4 minute read
Get To Know Ohinewai Harvest - Proud Grower for Wonky Box
Briar and I (Karn’s partner) have a passion for farming and growing. Many in our generation are finding the pathway to farm/orchard business ownership challenging. We wanted to prove that this is still a goal that our generation can achieve, even starting with nothing. So, we set out a five —and ten-year plan to make it happen.
The average age of a farmer is 55 and increasing annually, so we see this as an industry we can grow into, but also bring some fresh thinking.
I come from a farming Agriculture background and Briar a Horticulture growing background. We saw growing as the biggest opportunity to allow us to progress through the early years and that is how Ohinewai Harvest was born! We now grow blueberries, melons, kiwifruit and pumpkin.
What inspired Ohinewai Harvest to embark on this journey with blueberries, and how did you determine that these vibrant berries were the perfect starting point for your business?
One of our first goals was to own our farming operation, including the land. So we sold our house and found what is our now farm. We did not initially know what to grow on the property, but we knew it had to be a permanent crop to protect the soils from the depletion of annual cropping, had to have an export market and have an excellent supporting industry (pack-houses, marketers, logistics) so that we could concentrate on growing and expanding the footprint of the crop. Blueberries ticked all those boxes.
It has been a great learning curve and a lot of hard graft, but as we come to the end of our third commercial crop we are happy we chose blueberries!
Could you share how Ohinewai Harvest Collaborates with Wonky Box to breathe new life into rescued fruit and vegetables and what that partnership means for your mission towards sustainability?
We are focused on using our resources inside the farm gate to produce a valuable product for our customers. However, outside of the farm gate, some of our produce may never see its true value just because it is outside of certain retail specifications. What we love about Wonky Box is that the team bridges this gap.
Wonky Box understands the care and stewardship the farmer/grower has invested into their crop, acknowledges it is still equal from a quality and nutritional perspective and delivers it to consumers, helping them to fill their households with good tucker at an affordable price point. It is a win-win and kiwis have really got behind it which is a genuine success story.
How does Ohinewai Harvest navigate the challenges faced by various weather patterns?
Our crops are harvested between January - May. Usually, we have droughts in North Waikato, so we have built the business to withstand these with reliable irrigation; however, last year, cyclone Gabrielle wiped out a big portion of our crops and income.
Although it was devastating, it did challenge us in how we farm and grow, and we have since invested in building more resilient cropping systems with better results. This includes dropping any floodrisk sites, cropping only above-average yielding blocks, and investing in people and machinery to maximise efficiencies and weather windows.
Could you give us a sneak peak into some of the exciting plans or projects Ohinewai Harvest has in the pipeline that you’re particularly thrilled about sharing with our readers?
One of our goals was to build and own a Kiwifruit orchard. After five years of hard work to get the project off the ground, we kicked off our first 5-ha block, with the next 5-ha currently in development right here in North Waikato. We are growing the new Ruby Red variety.
New Zealand is the best in the world for growing, packing, and marketing Kiwifruit. Kiwifruit allows us to offer more employment opportunities to existing and new staff, fits our sustainability goals and allows the land to be utilised to its highest potential.
Where can people find you and how can they support you and your business?
We are always keen to connect with like-minded businesses so drop us an email at info@ohinewaiharvest.co.nz
