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Kaikohe Berryfruit and T&G Fresh partner to expand berry operations
- Abbey Duncan-Hughes
- Sep 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 23
Kaikohe Berries (Kaikohe Berryfruit) has entered into a 9.5-year partnership with horticulture business T&G Fresh, expanding berry production at the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park.
The joint venture, T&G Kaikohe Berryfruit Limited Partnership, will lease Kaikohe Berries’ orchards and packhouse. The operation is expected to employ around 20 people in the first year and up to 40 during harvest.
Kaikohe Berries was formed in 2021, as a partnership between Far North Holdings and Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company, establishing one of the founding anchor developments for the Ngawha Innovation and Enterprise Park in Kaikohe.
Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company chairman Nick Wells said that while Kaikohe Berries had enjoyed success with strawberries, its scale limited access to the latest technology and new berry varieties. After two years of exploring options, the partnership with T&G Fresh was chosen for its expertise in strawberry genetics and new blueberry varieties.
“We recognised a need to bring in the horticultural expertise and scale required to lift the financial and social benefits,” Wells said. “This partnership gives us a runway of nine and a half years to maximise sector expertise, market access, innovation, skills training and efficiencies, as well as working capital, to strengthen our horticulture asset and our own skills and capability.
“Under the partnership we retain the whenua and have a share in the business, and as the joint venture grows it will open up employment opportunities for our people, creating pathways for skilled, rewarding careers in horticulture and agribusiness.”
Far North Holdings CEO Andy Nock said it has been a privilege to play a small part in the joint venture with Kaikohe Berries which has led to this week's announcement.
"This new partnership with T&G creates a vertically integrated operation that strengthens long-term sustainability and opens the door to future expansion. It secures local jobs and demonstrates to other businesses that the Far North is a region where collaboration and opportunity go hand in hand." said Nock
T&G Fresh managing director Rod Gibson said the timing was right, as berry plants last seven to eight years compared with longer-lived orchards such as apples. This is the company’s first iwi partnership in a domestic-focused orchard, though it has long-term agreements with iwi in apple orchards. Gibson described the deal as “the stars aligned”, with high demand for berries in New Zealand and globally.
T&G Fresh already operates orchards in Kerikeri and sees Ngāwhā as an opportunity to expand, with good land, reliable water access and a local workforce.
New cultivars of blueberries and strawberries will be harvested in winter and early spring, reducing reliance on imported Australian-grown berries.
Ngāpuhi’s social services arm has already seen the benefits of Kaikohe Berries providing secure local jobs, and this will continue, Gibson said. Locals will also continue to find fresh berries on supermarket shelves, while seconds will be distributed to community groups.
“The connection with the community has been quite strong and that’s something we’re looking to maintain,” Wells said.
