HORTICULTURE

Only one of 1000 plant extracts tested triggered the appetite hormone, and it came from hops.

For more than 150 years, New Zealand’s hop industry has weathered peaks and troughs, but the craft beer revolution drove an expansion unlike anything before it. Words Anne Hardie, Photos Tim Cuff.

Second-generation growers, Harry and Annie Fraser, are optimising production systems on their 16.7ha Mākaraka orchard, focusing on high-quality citrus yields while diversifying revenue streams to ensure long-term commercial viability in a volatile market. Words Kim Parkinson.

Kiwi Heights in Te Puke integrates kiwifruit orchards, drystock grazing and native forest to balance profit and sustainability. Words Helena O’Neill, Photos Alan Gibson.

HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott says horticulture is one of NZ's fastest-growing primary industries, but current policy settings don't favour future food security. Words Kate Scott.

Through a century of challenges, including droughts, floods, wars, economic upheavals and shifting consumer tastes, the Webb family has steadfastly remained on their orchard near Cromwell. For them to continue to grow fruit in the same location they face a new generation of challenges including urban sprawl and succession. Words & photos Sarah Perriam-Lampp.

New Zealand-funded investment in horticulture has been on the rise. Off-shore capital will be needed though to reach big export growth goals. Words Andrew Watters.

The Rainey’s, at Mangaweka Asparagus, is a story of reinvention and determination. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Photos Brad Hanson.

If New Zealand’s horticulture sector is to thrive into the future, it must invest in one of the most valuable resources – people, and in particular, young people. Words Sharon Williamson.

Five Fijian ratus (chiefs) recently attended a special ceremony in Matapihi to celebrate the Ngāi Tukairangi Trust relationship with their villages’ Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers. Words Carly Gibbs, Photos John Cowpland.