Zespri says it has won in latest court case

NZPA

Monday 15th August 2011 1 Comment

Kiwifruit marketer Zespri Group said five claims by Turner & Growers, the company challenging its export monopoly, have been rejected by the High Court.

Turners & Growers is challenging Zespri's export monopoly for kiwifruit and appealing an earlier High Court decision against it.

Zespri said five claims by Turners & Growers under the Commerce Act were rejected in the latest ruling relating to a hearing in May.

The High Court earlier rejected Turners & Grower's attempt to have the Kiwifruit Industry Regulations declared illegal.

Zespri has again called on Turners & Growers to work constructively within the industry legislation to achieve its commercial objectives, arguing that its campaign had been an expensive distraction for the industry.

Turners & Growers argued Zespri was a private company with a statutory monopoly and that it was a large scale producer that should be allowed to market kiwifruit, including new varieties it had developed.

Turners & Growers is majority owned by Sir Ron Brierley's investment company Guinness Peat Group, which is being broken up. Its new chairman is Rob Campbell.

Comments from our readers

On 17 August 2011 at 12:58 pm Rod said:

How can NZ possibly engage into legitimate free trade agreements with China or any other country when NZ have the last remaining Govt backed single desk selling producer Board Zespri. Mr Grosser speaks one language out the left side and another out the right side. It is only a matter of time before NZ get hauled across the coals by the WTO or worse `boycotted' by other potential foreign export markets. Mr Key and Mr Grosser are doing NZ businesses an injustice by not allowing Turners and Growers the right ` THE RIGHT' to freely export their private property new variety Kiwifruit to other export mkts around the globe. In my view the NZ justice system is seriously flawed for throwing Turners and Growers court case out and so are some ministers. Regulated laws supporting regulated single desk export marketing systems to foreign shores have potentially damaging and disastrous consequences for NZ trade. If NZ wants free trade the Govt must practice what we preaches and the justice system should honor the commerce act, which, is supposed to support competition.