About us
Strawberry Growers New Zealand Inc (SGNZ) is an industry body that was formed in 2000 to represent the interests of New Zealand's commercial strawberry growers.
From 1 April 2020 the organisations activities are funded by a commodity levy on commercial strawberry plants, along with an annual subscription paid by associate members. It represents around 120 commercial strawberry fruit growers in New Zealand.
These growers vary in size with the ten biggest growers making up more than 50% of the total production. All larger enterprises are members of SGNZ.
Almost all growers are family/owner operator concerns and some have been growing for 2-3 generations. They have a high level of experience working alongside their staff and family members in the field and pack house. Almost all growers also pack their own fruit.
Staff are a key component of a successful operation and are strongly valued by growers. Strawberry growing is very labour intensive during the picking season. Mechanisation of the industry globally is limited so having suitable staff is of vital importance.
Key staff often return to work for the same grower every season thereby building long-term relationships, trust and competence. It’s not uncommon for key seasonal staff to have ten year plus relationships with growers. Access and availability of workers during the peak times is becoming a major challenge for growers.