Massey’s orchard feeding Manawatū community

A seven-hectare orchard on Massey’s Manawatū campus is an integral outdoor classroom for Bachelor of Horticultural Science students. A small portion of the orchard is focused on growing apples, pears and kiwifruit.

“Massey University’s relatively small orchard is focused on providing teaching and research opportunities for under and post-graduate students,” Head of the School of Agriculture and Environment Professor Paul Kenyon says.

“For a number of years when excess fruit has been available, we have offered community groups the chance to come and pick the fruit for themselves. Covid-19 has disrupted that relationship due to health and safety requirements.” 

This year, to prevent the fruit from going to waste, Massey staff and post-graduate students took up the task of harvesting the fruit in their own time, picking the apples and pears over the span of a few weeks in Autumn as the different varieties ripened, with the kiwifruit being picked last week.

The fruit was given to Palmerston North food rescue charity Just Zilch to distribute through their free store

“It is a credit to orchard manager Mark Osborne and his fellow staff and postgraduate students for stepping up to ensure the fruit wasn’t wasted. We are thrilled that the fruits of our orchard have been able to once again feed the local community while also providing a valuable learning opportunity for our students.”