August 2000
May 2000 will be a year to remember for olive growers Ray and Jean Hollis at Te Horo. It is the year of their first pressing of olives for oil, and although only a small quantity of oil was produced from one variety of the trees they are growing, the resulting oil is of excellent quality and they are looking forward to next year's crop with excitement.
It is said that olives grow best in regions where grapes grow - in other words in the warmer parts of New Zealand. However evidence is now emerging that other regions such as Canterbury, Central Otago, Kapiti and Wanganui are potential olive growing regions. At the New Zealand Tree Crops conference in Christchurch over Easter participants tasted extra virgin olive oil produced from a local grove of Barnea trees, a modern Israeli cultivar. Choosing the right variety for the region is the secret.
The Hollis olive grove has a mixture of cultivars, with most of them being grown for oil. They include Barnea, Manzanillo, Leccino, Picual and Koroneiki. The Koroneiki have fruited right from the first year, however they are also a variety which are particularly attractive to birds, and so it is a race to get the fruit from the trees. The most successful of the other varieties are the Leccino, and it is these trees which provided fruit for the first pressing. The Hollis's manage their grove according to Bio-Gro accepted methods, and believe that olives are a good crop to consider for anyone wanting to use organic management techniques. There are few diseases which affect their trees, and the only problem is a small amount of Peacock Spot on some of the Barnea trees. This is kept to a reasonably low level by using a copper spray once during the winter.
Olive trees are wind pollinated, but in New Zealand conditions, where the prevailing winds are much stronger than they are in the traditional olive growing regions overseas, the trees need to be protected by shelter trees and be well staked during the initial years. (Olive trees are shallow rooting.) In subsequent years, once the trees' root systems have become established, this does not seem to be quite so much of a problem.
While developing their olive grove in 1996 the Hollis's also volunteered to be one of the fourteen trial sites for olives in the country sponsored by the New Zealand Tree Crops Association. These sites range from Northland to Central Otago, and the records of tree growth and production are proving useful for members of the Tree Crops Association. Each trial site has at least nineteen pairs of different cultivars. Growers involved in the New Zealand Tree Crops Association trials are able to compare results, discuss difficulties and share solutions. Each grower forwards specific data to the research co-ordinator, Roy Hart, who collates the information and prepares an annual report for the growers and other members of the Association. As with any new crop, there is considerable trial and error involved, and olive growers are discovering that there is often conflicting advice given, particularly about which cultivars to plant.
The importance of having the right pollinating trees was information that was not readily available when the Hollis's planted their trees but greater understanding of which trees are successful pollinators is now becoming evident. In the case of the Hollis's trial, the best cultivars so far are proving to be the Italian varieties, Leccino and Frantoia, both of which were tested for their oil this year, showing oil percentages of 17.4 % and 20.4% respectively.
On the Kapiti Coast a group of olive enthusiasts met recently to assess the development of the olive industry in the area. About 40 people, including growers as well as potential marketers, attended this initial meeting. It was clear that olives are going ahead in leaps and bounds, with over 12,000 local trees in the ground already, and many more in the planning. Many of the people present at this meeting felt that the Kapiti area was a forgotten horticultural region. Although locals and Wellingtonians see it as a market garden for the lower North Island, it also has potential as an olive growing area.
The recent establishment of a small press, set up by Robin and Fran Pennel at the Olive Shop at Lindale (Paraparaumu), means that local growers have a facility which can serve small scale orchards. The Pennells are also hoping to specialise in New Zealand produced oils, and in particular oils from the Kapiti Region. Their inaugural pressing of oil from the Hollis's and a wild tree in Paekakariki has produced a very precious oil named "Kapiti First" , which has the extremely low acidity rating of 0.17%, meaning it can qualify as "extra virgin cold pressed". This season Robin Pennell has also pressed olives from Wairarapa, and Wanganui, and is delighted with the oils produced. In other regions such as Canterbury and Martinborough, much larger presses are being established to cope with the larger volume of olives that will need to be pressed over the next few years.
And can you make a living from olive growing in New Zealand? At this early stage of the industry, some growers are receiving a return of over $60 per litre. But as with any emerging industry, such returns will be far less as competition develops. Early evidence suggests, however, that the purity and quality of our oil is excellent. There is an increased demand for olive oil world wide and a growing awareness of its health giving qualities. The prospects of olive oil and other products made from the olive are very promising.
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http://www.treecrops.org.nz/knowl/archives/hollisj/olivejh.htm
Wednesday, 27 August 2003 - Updated: 2007 August 11