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New Zealand’s kiwifruit story dates back to 1904, when Mary Isabel Fraser, a school principal, brought Chinese gooseberry seeds home from China. She gave the seeds to Whanganui farmer Alexander Allison, who planted them in 1905; the vines produced their first fruit by 1910. According to a February 2026 report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, the fruit was initially known as the ‘Chinese gooseberry’ before New Zealand exporters renamed it ‘kiwifruit’ in 1959 for the United States market. More than a century after Fraser brought the seeds to New Zealand, the country has become the world’s largest kiwifruit exporter.
How a school principal in 1904 helped bring Chinese gooseberries to New Zealand
In 1904, Mary Isabel Fraser, a school principal, brought Chinese gooseberry seeds from China and gave them to a farmer, who planted them near Whanganui, which a USDA report described as the beginning of New Zealand’s kiwifruit history. The vines produced their first fruit in 1910. Around the same period, the species was also being tested as a commercial crop in the United Kingdom and the United States, but those attempts were largely unsuccessful in producing fruit. The report says kiwifruit vines grow best in frost-free environments with substantial water and protection from strong winds. Fraser’s seeds became the starting point for its later export industry.
PC: Wikipedia
The Chinese gooseberry that became New Zealand’s global kiwifruit
The fruit grown from Fraser’s seeds was originally known as the Chinese gooseberry. During the Second World War, US troops stationed in New Zealand developed a taste for the fruit, which helped to increase interest in it. In 1959, New Zealand exporters renamed it ‘Kiwifruit’ for the United States market. According to the USDA report, the new name helped avoid Cold War associations and increased scrutiny linked to the term Chinese gooseberry. The name was derived from the kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird. The fruit later became a major export crop. New Zealand is now the world’s second-largest kiwifruit producer and accounts for more than 65% of global kiwifruit exports across several international markets.
How did New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry become a major horticulture sector
New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry is now the largest sector in the country’s horticulture industry, according to the report. More than 2,800 growers cultivate kiwifruit across about 14,500 hectares of orchards. The Bay of Plenty is the main production region, accounting for about 79% of total output. The industry has also recovered from PSA (Pseudomonas Syringae pv. Actinidiae), a bacterial disease detected in New Zealand in 2010 that caused widespread and severe damage to vines. Gold kiwifruit varieties, which are more tolerant to present PSA strains, helped the sector recover. Zespri serves as the central marketer, export agent and global distribution lead for almost all New Zealand kiwifruit exports under the country’s Single Point of Entry model for its exports to international markets worldwide.
New Zealand’s kiwifruit exports hit a record as production rises
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service forecasts New Zealand’s kiwifruit production at 800,000 metric tons in the 2025/2026 market year, almost 1% higher than the previous year. If achieved, this would be the country’s highest production level on record. The report attributes the expected increase to maturing SunGold and RubyRed orchards, greater seasonal labour availability and favourable weather conditions. In 2024/2025, production was estimated at 794,490 metric tons, while exports increased 44% to almost 767,620 metric tons, marking the largest export year to date. The European Union was the largest market, accounting for 32% of exports, followed by China at 27%, Japan at 14%, and the United States at 6%.
