Growers in New Zealand have welcomed last Friday's High Court decision to throw out exporter Turners & Growers' bid to deregulate the country's kiwifruit export business, calling it a 'significant milestone' for the industry.
In a statement, New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) said it was pleased with the ruling, which not only confirmed the legality of regulations setting up the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s structure, but also underlined the exclusive jurisdiction of industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand in dealing with complaints.
'We're extremely pleased with the judgement, but not surprised,' commented Peter Ombler, president of NZKGI. 'We now look forward to putting this matter behind us, and getting on with growing and selling kiwifruit as well as possible, as we've been successful.'
Mr Ombler said he believed the security the judgement gave growers was 'hugely significant' in building confidence to further grow and develop the kiwifruit industry with new and existing cultivars into the future.
'This is a very powerful judgement for our industry which serves to strengthen the industry structure and the associated regulatory regime,' he said.
The single-desk export industry model selected by growers more than 20 years ago had proven itself to be very successful, Mr Ombler added, and continued to enjoy overwhelming support, as confirmed by an independent poll conducted by Colmar Brunton earlier this year.
'NZKGI looks forward to working with our industry partners and contributing to an export led recovery for New Zealand long into the future,' concluded Mr Ombler. 'Kiwifruit growers are excited by the opportunities ahead.'
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