ENZA and Wakatu Corporation in NZ's Largest ENVY Partnership.

ENZA and Wakatu Incorporation in New Zealand's Nelson District sealed a joint venture partnership that creates New Zealand's largest planting of the exciting ENVY™ apple. The best apple to reach the international markets since JAZZ™.

November 15th 2010 saw the leadership of ENZA, Turners and Growers, international market partners and Wakatu Corporation gather at the new Wawata ENVY™ plantation, New Zealand's largest ENVY™ apple orchard. Hopes are high for EnvyTM, ENZA's rich red, very sweet, delicately crisp apple which naturally remains white when cut.

The occasion involved the blessing of the Wawata orchards by one of the orchard komatua (senior Maori elder), Tom Matthews. Mr. Matthew's blessed the orchard and planted a sacred mauri (selected stone) under an ENVY tree as part of the long future prosperity of the orchard.

Wakatu Incorpration Chairman, Paul Morgan, gave the group a brief history of the tribes of the region, the many lineages tied to the orchard and the process that has led to this partnership. He was introduced by Marty King, GM of Nai Tahi. Tony Gibbs responded on behalf of the Turners and Growers/ENZA group and emphasised the benefits of the project and the opportunities for the future.

Brian D'Ath, Manager of the ENZA Global Variety Development Programme sees the joint venture partnership as mutually beneficial for the two organisations. "ENZA is very proud to be partnering Wakatu Inc in the "Wawata" JV, growing ENVY™, an ENZA exclusive variety which has created incredible excitement in the market place. The JV, with Wakatu Incorporation's land resources and horticultural capability, coupled with ENZA's marketing and logistics expertise make this JV a perfect match."

Wakatu Incorporation is a major landholder in the Nelson area. Keith Palmer, CEO Wakatu Incorporation, is very pleased with the planting progress. "This project is a joint venture with ENZA. We see partnering their Asian, US and European sales strengths with our land and growing ability to be a win-win activity". The two organisations have invested $6million into the project. The trees cover 40 hectares in Motueka, land that was previously subject to a perpetual lease. The orchard is expected to produce around $5million in sales at full production in 2015.

"We are continually looking for ways to increase the yield for our land for our owners' benefit. Envy apples provide an excellent avenue to achieve this. Envy is a high yielding crop and will provide premium returns in international markets". He continues "With the pip fruit industry returns lower, we felt it important to move in a new direction with some of our lands."

The new orchards will be producing commercial volumes of ENVY in 2015.