New Zealand Bay of Plenty grower Hugh Moore has received the industry’s most prestigious prize, the Bledisloe Cup, for his lifetime of commitment to New Zealand horticulture.

Horticulture New Zealand president Andrew Fenton presented Moore with the Bledisloe Cup at the industry’s annual conference awards dinner in Auckland this week.

Moore is the immediate past chairman of the New Zealand Avocado Growers Association (AGA), a role he held for six years. He has been on the AGA executive since 1997.

He has been involved with horticulture in New Zealand since starting work as a vegetable and kiwifruit machinery engineer in the 1960s.

In the 1970s, Moore and his wife Dorothy became growers themselves, growing kiwifruit, pears and avocados on their Katikati orchard. Morris Moore Farms now encompasses five orchards producing in excess of 150,000 trays of kiwifruit and 10,000 trays of avocados.

In the 1980s, the family business started packing avocado for export, and now KauriPak packs for more than 130 growers and is the largest private avocado packer in New Zealand.

Hugh developed an interest in industry politics in the late 1970s and has held numerous industry positions within the kiwifruit, top fruit and avocado sectors.

Fenton said: “The time and effort Hugh has put in to our industry needs to be acknowledged and rewarded.

“Hugh has made a commitment to building our industry which has seen him provide support, guidance and instruction to smaller growers. He has helped others build their businesses and he has helped the burgeoning avocado industry find its feet and build to the next level as a significant exporter.

“We are delighted to be able to recognise his contribution to the industry in this way.”

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