Tariff-free kiwifruit juices up China-NZ ties

WELLINGTON - The weather is pleasant and cool in northern New Zealand at the end of March. The farms in Tauranga grow vast stretches of a nutrient-rich fruit with soft, green flesh and a unique taste. It is kiwifruit, a signature farm produce of New Zealand. The fruits will later reach thousands of families after being sent to Zespri for sorting and packing.

Despite the name, kiwifruit is not native to New Zealand, but originally comes from China. Seeds were brought across the Pacific to New Zealand in the early 20th century by Isabel Fraser, principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting missionary schools in China. They were planted by a local nurseryman and the vines first fruited in 1910. People thought the fruit had a gooseberry flavor and began to call it the "Chinese gooseberry."

The gooseberry's rebranding didn't happen until New Zealand's importer began to promote the market demand of the fruit in the 1950s. It decided to name the fuzzy, brown fruit after the country's furry, brown, flightless national bird.