Canterbury have been shifted off the place to make room for an orchard of a new brand of apple, called Joli. The development is a joint venture between and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund rural investment manager FarmRight and iconic fresh produce distributor, marketer and exporter T&G Global, better known as Turners and Growers. There are already 55ha of the premium apple variety Joli planted in Hawke’s Bay, and due for their first harvest in 2027, but the Pendarves block will be the first in the South Island to produce them. Initial planting was of just 125ha, but last spring’s expansion doubled that canopy area. “We’re pretty excited to bring large-scale apple production to the Mid-Canterbury region: it really is an ideal place to grow a range of pipfruit,” says Ed Tapp, the General Manager of FarmRight’s NZ Super Fund portfolio. The Pendarves project is part of an ongoing expansion programme by FarmRight which manages farm investments that range from dairy farming and dairy support, to beef farms, hop gardens, apple orchards and vineyards around the country. Established in 2000, the company initially targeted the dairying sector where it identified a need for specialised business management services in large-scale rural investments and holdings. The company then went through a significant development in 2010 when it was selected by the NZ Super Fund as an investment manager, and it • to page 96
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