Harvest 2023

Harvest season is in full swing at Southern Cross Horticulture, and so far ~85% of our orchards have been picked. SCH currently employ 100 SLU (Seasonal Labour Unit) pickers to ensure a quality and efficient harvest.

The harvest season so far has included multiple night picks due to the extension and amendments to the Kiwistart rate. The night picking has ensured that the fruit cleared was able to make it into Zespri’s inventory before the 12am cut-off. One of the standout features of this year's kiwifruit harvest is the fruit's size. The fruit is significantly larger than in previous years, which is great news for growers in a low yield year. Larger fruit means more trays, which will ultimately translate into increased profits.

Edgecumbe is leading the harvest, with approximately 3 hectares of orchard remaining to be harvested. This is great news for SCH, as completion means a significant portion of crop has achieved the Kiwistart rate. Harvesting kiwifruit is a demanding process that requires a lot of physical labour, we couldn’t have achieved this result without the hard work and long hours from our SLU team who have been an integral part in SCH’s harvest success so far.

Despite the progress made so far, SCH still has approximately 6more harvest days to go before the entire crop is harvested. This means there is still a lot of work to be done.

Overall, the team is making good progress, and the fruit is of excellent quality. As we near the end of harvest the team continue to give it their all and are determined to complete ahead of schedule.

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