Zespri's kiwifruit exports are maintaining steady progress despite ongoing Middle East conflicts and rising freight costs, according to chief executive Jason Te Brake. The Bay of Plenty-based marketer has successfully completed its RubyRed harvest with five million trays and is making good headway with the broader 2026/27 season harvest of around 220 million trays.

Despite what Te Brake describes as a "dynamic geopolitical environment" with heightened uncertainty from Middle East tensions, fruit shipments are moving consistently into international markets. European-bound kiwifruit is being routed via the Panama Canal, and Zespri continues collaborating with established shipping partners to monitor and manage the expected impact of elevated freight costs on the export operation.