On the 6th of October parts of New Zealand were hit by a severe frost event, the likes of which had not been seen in many years.
The regions significantly affected included Opotiki, Edgecumbe, Tauranga, Katikati and Edgecumbe.
The Zespri Board of Directors issued a statement saying that they are continuing to asses the full impact of the frost event, but the provisional view from discussions with affected growers is that this is likely to have contributed to a 10-15% reduction in the planned Green and SunGold Kiwifruit crops for the 2023 season, and a 15-25% reduction in our planned RubyRed Kiwifruit crop.
"These figures have been calculated based on a weighted average by region and will be revised as we gather more information before our first official crop estimate for the 2023 season is released to industry in early December."
Zespri is continuing to work closely with NZKGI to ensure pastoral care is available for all affected growers. A series of Frost Field Days are currently underway and details on these events are available on
Canopy, where growers can also find a number of resources on how to best manage frost-damaged vines and remain vigilant to the threat of Psa.
In an article last month Michael Franks, CEO of Seeka, the largest kiwifruit grower/ post harvest company in New Zealand told FreshPlaza: "Its difficult to accurately assess the extent of the damage and leaves can be burnt but the flowers still viable. We will have to get through flowering to get a true reflection of the damage.
"Our initial estimate of the damage to Seeka’s supply base is between 3.5m and 4.0m trays."