BERRY
BLISS
A joint venture company created to breed and develop new
unique berry varieties to be owned, grown and marketed exclusively
by Maori-owned firm Miro Limited Partnership on
Maori-owned land using new horticultural technologies, IP and
the assistance of 40 staff will secure a future for generations to
come…and could be this country’s most successful crop entity.
In simple terms, Miro is aiming to build a business every bit as
successful as Zespri, chair Rukumoana Schaafhausen says. “It
represents a high-value, market-led, vertically integrated berry
export business,” he says. “There’s no reason why berries can’t
be the next billion-dollar New Zealand horticulture industry, and
we’re proud to partner with Plant & Food Research to create
that future.” Miro is owned by more than 20 Maori trusts, iwi
and entities from the top of the north to the top of the South
Island, from the East Coast to Taranaki. The 50:50 joint venture
will see Miro able to access Plant & Food Research berry genetics
for the development of proprietary new varieties, creating
a breeding programme for new high-value berry varieties and
then growing, marketing and selling the berries in New Zealand
and globally with support from BerryCo NZ. The joint venture is
ALE IN
A DAY’S
WORK…
The panel has gathered in
Wellington to taste their way
through two full days of swirling,
sniffing and sipping to
debate and rate each one on
technical excellence, balance,
mouthfeel and – most importantly
– drinkability…all in aid
of the 2018 New World Beer &
Cider Awards. Entries are up by
more than 70 to more than 600,
including beers and ciders from
more than 20 newbies and 60
which have entered before.
Judges needed 13 pallets of
beer, cider, glasses and other
equipment during the exercise,
with 4700 bottles set up and
3000 glasses filled by stewards
each day, and a dedicated
glass-washer handled 1000
Spiegelau glasses. Foodstuff
NZ managing director Steve
Anderson says New World designed
the awards to better
connect beer and cider-keen
customers with the best brews
on the market. “New Zealand
brewers and cidermakers have
performed extremely well in
this competition in the past,
and we are proud to reward
them with a space on the
shelf during our awards promotion
period. We also know
it can be hard for customers
to navigate the range of beers
and ciders now available. The
Gold endorsement from such
a respected group of judges
can take the confusion out of
selection, so customers can
enjoy experimenting with new
products.”
a milestone in horticultural entrepreneur Steve Saunders’ vision
for Miro to create a step-change in both the New Zealand berry
industry and the regional Maori economy for current and future
generations. The Miro director says: “In simple terms, Miro is
aiming to build a berry exporter as successful as Zespri. We will
own the value chain end-to-end. Over the next nine years Miro
will need more than 100 skilled orchard managers, create more
than 5000 jobs, plant 500ha of berries, return more than $100m
in revenue to growers per annum, and inject more than $500m
into local economies. We’re not talking about berries being sold
on the side of the road. We’re talking about sophisticated horticultural
development selling premium berries into sophisticated
markets across Asia and Australia.” Plant & Food Research chief
executive David Hughes says the venture aligns with the science
company’s mandate to use research innovation to add value to
fruit, vegetable, crop and food products and their industries.
“In Miro we have a partner with global ambitions matched by
scale and capability in New Zealand,” he says. “This deal will
open up fresh innovation challenges for our scientists and it’s a
welcome addition to our diverse range of commercial activity.
We are especially pleased to contribute to the rapidly-growing
Maori economy and to support job creation and business activity
in the regions.” Employment minister Willie Jackson says in
towns like Gisborne, Opotiki, Whakatane, Motueka and Kaitaia,
this could be a truly transformative opportunity. “We want to
raise employment across those communities and place Maori in
the role of business leadership with all the social and economic
benefits that become possible when people get the chance to
use their whenua to gain self-determination.”
• More than 20ha of orchard development planned for
next 12 months
• The project will need labourers through to
horticultural managers
• The programme covers pre-employment training,
employment placement, industry specific training,
pastoral care, relocation services, employment
subsidy and some additional services
• Alongside the launch, Ngati Haua is running an
employment expo bringing whanau members
together with the region’s largest employers
including Fonterra, Inghams, Tatua, Waikato-Tainui
and NZ Police.
It might be hard
finding the ‘perfect
brew’, but 16 judging
brewers and beer
experts will be putting
their taste to the test
in finding the ‘perfect
beer and cider’ in New
Zealand.
40 APRIL 2018