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The walnut orchard last autumn
Full potential of walnut industry yet to be cracked Being one of the pioneers of New Zealand’s walnut industry offered plenty of challenges, but for one Canterbury woman, growing walnuts is hugely rewarding. HELENA O’NEILL talks to Dr Heather North about the young industry and its promising future.
Setting up a walnut orchard is a long-term investment, but the industry is young and full of potential, Heather says. In 1998 Heather formed a business partnership with Dr Clive Marsh, starting Lightfoot Walnuts on a 16ha plot near Lincoln in Canterbury. They began planting that same year, with the bulk of trees planted in 2001 and 2002, finishing by the end of 2003. It was a busy time as both Heather and Clive worked full-time jobs. Heather has a doctorate in image processing (measuring the movement of glaciers) and she now works as a contractor on satellite remote sensing to map New Zealand’s agricultural land use. Being 40
The ORCHARDIST : JULY 2022
self-employed allows Heather to set aside time each year to work full-time on the harvest. Clive’s doctorate is in engineering science. He previously worked for Lincoln Agritech and is now a consultant process engineer working in food, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacture. It was a learning experience, Heather says, as they were also sorting shelterbelts and irrigation systems while working their regular day jobs. Getting enough young trees to plant was another issue as there was a limited amount available at the time they were setting up. The orchard now boasts 2700 fully established walnut trees and has been profitable since 2014.
