Food Cultivation and Processing
Food Processing and Cultivation is a key focus area within the Globally Competitive Firms theme in the Bay of Connections Strategy.
Food and beverage is New Zealand’s largest manufacturing sector by total output. In the Bay of Plenty, the food and beverage industry is the second largest in the region in terms of total output and the largest in terms of total international exports from the region. The Bay of Plenty food industry currently employs more than 9,000 people. In recent years the industry has grown by 17.5 per cent in value of sales, 10 per cent in employment and 49 per cent in exports.
The 2007 Agricultural Production Census noted that 37 per cent of New Zealand’s total hectares utilised for outdoor fruit, vegetables and other crops is in the Bay of Plenty. More than 80 per cent of the country’s largest horticultural export value product – kiwifruit – ($1.1 billion in sales), 74 per cent of the avocado crop and 30 per cent of the national citrus crop is grown in the region as are a wide selection of vegetables and increasing quantities of berry fruits and nuts. Other potential new niche products like truffles and the largest plantings of ginseng in the southern hemisphere have been established and in the future may offer further diversified produce from the region.
The food processing sector is closely related to an innovative and cost efficient agricultural sector, which produces substantially more than is required to meet domestic consumption. The competitiveness of the agricultural sector is a major factor helping to secure productivity, competitiveness and profitability in the food processing sector.
The region needs to expand the range of products it grows, capture a greater portion of the value chain from creating and processing high value added innovative products and marketing them internationally.
The vision is to re-establish the Bay of Plenty as the leading food producing region of New Zealand, being seen as a progressive, innovative and sustainability focused food producing region.
To download the Food Cultivation and Processing Strategy and action plan click here. 
