Annual Report
HortNZ Annual Report to 31 March 2026
The 2025/26 year reinforced a simple reality: New Zealand horticulture is growing in a world that won't stand still or stop delivering shocks.
Across the year, the sector continued to deliver strong performance amid mounting and intersecting pressures - extreme weather events, biosecurity incursions, rising input costs and ongoing global volatility.
These pressures have been particularly acute for vegetable growers, who have faced further uncertainty following the closure of key processing operations, including McCains and Wattie's facilities. The loss of long-standing processing pathways has added to concerns about market access, regional employment and the resilience of New Zealand's domestic vegetable supply chain.
That volatility was brought into sharp focus in February 2026 with the Middle East conflict. For a war so far from our shores, we felt the ripple effects almost straight away.
Instability in global energy markets flowed quickly through to higher fuel prices, increased freight costs and renewed pressure on already stretched supply chains.
For a sector reliant on the timely movement of perishable goods, these shocks translated directly into margin pressure at the farmgate and across the value chain.
Yet horticulture is not defined by disruption. It is defined by how growers - and the wider sector - respond to it.
Over the past 12 months, growers up and down the country demonstrated hard work, adaptability and a commitment to producing high-quality nutritious food for New Zealanders and the world. That same determination is reflected across the wider system that supports them.
At HortNZ, our role is to ensure that effort is matched by systems, policy settings and support the enable long-term success for our growers.
To all our growers and supply partners, it's been a privilege to serve you over the past 12 months.
Read more in our Annual Report to 31 March 2026 which provides a summary of the horticulture industry over the last twelve months.
