Image © Nigel Spiers / Fotalia

NZ Herald: When Hawke’s Bay orchardist Lesley Wilson began growing apples close to 30 years ago, “paperwork” meant keeping a cashbook and a box of receipts. Now, she says she could fill a room with compliance folders — and that’s part of the reason why the industry has performed so strongly in recent years.

Wilson says all those folders mean the industry now has the ability to jump through various compliance and quarantine requirements to find lucrative markets for its apples. “The industry is working better and we are highly respected worldwide for our quality of fruit, food safety, biosecurity and we have that ability to jump through some big hoops,” she says.