The tragic of the fatality of an AgFirst sampler on Friday at Athenree is a stark reminder to us all of the need to be conscious of our own safety and the safety of others around us. We need to take the time to consider safe work practices and individual safety as people increasingly become busy, work long hours, and are under the constant pressure of time and commitments. Our thoughts and condolences go to the family and friends of the person involved.
At Seeka we had a serious harm injury last week at Main Road. A contractor was driving a snorkel [elevated crane] off a truck; it came off the ramp throwing the operator. He is in Middlemore Hospital with serious injuries and is lucky to be alive. The site wasn’t working at the time of the accident. Worksafe is engaged and investigating this incident.
Both are stark reminders to us all of the importance of safety.
In relation to the harvest we are now chasing the last of our clearances for G3. Pretty much we are in the home straight, just waiting for the last orchards to clear or clear for all sizes. Brix levels are currently such that we are not concerned about the volume or quality of the fruit remaining to harvest.
For Hayward we are looking to get fully into main pack production. So far May has been un-seasonally warm, with temperatures on average warmer than April. Incredibly fruit is still growing and brix only between 6.5 and 7.2 certainly give us now cause for alarm. Pressures remain good. But it’s not a time to be resting, we have to push on with the harvest, the temperatures will change, the fruit will start moving and what we don’t pack now can only be packed at the end.
Due to a very good start, and active inventory management, we have more coolstore capacity than we likely require for the crop. Packing will be the issue. I am pleased to report that all Seeka’s onshore fruit affected by the pocket pack issue has been checked and shipped.
To the numbers [as at midnight 15 May]
Hayward Conventional
| Seeka packed trays | 7,572,593 | Industry packed trays | 23,216,167 [32.6%] |
| Seeka avge size | 32.20 | Industry avge size | 32.21 |
| Seeka loaded trays | 5,214,111 | Instore trays | 2,358,482 |
| On order | 1,822,363 |
Hayward Organic
| Seeka packed trays | 152,737 | Industry packed trays | 1,093,904 [13.9%] |
| Seeka avge size | 32.98 | Industry avge size | 35.09 |
| Seeka loaded trays | 93,122 | Instore trays | 59,615 |
| On order | 61,793 | Better pack some fruit |
Zespri SunGold G3 Conventional
| Seeka packed trays | 6,980,243 | Industry packed trays | 43,915,114 [15.8%] |
| Seeka avge size | 29.02 | Industry avge size | 30.63 |
| Seeka loaded trays | 3,586,533 | Instore trays | 3,393,710 |
| On order | 787,429 |
Zespri SunGold G3 Organic
| Seeka packed trays | 116,310 | Industry packed trays | 713,400 [20.6%] |
| Seeka avge size | 30.22 | Industry avge size | 29.73 |
| Seeka loaded trays | 26,823 | Instore trays | 89,487 |
| On order | 33,949 |
Zespri Sweetgreen G14
| Seeka packed trays | 174,844 | Industry packed trays | 1,533,543 [11.4%] |
| Seeka avge size | 36.03 | Industry avge size | 36.12 |
| Seeka loaded trays | 111,362 | Instore trays | 63,482 |
| On order | 32,705 |
Kiwifruit New Zealand, Judicial Review and Collaborative Marketing
I have refrained from making any comment on Seeka going to the High Court to seek Judicial Review on the process around two application denials while the matter was either in front of the Court or back in front of KNZ. Seeka sought to obtain the High Courts review as KNZ had arbitrarily removed the normal right to appeal and Seeka decided to stand up for what it believed in.
The High Court agreed - the process was wrong. It agreed that KNZ must independently assess and work with collaborative marketers in assessing potential applications, and that the requirement to collaborate with Zespri was the outcome of a successful application rather than a precursor requirement. The Court also decided that Seeka should have a right to review by KNZ. The Court directed the “appeal process” to KNZ be reinstated for Seeka.
All growers stand to benefit when a collaborative marketing application is accepted, after all it is the criteria for approval. This is particularly important in a year when we may have more Hayward fruit than the marketer can economically sell. Our applications for Hayward were again turned down by KNZ.
Happy and safe harvesting!
Michael
Seeka Key
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