Birdhurst Orchards

WHO WE ARE

Years of growing excellence

Birdhurst Orchards is a multi-generation orchard and packing business located in Motueka, New Zealand. The Wilkins family has lived and farmed land here for three generations. It was the brothers Kerry and Farran Wilkins who established Birdhurst, managing the transition from 15 acres of tobacco and 48 head of cattle, to a thriving apple and kiwifruit orchard business.

Carrying on the family traditions, Kerry’s sons Heath and Rhys have taken the reigns and built on the generations of experience, tireless work ethic and the entrepreneurial mindset and have grown Birdhurst to be the largest privately owned orchard in the Nelson/Tasman region. Their passion for the industry, engagement with the community and the skill and commitment of our staff, ensures that Birdhurst and Golden Bay Fruit are globally recognised brands and sort after employers.

WHAT WE DO

Growing is in our blood

Having lived and farmed the land for three generations it is easy to understand that growing has always been in our blood. We grow a large selection of premium apples and gold kiwifruit and continuously engaged to grow new varieties of fruit to excite you for the years to come. Lead by experienced and passionate people, Birdhurst has grown to own and operate 300 hectares of intensive dwarf apple orchards (averaging 3,000 trees per hectare) and 53 hectares of Zespri Gold kiwifruit orchards.

Our Story - What we do - Agricultural Science - Birdhurst Orchards

Agricultural Science

Our Story - What we do - Quality Growing Processes - Birdhurst Orchards

Quality Growing Practices

Our Story - What we do - Excellence in Fruit - Birdhurst Orchards

Excellence in Fruit

S.T.R.I.D.E

Our six core values

As the business grows, both Heath and Rhys are committed to continuing family traditions and upholding the balanced family values to create a sustainable business for future generations and the wider community. We have built a strong and successful workplace culture where our actions, behaviours and decisions always reflect these six core values.

S - Sustainable

We care for the land, people and economy.

Working together, communication, sharing the load and understanding.

Empathy, caring for others, understanding and acknowledgement

We do what we say we are going to do. We are open , honest, transparent, fair and sincere and we treat everyone as equals.

We welcome fresh thinking and new ideas – supporting and empowering people. We welcome and value all.

We are committed to on going improvement using our values to achieve excellence. We’re stuck on being the best version of ourselves.

Our People

Experts in our field

The Birdhurst team is led by a group of experienced and passionate people who together form an industry leading business that is ready to challenge the status quo. We are constantly striving towards excellence on all levels; from production & technology to providing some of the best employment opportunities in our region.

Heath Wilkins

Director

Rhys Wilkins

Director

Richard Clarkson

General Manager
Pipfruit

Kuljit Soni

General Manager Kiwifruit

WHAT We care about

Sustainability

We are committed 100% to a sustainable future. All of our orchards are GLOBAL G.A.P. certified. This sustainability certification demands, among other things, greater efficiency in production. It improves business performance and reduces waste of vital resources. It also requires a general approach to farming that builds in best practices for generations to come.

We value our local community and are active participants in regional events & projects.