How to Make Money with Kiwifruit Farming (Overseas Case: New Zealand)

Much of the green and gold kiwifruit sold in Korean supermarkets comes from New Zealand. Kiwifruit is one of New Zealand’s signature exports: orchards grow the fruit, and the marketer Zespri sells it around the world. This guide explains how to make money with kiwifruit farming overseas, using Zespri’s official results, New Zealand government sources (Te Puni Kōkiri’s tupu.nz, Land Information New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand) and the kiwifruit biosecurity agency KVH.

In one line: kiwifruit income is “trays per hectare × price per tray − operating costs.” In the 2024/25 season, the orchard gate return (OGR) per hectare was about KRW 67.43 million for Green and about KRW 128.38 million for SunGold. But developing an orchard costs about KRW 113–300 million per hectare, and a SunGold licence cost about KRW 421 million per hectare at the 2025 auction, so break-even usually takes 12–15 years.

※ KRW figures use a cross rate from European Central Bank reference rates on 29 October 2026 (NZ$1 ≈ KRW 751). KRW amounts change with the exchange rate.

1. What is kiwifruit farming in New Zealand?

• Kiwifruit is a vine grown on pergola trellises; fruit is harvested around May and exported. Flowering is November to early December, and most fruit is picked in May (tupu.nz).
• Kiwifruit has separate male and female vines, so it needs bees or artificial pollination.
• 81% of New Zealand kiwifruit is grown in the Bay of Plenty. Northland, Waikato, Nelson and Gisborne grow it too.
• Zespri sold 220.9 million trays in 2024/25, and fruit and service payments to New Zealand growers topped NZ$3 billion (about KRW 2.25 trillion) for the first time.
• The main varieties are Green (Hayward, no licence), SunGold (licence required) and RubyRed (licence required).

2. How much does it cost to start?

tupu.nz says a commercial orchard with staff needs at least 25 ha, while an owner-operator orchard of about 5 ha can be profitable.

3. Equipment and growing tips

• Land: flat (under 8 degrees of slope recommended), fertile, well-drained soil. Windy, cold and wet sites are weak spots and more prone to Psa disease.
• Climate: 8–9 frost-free months, and over 600 hours below 7°C in winter for good spring budbreak.
• Water: kiwifruit can’t handle drought and needs about 35–40 mm of water per canopy hectare per week in the growing season. Water is also used for frost protection.
• Structures: pergola trellis, shelter belts, and hail cover and irrigation if needed.
• Certification: every Zespri grower must hold GlobalG.A.P. certification.
• People: pruning, thinning and harvest need lots of seasonal labour. Spraying and mowing are often done by contractors.
• Time to harvest: first harvest can come in year 3; full production takes 5–7 years. Vines stay productive for 30–50 years.

4. How much can you earn?

Actual profit varies by orchard with land cost, debt, yield and fruit sweetness. Below is the orchard gate return (OGR), the amount paid to growers after packing, storage and marketing costs, but before orchard costs.

• 2024/25 final averages (Zespri)
• Green: NZ$8.36 per tray (about KRW 6,279); NZ$89,783 per hectare (about KRW 67.43 million), a record per-hectare return for Green.
• Organic Green: NZ$92,306 per hectare (about KRW 69.33 million)
• SunGold: NZ$11.81 per tray (about KRW 8,870); NZ$170,933 per hectare (about KRW 128.38 million)
• Organic SunGold: NZ$156,390 per hectare (about KRW 117.46 million)
• RubyRed: NZ$72,744 per hectare (about KRW 54.64 million), held back by many young vines with low yields.
• Compared with the year before: in 2023/24, Green returned NZ$65,717 per hectare and SunGold NZ$146,987. Returns change a lot from year to year.
• After operating costs: even after taking about KRW 30–38 million of operating costs from SunGold’s KRW 128 million, you still haven’t paid interest on licence and development loans, or tax. That’s why tupu.nz says break-even takes as little as 8 years, but usually 12–15 years. This is not an income promise.

5. How do you find buyers?

• Exporting through Zespri: Zespri handles New Zealand kiwifruit exports to all markets except Australia. Growers contract with a nearby packhouse, which packs and stores the fruit, and Zespri sells it worldwide. So growers rarely need to find overseas buyers themselves.
• Ways to earn more: Zespri pays extra for early-harvested fruit, high dry matter (sweeter fruit), good sizes and fruit that stores well.
• Domestic market: fruit can also be sold to New Zealand supermarkets and markets.
• Ways in for Koreans
  1. Learn on a working holiday: Immigration New Zealand says Korean citizens aged 18–30 can stay up to 12 months, with 3,000 places a year. Fees start at NZ$770 (about KRW 578,000), and you need at least NZ$4,200 (about KRW 3.15 million) for living costs. Orchard and packhouse jobs build experience.
  2. Invest in or run an orchard: an overseas person buying farm land of 5 ha or more needs prior consent from the Overseas Investment Office (part of LINZ) and must show a substantial benefit to New Zealand. Some leases of 10 years or less don’t need consent; check with a professional.

6. Steps to start 1-2-3

1. Learn on the ground: work in orchards or packhouses on a legal visa, such as a working holiday, to learn pruning, harvest and quality standards. Read government (tupu.nz) and grower association (NZKGI) materials.
2. Plan with numbers: build a business plan covering land, water consent, development cost, licence, operating cost and break-even (12–15 years). Check visa and overseas investment rules with Immigration NZ, LINZ, a licensed immigration adviser and local consultants.
3. Start small and grow: consider starting with Green (no licence) or by leasing or managing an existing orchard. Get GlobalG.A.P. certified, sign with a packhouse, and only then think about bidding in a SunGold licence auction.

8. Watch out for these cases

In November 2010, the bacterial kiwifruit disease Psa was found on a Te Puke orchard. It spread fast and effectively wiped out the gold variety of the time (Hort16A). A Lincoln University study estimated the cost at NZ$740–885 million over 15 years (about KRW 556–665 billion). Suspected Psa must be reported to KVH within 48 hours. Also be careful with offers like “pay us and we’ll get you a New Zealand orchard job and visa.” Immigration New Zealand says charging for a job is illegal even if the money is paid overseas, and that it cannot recover money already paid in a job scam.

Sources

• Zespri, 2024-25 Financial Results (2025-05-21)
• Zespri Canopy, 2024/25 Final Average Orchard Gate Returns
• Zespri Canopy, Unrestricted SunGold Kiwifruit Licence Auction 2025
• Te Puni Kōkiri (tupu.nz), Kiwifruit fact sheet
• LINZ, Overseas investment – Land types and areas
• Immigration New Zealand, Korea Working Holiday Visa
• Immigration New Zealand, Overseas payments for New Zealand jobs are illegal (2026-10-20)
• Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH), Psa-V
• Lincoln University, The costs of Psa-V to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry and the wider community (2012)
• Exchange rate: Frankfurter API (based on ECB reference rates), NZD→KRW 751.07 on 2026-10-29

7. FAQ

Is OGR the grower's net profit?

No. OGR is what growers receive after packing and marketing costs. Orchard costs such as labour, contractors, interest and tax still come out of it.

Can anyone plant SunGold?

No. SunGold and RubyRed can only be planted on licensed hectares, and Zespri checks compliance each year. Green (Hayward) needs no licence.

Can foreigners buy farm land in New Zealand?

"Sensitive land," including farm land of 5 ha or more, needs prior consent from the Overseas Investment Office. Never close a deal without it.

How long until the first harvest?

As early as year 3, with full production after 5–7 years.

Do I have to pay to get an orchard job on a working holiday?

No. In New Zealand it is illegal to charge workers a fee for a job. In October 2026 the Employment Court confirmed this applies even to payments made overseas (Immigration New Zealand announcement).

Last updated: October 30, 2026. Based on official sources; rules and prices can change.