New Zealand’s fruit exporters are seizing the moment amid robust kiwifruit production and tight apple supplies set adrift unrelenting demand. 

According to the national export agency Zespri, apple prices remain impressive due to tight supplies against overwhelming demand. 

Shipments will however increase gradually as the generally 11-week apple harvest begins later in April through mid-May.

Also bullish is the lingering production effect of Cyclone Gabrielle, which in March 2023 affected 47% of the 8,300-hectare apple orchards on Hawke’s Bay.  Since then, yearly production on this bay in eastern North Island has been below pre-2022 peaks. 

Kiwifruit Home and Abroad

For kiwifruit, largesse domestically and from farm leases abroad is not dampening 2025-6 season’s export rates.

Demand has ensured the lowest export prices nearly mirror those of an earlier 2024-25 forecast while the upper range is shaping up.

Economist Paul Clark of Westpac already foresees kiwifruit demand to maintain price perks through 2025.

Buoying the price is the still maturing signature RubyRed, which according to Clarke has bigger returns per tray than other cultivars. 

Meanwhile, Zespri is still expanding the commercial worth of RubyRed by growing it in the northern hemisphere. In 2019, Italy approved 1,000 hectares for offshore cultivation of the Kiwi country variety.

Regarding the larger kiwifruit industry, Zespri expects to hit the target it set back in 2015 of NZ$4.5 billion ($2.5 billion).  

Early 2024-25 demand is on course to the target with sales expectations of 205 million trays (738 million kg) of kiwifruit. 

Capping the exciting season ahead are imports by new markets such as the United States where demand is up. Zespri’s CEO Jason Te Brake remarks that 3 million trays are currently ready to ship from New Zealand’s shores.  For a broader overview on kiwifruit and other fruit exports from this Oceania country, read on the statistics below. 

New Zealand Fruit Export Statistics

Fruits, red meat, dairy and horticulture are the backbone of New Zealand’s agricultural exports. In 2024, 36.1% of a total export worth of US$42.5 billion comprised top agricultural exports such as dairy, fruits and red meat. While dairy, eggs and honey claimed 29.3% of exports, meat ranked second at 12.3% ahead of fruits/nuts at 6.8%.  Valued at US$2.9 billion (NZ$5.2 billion), fruit shipments overstripped the nearest non-agricultural good, namely machinery at US$1.5 billion (NZ$2.7 billion).

Which is the biggest fruit export by New Zealand? 

Kiwifruit is the most valuable commercial fruit with an export value of NZ$ 2.7 billion ($1.5 billion), as of 2021. According to Stats New Zealand, gold kiwifruit constituted 47% of all fruit exports in 2021 at NZ$1.9 billion. Green kiwfruit ranked second at 23% of all fruit shipments.  Another important fruit is blueberries, which bring around NZ$4.05 billion ($2.25 billion), as of 2021. 

Is RubyRed a high yielding kiwifruit varietal? 

Since its commercialization in 2022, RubyRed, a registered Zespri produce, has been showing uptick yield promise. According to Zespri, mixed vines of less than, and over, 2 years of age were by 2025 yielding 7,148 trays a hectare (ha). Generally, vines older than 2 years can manage an average 6,349 trays per ha, financially equal to NZ$105,782 ($58,751) per ha.