An old, corrugated iron packhouse still stands on the Earp family’s orchard on Snodgrass Rd. It’s a far cry from today’s expansive post-harvest facilities – but this modest shed is a significant part of Apata’s origin story.
Nowadays, only the birds visit to build their nests and someone occasionally retrieves a trestle table or chair from storage. But rewind 40 years and this once-bustling packhouse is where Brian Earp saw a glimpse of where kiwifruit was headed, and what needed to be done to get there.
His father, Roland (Roly) Earp, was a true pioneer of New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry. In 1959, when most growers doubted its potential, he boldly invested in large-scale plantings of Hayward. He went on to champion innovation, helping develop equipment and growing systems that became the gold standard internationally. Just as importantly, he was a tireless advocate for growers and led the hard-fought campaign for a national grower authority to oversee exports. His leadership as the first chairman of the Kiwifruit Authority ensured growers had a voice, and secured the industry’s future as a world-leading export sector.
Brian Earp, continued his father’s legacy when he took over the family’s orchard in 1974 with his wife, Jacqui. By the 1980s, this premier coastal block was no longer surrounded by citrus and dairy farms. Kiwifruit was planted as far as the eye could see, and Brian knew economies of scale were needed to push the industry ahead.
“Brian could see the need for growers to join together,” explains Jacqui. “There was no point in having a packhouse on every single orchard. Apata would be the way of the future. Roly and Brian were both blessed with great foresight.”
Brian joined forces with Peter Mayston, Mike Muller and Jack Tangney to found Apata in 1983. He was the inaugural Chairman of Apata Coolstores Limited and served 17 years on the Apata Board before he passed away tragically in 2008.
Today, Jacqui continues to run the family orchard which produces 15.81 canopy hectares of green and gold kiwifruit. Astonishingly, she still grows the original rootstock – thick, gnarled vines which are now over 60 years-old.
“The vines are now so old we have had to replant some of them. We talk about giving the original rootstock lots of love. They really need looking after and they deserve it.”
The orchard’s rich history is evident everywhere you look. One hundred year-old pine trees stand guard on the northwest boundary, protecting the vines from strong gusts that sweep across Tauranga Harbour.
A modest three-bedroom cottage – which has housed generations of Earps – is still there, along with a small cool store which Brian built in the 1980s and which Apata still leases today.
But the packhouse holds some of the most poignant memories for Jacqui. The original floorboards creak as you walk across them, and she can picture exactly where the bin dump and grading tables used to be as up to 100 workers scurried around during packing season.
“I regret not having photographed the packhouse when it was in full swing,” she says. “There was a hive of activity and it was a wonderful atmosphere. In those days, health and safety wasn’t a priority like it is today. I remember packing here and the ladies would have a cigarette in one hand and be packing kiwifruit with the other.”
Jacqui’s three children all grew up working in the packhouse – taking turns to play with their toys and colouring pens on the mezzanine floor when they grew too tired.
“The packing shed was so much a part of our lives. Brian’s sister had her 21st birthday party here. We had our engagement party here. We would line the shed with pongas and then Billy Borrell would come and play music with his band. Our daughter, Juliet, had her wedding reception here which was lovely. We had some great packhouse parties over the years. It was an ideal space.”
Before kiwifruit, the Earp family used to pack passionfruit and other cash crops like watermelons and pumpkins which they grew to generate an income while they waited for their kiwifruit seedlings to establish themselves.
Jacqui says the orchard was a wonderful and happy place to grow up, and Brian was delighted to have raised his family in his own childhood home. Kiwifruit was always his passion and Brian set high standards for Apata from the very beginning.
”Brian grew up with a horticulture background, was intelligent and extremely practical. He knew what it was like to be an orchardist and the worries of the grower. He knew what it was like to run a packing shed and a cool store. He had a phenomenal understanding of the whole industry.”
None of Jacqui and Brian’s children wanted to be involved in kiwifruit initially, but daughter Juliet has been helping share the administrative workload in recent years which her mother is grateful for.
With its beautiful free-draining soil, 359 Snodgrass Rd in Te Puna continues to be one of the most fertile and productive kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty. But it’s the Earp family’s legacy, and the integral role they played in shaping the modern kiwifruit industry, that makes this orchard so special.
“I feel really proud,” Jacqui admits. “I try really hard to honour Brian and Roly. That’s really what it’s all about. I feel very much at peace knowing that Juliet has come on board now. I hope that Brian and Roly would be proud of the way this orchard has kept on going.”
To this day a quote from Brain forms part of the Apata values – “Our people, our growers are the lifeblood of this business.” Wonderful words of wisdom from a man who played a pivotal role in not just the story of Apata, but the kiwifruit industry as a whole.