Rangatira Annual Report 2023 - Flipbook - Page 22
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R anga tira Annua l Rep or t 2 0 2 3
Southern Cross Horticulture
Introducing
New Zealand, which has a strong global demand for its high-
Andrew Dunstan, Executive Director of
quality produce.
Southern Cross Horticulture
SCH typically converts dairy farms into productive kiwifruit
orchards and currently manages 33 such orchards across the
country, with approximately 550 hectares of kiwifruit under
management. The Dunstan family and SCH are highly regarded
in the kiwifruit sector and invest their capital alongside external
investors in each development.
Rangatira has an ownership interest in two orchards managed
by SCH. In 2019, Rangatira invested in the 28 hectare Oaklands
development near Waiuku, southwest of Auckland. Oaklands
was planted with SunGold in 2020 and has since produced two
crops. The following year, Rangatira invested in an additional
SunGold orchard development, Eastern Rise, an 88 hectare
orchard near Whakatāne. Planted in 2021 and 2022, Eastern
Rise produced its first crop this year.
Andrew Dunstan, Southern Cross Horticulture
Both partnerships produce the Zespri SunGold variety and have
purchased shares in Zespri, the grower-owned marketer and
Andrew was Chief Executive of Southern Cross Horticulture
exporter of New Zealand kiwifruit that develops and owns the
(SCH) from late 2016 until April 2023, when he became an
intellectual property of kiwifruit varieties.
Executive Director of the family-owned business.
Rangatira has a 29 per cent ownership interest in Oaklands
SCH, a family-owned business, was founded by Andrew’s father
and 15 per cent in Eastern Rise. In both these orchard
Chris Dunstan, who discovered the potential of kiwifruit over 40
developments, Rangatira has invested alongside SCH.
years ago. Today, Andrew, his brother and his father each own a
third of the business. The Dunstan family’s passion for kiwifruit
and continuous improvement has helped make SCH become
one of this country’s most successful orchard developers and
producers.
SCH provides an end-to-end offering in orchard development.
For kiwifruit growers and landowners, the company offers a
comprehensive suite of services covering all aspects of orchard
development, from site selection and preparation to planting
and management; all the way to harvest and export.
Andrew’s career path has experienced challenges and
achievements. After graduating from Massey University with a
first-class honours degree, majoring in Economics and Finance,
Andrew planned to further his studies overseas.
However, that didn’t eventuate because he got a call to come
home and help the family business, which was grappling with
PSA. PSA is a virulent bacterial disease that in 2010 began
infecting hundreds of New Zealand kiwifruit orchards and
threatening a sizeable export industry. Those were exceptionally
tough times, but working together, the family overcame
In addition to their orchard development services, SCH offers
adversity and began converting dairy farms to a new variety of
investment opportunities for those interested in owning part
kiwifruit known as Gold3, which is not only resistant to PSA, but
of a syndicated orchard alongside the company. This allows
was an exceptional fruit. Gold3 is now marketed by Zespri as the
investors to participate in the profitable kiwifruit industry in
SunGold variety.