Recent Developments in Organic Food Production in New Zealand: Part 3: Exporting Organic Produce from Gisborne District

Abstract

This report is the third in a series of four case studies on the evolution of organic production in key regional areas of New Zealand. The other three case studies are Canterbury (Campbell 1996), Bay of Plenty (Campbell et al.1997) and Nelson (to be completed in mid 1998). The four reports are the main outputs for the research program ‘Optimum Development of Certified Organic Horticulture in New Zealand’, funded by the Public Good Science Fund. The current report presents the findings of research into the development of organic production in Gisborne District1 (see Figure 1.1). Although these findings are significant and stand in their own right as suitable for individual publication, some comparisons are made in the text between the evolution of organics in Gisborne and the development of organics in Canterbury and Bay of Plenty. This mainly involves comparisons between Gisborne and Canterbury, because organic crops and an individual company – Heinz-Wattie Ltd.2 – have been prominent in both areas. This enables the Gisborne case study to be more fully understood. Nevertheless, extensive comparisons are not made in this report: they have been set aside for a future publication to be completed after the Nelson report.