Taking the straightforward approach of doing it right the first time has seen businessman and grower, Tony Gibbs, succeed in many roles.Tony’s latest venture, Avocado Heaven, in Tapora, west of Wellsford on the  Kaipara Harbour, is another example of his pragmatism. The property is already one of New Zealand’s largest avocado orchards and, when completed this year, it will have approximately 45,000 trees. His ambition and investment are driving catalysts, but Tony is the first to point out it has taken a large, dedicated team and theright technical expertise from  consultants and suppliers.



Craig Lamb, now Area Sales Manager for Fruitfed Supplies Helensville, has known or worked with Tony since the ‘90s when Tony developed the 65 ha Ezypeel mandarin satsuma orchard in  Matakana. The family still owns the orchard and live there, and Craig still provides technical advice and input. The tranquil Tapora farming region, once settled by soldiers returning from war, has seen  considerable development of avocado blocks over the past few years with Tony’s first 70 ha development of avocados started in 2014. He selected Zutano rootstock and scion-grafted Hass for the  fruiting trees, the first harvest targeted for late June. 

Stage two of Avocado Heaven, being planted now, comprises a further 130 ha of land with avocados to be complemented by a block of satsuma  trees.A key consideration when planting the Tapora block in avocados was the soil structure. Harbourside sandy soils are great for drainage, but don’t hold nutrients well and tend to be acidic while avocados prefer a neutral pH. The wetter areas also offer challenges for avocados which require well-drained soils to help prevent Phytophthora root rot.



Craig says: “To combat these challenges, Tony uses gypsum which improves soil structure of both the sandy soils and the wetter areas. It adds calcium which is needed to flocculate clays in acid or alkaline soil, thus promoting neutral pH. Gypsum also helps improve sodic soils which have a disproportionately high concentration of sodium in their cation exchange complex. The calcium in  gypsumreplaces the sodium in clay-binding sites which can then be leached from the soil as sodium sulphate. “Good drainage has been facilitated with  cultural practices, such as planting on mounds, as well as the amendment of gypsum to prevent waterlogging and decrease the likelihood of soil-borne Tony Gibbs of Avocado Heaven diseases and root rot.”



Swept by the Kaipara’s renowned westerly winds, the property has benefited from the establishment of large Barna grass plantings and pine hedging – a practice seen as more sustainable than textile windbreaks. Craig adds: “When speaking with Tony and his consultant Lindsay Heard about Avocado Heaven, it was clear that gypsum, with all its natural benefits, wasn’t really something they  discussed much – its use was a forgone conclusion, just as important as the sun and rain for growing great avocados.”