Buying a kiwifruit orchard was never part of Andy and Krystal Turner’s plan.
In 2010, Andy was working as a Te Puke mechanic and looking to buy his own workshop when Krystal’s father suggested they invest in an orchard instead.
They bought two hectares of kiwifruit, only to discover their timing couldn’t have been worse.
“A few months later PSA was discovered in New Zealand,” Andy recalls. “We were like, ‘What have we done?’”
With two babies at home and their property suddenly valued at far less than their mortgage, there was little option but to keep going. Andy continued working at the automotive workshop during the day, then headed into the orchard at night, often working until midnight by the light of a head torch.
“It was crazy times,” he says.
Andy had always intended to convert his Green and Arguta (kiwiberry) crops to Gold and quickly realised they were onto something. As the industry emerged from PSA, the Turners decided to roll the dice and expand, buying another small block and then a four-hectare orchard in Katikati. This time their timing was just right, as orchard prices had yet to soar.
After several years of juggling mechanics and orcharding, Andy left his day job to concentrate on kiwifruit full-time.
Krystal grew up on a kiwifruit orchard and spent enough childhood weekends among the vines to vow she would never work on one again. While Andy continues to develop their properties, she homeschools their four children, now aged 16, 15, 13 and 11.
When Red came along, it was Krystal who urged Andy to take another gamble. Having just harvested their third Red crop, they’re now seeing good returns, with the plants established enough to begin producing decent-sized fruit.
Today, the Turners grow just over six hectares of Gold and eight hectares of Red. Their orchard lifestyle has given them valuable flexibility as a family. “We feel very blessed not to be locked into an eight-to-five job,” Andy says. “I can move orchard jobs around during the week so I can go fishing or snowboarding with the kids when the weather is good.”
Six years ago, unhappy with their previous packhouse’s performance, the Turners moved their fruit to Mpac.
“We’ve been really impressed with their service. We’ve got that personal relationship back again.”
Being heard is particularly important to Andy. A previous packhouse once ignored his warning about which block needed picking first, causing a significant financial hit. Harvest with Mpac is very different thanks to the trusted relationship he has with his grower representative, Tim.
“There’s a lot of moving parts getting your Gold crop picked. It’s a high-pressure time. Tim is so level headed. He’s cool, calm and collected. You know you’re being listened to and he’s doing everything he can to look after your fruit.”
Mpac has supported the Turners as they establish Red, getting early crops through the grader without delay and sharing useful information about sprays.
Andy also values Mpac’s investment in automation and packhouse technology. He is particularly looking forward to its planned Rangiuru facility, which will be much closer to the Turners’ orchards, saving them money on transport costs. “They never try to cut corners when building a packhouse, and I think the growers benefit from those innovations.”
Ultimately, he says, good service and good commercial results go hand in hand.
“Mpac try really hard every year to give you the best value and best results they can. That’s all I can ask for from a packhouse.”
Krystal also witnesses that effort firsthand.
“Tim’s awesome. He’s always popping in and catching up and talking on the phone with Andy. He rings at some ridiculous hours during the season when results come through and you’re like, ‘He should not be awake right now.’ But he works so hard, which we as growers really appreciate.
“We’re really happy, so we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”