2024–25 apple harvest exceeds expectations, says Apples and Pears NZ CEO
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Gaining momentum from the global roll-out of its new brand in July, NZ fruit company Rockit has recently launched its biggest sales and marketing campaign.
From mainland China to the Middle East, Rockit says it is driving its back-to-school campaign into thousands of stores and homes in its key global markets, promoting the nutritional and health benefits of choosing Rockit as children head back to the classroom.
Julian Smith, general manager global marketing for Rockit Global, says Rockit - which is sold in 30 countries worldwide - is currently in the midst of a very sharp growth curve across its international markets with volume up 43% on 2020 figures. He says the back-to-school campaign uses multiple platforms and touchpoints to establish the fully mature, miniature apple as the right healthy snack for kids to fuel their day.
"This is the first time we've launched a global marketing campaign of this size and calibre into some of our most exciting markets like the UAE, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia."
He says consumers will be able to access a new interactive campaign microsite featuring downloadable activities, competitions and giveaways, as well as creative ideas to get everyone from kids to adults moving.
"Importantly, we're ramping up our social media and digital marketing in our key back-to-school markets with influencer content and collaborations, and delivering that content in traditional and simplified Chinese, and Arabic."
Smith says the campagin is another step in Rockit's journey towards sharing 400 million of its snack-sized apples with the world by 2025.
New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) has launched a new initiative designed to make it easier for employers to support their young team members by covering their NZYF membership.
Sheep infant nutrition maker Blue River Dairy is hoping to use its success in China as a springboard into other markets in future.
Plentiful milk supplies from key producer countries are weighing down global dairy prices.
The recent windstorm that cut power to dairy farms across Southland for days has taught farmers one lesson – keep a generator handy on each farm.
The effects of the big windstorm of late October will be felt in lost production in coming weeks as repair crews work through the backlog of toppled irrigation pivots, says Culverden dairy farmer Fran Gunn.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.

OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?