Kiwifruit Collaboration: China and New Zealand cultivate a global success story

The kiwifruit has become a symbol of the deep and enduring economic relationship between China and New Zealand. Once known as the Chinese gooseberry, it's now a major export for New Zealand – a success underpinned by long-standing scientific collaboration between the two nations to protect the species for the future. 

The kiwifruit is one of New Zealand's greatest economic success stories thanks to China. The first plants were grown from Chinese seeds 115 years ago, and now China is the biggest customer of an export business worth three billion US dollars – and growing fast.

JASON TE BRAKE, Chief Executive, Zespri "We will increase this year by another 200 million pieces of fruit into China. And over the next ten years we're looking at doubling the size of our business in China."

Behind the scenes, scientists from both countries are collaborating to preserve and protect the fruit species.

SARAH PILKINGTON, Kiwifruit Scientist, Bioeconomy Science Institute "It's really important for us in New Zealand to recognize that China is the ancestral home of kiwi fruit. And so we have maintained a long friendship and relationship."

That relationship led to a Joint Kiwifruit Laboratory launched by China's President Xi Jinping in 2014. Since then, both countries have shared their expertise to control common diseases and help China expand its kiwifruit industry with high value crops like New Zealand's popular SunGold variety.

ZHUANG QIGUO, Co-Director, Kiwifruit Joint Laboratory "So what we want to do is to breed something similar to the SunGold cultivar. We want to commercialise it in China so the growers, farmers, can get a better income."

Thirty per cent of China's kiwifruit cultivation is supported by the Joint Laboratory, and a delegation of Government officials and scientists from Sichuan Province recently visited the New Zealand Laboratory to discuss future research including the threat of climate change. 

SARAH PILKINGTON, Kiwifruit Scientist, Bioeconomy Science Institute "It's really helpful for us to be able to study the impact of the climate on kiwifruit in China as well as in New Zealand."

OWEN POLAND, Auckland "One of the roles of the Joint Laboratory is to preserve kiwifruit germplasm which includes the genetic material that can be used to develop new and improved kiwifruit varieties, and that's already led to the successful development of red kiwifruit in both countries."

And with so many wild kiwifruit varieties yet to be explored in China, the potential seems unlimited.

SARAH PILKINGTON, Kiwifruit Scientist, Bioeconomy Science Institute "I think the potential's huge, and we're not even sure how big the potential is."

As New Zealand's major kiwifruit exporter, Zespri has a China innovation strategy.

JASON TE BRAKE, Chief Executive, Zespri "The consumer channels are changing rapidly, we've moved more than 40 per cent of our business online to be able to keep up with ecommerce. They're delivering kiwifruit through drones anywhere that you want to be."

New Zealand's Prime Minister says the kiwifruit symbolises the economic partnership between the two countries.

CHRISTOPHER LUXON, New Zealand Prime Minister "China is a vital part of New Zealand's economic story. And it is a key partner in our pursuit of growth, resilience, and opportunity."

And that opportunity could lead to even more interesting kiwifruit in future. Owen Poland, CGTN, Auckland.

信息来源：CGTN

中国国际电视台（英文名称：China Global Television Network，英文简称：CGTN，中文别称：中国环球电视网），是国务院直属正部级事业单位中央广播电视总台所属的中华人民共和国面向全球播出的新闻国际传播机构 ，成立于2016年12月31日。