Scientist Dr David Steven, whose pioneering work brought about a dramatic reduction in the use of agrichemicals in the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, and ultimatetly horticulture world wide, has been awarded the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal.

David was presented with the award during Zespri's 20th anniversary celebrations at its Momentum Conference in Mount Maunganui on Friday night.

'My time working in the kiwifruit industry was so special and what I did was a small part of the total. I accept this on behalf of all those involved in developing KiwiGreen.

'KiwiGreen is and should be continually evolving and changing all the time to get better.”

Kiwifruit Industry Advisory Committee chairman and Zespri director Paul Jones says the medal, recognises the enormous impact of David's lifetime of service to the kiwifruit industry.

David developed the Integrated Pest Management programme, known as KiwiGreen, back in 1991 which fundamentally shifted how the kiwifruit industry manages diseases and pests, and changed the philosophy of agrichemical use forever, says Paul.

He adds: 'Twenty-six years later, KiwiGreen still defines the way we use agrichemicals and manage our orchards”.

'It also moved the industry towards using more environmentally-friendly agrichemicals to target specific pests and diseases, resulting in greater biodiversity in the orchard.

'Rigorous systems like this underpin the Zespri brand, which turns 20 tonight, with the promise of quality and safety in the market.

'David pioneered the idea of 'demonstrated need” 26 years ago through the KiwiGreen programme where orchardists would monitor their orchards and only use the agrichemicals they actually needed at that time and recording it, shifting from calendar spraying to a more low-impact philosophy.”

Pauls says while this is now mainstream practice, the move away from calendar spraying was radical at the time and met with considerable resistance.

'Reducing agrichemical use saved more than money: it lowered the risk of residues on fruit, reduced environmental impacts and underpinned market confidence in our fruit.”

KiwiGreen is now at the heart of the Zespri System, the systems and process which guarantee Zespri's consumers and customers premium quality, great tasting and healthy fruit.

'David has continued to lead and support Zespri and growers in this vital role for many years, retiring just last year. His was the familiar voice at the end of the KiwiGreen helpline, on hand to help growers solve problems on orchards around the country,” says Paul.

The Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal was presented by Takao Takeshige, President of Fresh Carriers at the event.

'We at Fresh Carriers are proud to have partnered with the NZ kiwifruit industry for the past 30 years, delivering ever-increasing volumes of premium Zespri Kiwifruit to Japan, Korea and China.

'There are many people who have devoted their lives to building the success of this industry around the world. Fresh Carriers is delighted and proud to sponsor the Hayward Medal which recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.”

Scientist David Steven has been awarded the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal for nearly 30 years' contribution to the kiwifruit industry. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.