Still ‘good’ quality but ripening delayed

Unseasonably chilly temperatures have been affecting horticulture farmers across Upper Clutha and local produce is suffering.

Red Bridge Berries owner Ben Trotter said delayed fruit ripening had made for a challenging season.

"We are more than 50% down in sales from December and the start of January.

"We haven’t been able to produce the same volume of strawberries as usual, but the quality of those ripe berries have been really good," he said.

Mr Trotter said strawberries ideally needed long warm days to grow.

"This season has been a wee bit bleak but there is sun on the horizon.

"It is part of horticulture, there’s not a lot we can do but we’ve never had a season like this," he said.

Having owned the berry farm since 2021, Mr Trotter said this year he felt more inclined to focus on local selling and pick-your-own berries rather than exporting to the wholesale markets.

"We’re not losing too much sleep over it, we’re just having a cold year," he said.

Meanwhile, in the Maungawera Valley, Alpine Blooms owner and flower farmer Vera Yakzhik said growth had been slow and almost non-existent.

"This season has been a cool one, let’s describe it that way. We have had lots of water compared to what is normal in Central Otago. And we’ve had lots of cooler days under 20°C, so everything is slow and taking its time to actually bloom."

She said the season had shifted and was a lot slower compared with the past five years she had farmed there.

"Spring is over but summer hasn’t begun.

"Zinnias are slowly coming up; I can cut three stems here and there."

Pre-paid wedding clients had kept the bills at bay, Ms Yakzhik said.

"Sales are pre-sales, and weddings are still happening and people are still buying, so I can’t say I am down [financially], but local sales from florists or my roadside stand, they are certainly down from last year."

Earth Sciences New Zealand meteorologist Chester Lampkin said despite Wānaka experiencing lower than average temperatures, "there is still plenty of time for change".

"Rainfall has been drier than normal.

"Here in summer we are in a weather pattern that generally has drier-than-usual patterns for the South Island.

"I do think that there will be a turn in the weather and it is going to get hotter," he said.

Mr Lampkin said there was still hope for warmer weather for the region.

"Looking back at the daily temperatures, it was a chilly end to the month [December], with 10 of the last 12 days experiencing below average temperatures."

Central Otago growers had also recently been behind in harvesting due to rain and wind in late spring and early summer, with more than one grower saying they were at least eight days behind in the season.