According to New Zealand press reports, Hawke's Bay has experienced its worst spring weather for more than 20 years with some analysts comparing it to the spring of 1957 when frost wiped out Hawke's Bay horticulture crops almost completely.
Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule told journalists that kiwifruit and stone-fruit crops were badly damaged and grapes and Braeburn apples in particular were hard hit.
Damage to kiwifruit and top fruit is yet to be assessed with trees at the crucial budding stage. But stone fruit lines were already well developed before frosts and hail began to strike earlier this month and some growers believe that about 70 per cent of apricot, nectarine, peach and plum crops have been lost.
The knock-on effect will also be significant with fewer seasonal harvesting and packing jobs as well as smaller volumes for transport and possibly export too.
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