A juicy history of the fruit industry's evolution and politics
Chris Smellie spent 50 years in the orcharding and horticulture business - but never thought to write a book about it until development came to his door. He grew apples in Huapai in north-west Auckland for twenty-four years, as well producing roses from a high-tech glasshouse and running a small vineyard. But in the 2000s he watched as row after row of trees were removed from orchards to make way for more houses. The industry migrated to different parts of the country - fruit producing areas we now know around Nelson, Hawke's Bay and Otago. It's prompted him to write a history of orcharding called Where Have All the Apples Gone? beautifully packed with lots of photos and ads from different decades - it's a juicy expose of the fruit industry's evolution and politics.
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