Field day: Katikati, 25 February 2026

NZ Avocado invites you to join us at the John and Mary Bowen’s Orchard. John and Mary have been staunch supporters of the industry and have put a huge amount of love, care and thought into their orchard on Prestige Rd, Katikati. They have been active instigators of grower groups to share and learn and we hope this field day will be an extension of those efforts. Last season the orchard achieved a yield of 31.7t/ha and is going into an off year providing some interesting pruning decisions. Updates will be provided on Mirid insect, fruit quality and productivity research with an emphasis on management to maximise financial returns. Wednesday, 25 February 2026 from 1.00pm – 3.00pm at 80 Prestidge Road, Katikati.

Other topics discussed on the orchard will include:

• The importance of maintaining pruning. What, when and how much.
• Current understanding of mirid impacts. What we know and don’t know.
• Soil moisture management – practical tips to optimise fruit size and nutrient utilization.
• Fruit quality – Best practice and updates on the research underway to maintain fruit quality into markets.

We hope to have a collective discussion about how growers are managing their orchards this spring to get the most out of the season ahead.

Register below for the Katikati field day: