Taskforce Agrees That Zespri Monopoly Must Go

2025 Taskforce Agrees That Zespri Monopoly Must Go

Turners and Growers Chairman, Tony Gibbs today welcom ed the report of the 2025 Taskforce, which states that Zespri’s export monopoly must go. The Taskforce report released today recommends that: “Zespri’s monopoly on the export of kiwifruit to markets outside Australia should be removed.” The report goes on to say that: “this legacy of the old monopoly producer boards is anachronistic. The monopoly powers should be revoked.”

Gibbs says the authors of the report highlight the need for a principled approach and political leadership on the issue: “We are not persuaded by the test that the monopoly should only be removed when a majority of growers favour such a change. It is not clear what public policy interest would justify a Zespri monopoly that prevented, say, 35 percent of growers who wished to do so from selling their fruit abroad through other companies. The vines and the fruit are private property: in successful market economies governments need a compelling public interest case to constrain property rights in such a way.”

Tony Gibbs says the report underscores the fact that the future of the Kiwifruit industry is a future of competition and innovation and Zespri’s monopoly is not part of that future.

ENDS

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