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New Zealand’s apple-planted area in the 2024/2025 market year (MY) is forecast to increase substantially to 11,100 hectares (ha) from the significant damage to farms due to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

New Zealand’s apple planted area in the 2023/2024 market year (MY) is forecast to be 9,200 hectares (ha), a substantial drop from 11,000 ha at the start of the 2022/2023 MY. This is due to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, which brought large-scale floodwaters, silt, debris, wind, and surface flooding to the primary apple growing regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.

New Zealand apple-planted area in the 2023/2024 market year is forecast to drop substantially from 11,000 ha to 9,200 ha.

New Zealand apple production in 2022/23 has been revised down sharply as a result of the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, which hit the nation’s largest apple growing and exporting region – Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne – in February.

The Government of New Zealand has passed legislation that will restrict a wide range of plastic products to be sold in New Zealand, including non-compostable produce stickers.

The outlook for the 2022/23 apple season in New Zealand is much more optimistic with the opening of international borders following COVID-19 restrictions. While the last two apple harvests were severely impacted by the lack of labor, the return of overseas workers under the Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is expected to help allow a recovery in production, with the forecast up 12 percent from the previous year’s estimated crop.

New Zealand’s apple production and exports are forecast to rise in marketing year 2021/22

The same problems that beset apple production in 2020/2021, especially harvest labor shortages, could persist into 2021/2022.

Although early indications were for a near-record New Zealand apple crop in 2020/2021, a number of factors have tempered expectations.

New Zealand is forecast to produce a near record apple crop in 2020/2021 as a result of expanded area and positive growing conditions so far.

While New Zealand is a population of just 5 million, consumers in this market have high spending power and it presents strong prospects for U.S. products, including fresh fruit.

Despite some minor challenges and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, deciduous fruit production in New Zealand is forecast to expand in 2019/2020, with apple production...