Large Block Offers Diverse Horticulture Options

A large-scale orchard operation in the Gisborne district offers investors and orchard operators the opportunity to expand across a variety of crops and multiple titles with significant flexibility in future land use options.

The three titled opportunity across Awapuni and Main roads offers a combined area of 52.3ha land planted in viticulture, apples, and kiwifruit, with significant future crop yields still to come from the young apple plantings.

Bayleys agent Simon Bousfield says the property on fertile soils only six minutes from Gisborne represents an increasingly rare chance to acquire land that is accompanied with secure water rights, excellent city proximity, and superior infrastructure.

“This part of the district is known as the Golden Triangle, and for good reason. Meantime the property itself brings a crop variety that ensures a very secure, diverse income stream to the entire operation.”

Across the entire operation the crop area includes 11.6 canopy hectare of G3 kiwifruit, 15.2ha of apple varieties, 13ha of grapes, three of citrus and one hectare of undeveloped land.

The 635 Awapuni Road property of 21.4ha contains the apple and kiwifruit plantings, including the T&G licensed breeds, primarily Envy, with a small, planted area of Galaxy.

The block features a well-planned drainage system to optimise the Matawhero clay soils’ capacity throughout the kiwifruit block, along with the usual array of orchard buildings.

The nearby 160 Main Road block, comprising 18.5ha, includes a 2.4ha planting of Jazz apples only established in 2017, while the 13ha of vineyard plantings are split largely between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes, sold under contract.

A small apple trial orchard of 2000sq metres and a block of limes are also on the property.

The adjoining 12.3ha 153 Main Road property includes 4ha of G3 kiwifruit due for cropping in 2023 and 2024. Assorted varieties of lemons and mandarins are also included in plantings, totalling almost 3ha.

“A key appeal of this combined operation is the walk-out – walk-in nature, with equipment and staff all included in the offering. The existing staff have a high level of skill and commitment, a definite asset given the current challenges in the labour market today,” says Simon Bousfield.

The operation’s infrastructure includes a weather station that links through to the HortPlus network, providing a portal for accessing data through the NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated site for sourcing pest and disease information.

Combined water consents and access exist across the three titles, enabling ground water to be sourced from the Te Hapara Sands aquifer, at a maximum daily take rate of 9.4l a second, with a large water storage facility installed for additional water.

Water use is optimised via a Galcon irrigation control system, with web-based access making desktop, laptop or cell phone monitoring and control a simple, remote operation.

Weekly monitoring of water use over critical use periods is provided by local company AquaLink, providing regular recommendation reports.

All kiwifruit and apple plantings are fully irrigated, with the 153 Main Road block having a newly installed system.

Other infrastructure available for purchase within the blocks includes a broad assortment of tractors, utes, sprayers and a wide array of orchard harvest and maintenance equipment.

“This combined operation represents the chance to benefit from not only the immediate location, close to Gisborne city, but also to leverage off the Gisborne district’s early climate premium, from a very well established and diverse cropping operation,” says Simon Bousfield.

He says the opportunity to purchase such a large parcel of land on Gisborne’s fertile flat country as one entity is a rare one.

“This is also the first time this particular property has come to market as three collective titles at once.”

The three titles are to be sold via tender, closing Wednesday 29th June.

Click here for more information on this listing.

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