Kiwifruit naming 65th anniversary celebrated in Te Puke

We (Vector Group Charitable Trust/Troppo) are proud to support and collaborate with our community and other organisations like Epic Te Puke. A great night, we provided video and photo coverage of the event.

Photos here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MkNG-7PRdBTCjv3BTA8Sd3L7-AqCr1i8?usp=sharing 
Video below or on our channel https://www.youtube.com/@gotroppo 

The Te Puke community, industry leaders, and local residents came together over the weekend to celebrate the legacy of kiwifruit. The event, organized by EPIC Te Puke, marked the 65th anniversary of renaming the Chinese gooseberry to kiwifruit.

Special guests included descendants of industry pioneers like Jack Turner, who proposed the name change, and Jim MacLoughlin, a trailblazer in kiwifruit growing and exporting.

Highlights of the day included a re-enactment of the renaming story by the Te Puke Repertory Society, a Q&A with four competitors from the 2024 Bay of Plenty Fruitgrower of the Year competition, moderated by MC Ben Hurley, and speeches by Zespri’s grower and industry relations manager Malkit Singh, as well as Rotorua MP and Minister of Agriculture and Trade Todd McClay.

Sue Matthews from the Western Bay Heritage Trust also shared plans for a Heritage Hub in Te Puke, which will feature a permanent display dedicated to the history of kiwifruit.

Te Puke’s new town crier was introduced, and the recipient of the Lorna Treloar Memorial Citizen of the Year award was announced during the event.

EPIC Te Puke’s marketing manager, Rebecca Larsen, expressed how special it was to have Jack Turner’s family in attendance. “They even shared an old typewritten account from Jack himself about the renaming of kiwifruit,” she said.

Although the day was a celebration of kiwifruit, Rebecca noted that it was truly a celebration for the whole town. “There was so much collaboration and involvement from different groups. It was fantastic to combine the Citizen of the Year award with the Te Puke Repertory Society’s participation and to introduce the new town crier at the same time.”

Rebecca added, “It was heartwarming to see some of the pioneering families join us, making the effort to attend, and the strong support from the industry was incredible.”