Introduction

Central Otago is the smallest and southernmost olive growing region in New Zealand. At 45° south it may well be the southernmost olive growing region in the world.

While several olive trees had been planted in private gardens in Central Otago as ornamentals, the first known attempt at a commercial planting was at Cornish Point in 1992. Dick Coker who owned an apricot orchard at the Point planted different varieties of olives to see which varieties would be suited to Central Otago conditions. Unfortunately this was about the time of the Pinatubo eruption and the following winter was particularly severe. For a week the minimum air temperatures ranged between –8° and –12°, which spelled the end of the olive trees.

Further plantings of a wide range of varieties took place from 1996 through 1999 by a number of different growers. Experience gained from these plantings provided valuable information on the most suitable varieties for the region and has guided subsequent plantings.

Climate

The Central Otago climate approximates a continental climate with hot dry summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures range up to 38° while winter temperatures may drop to –5° or lower under extreme conditions. Annual rainfall averages 390 mm.

While olives have been planted throughout Central Otago, experience has shown that the Cromwell basin has been the most favoured location. Even so, within the Cromwell basin, the mountainous terrain has created microclimates whereby some growers have suffered significant frost damage to ripening olives, while others have escaped unscathed.

Like our pinot noir growers, olive growing in Central Otago is very much on the edge. However one major plus of the winter climate is that pests and diseases cannot overwinter and the trees remain free of pests and diseases that are causing major problems in other parts of New Zealand. This means that the groves while not certified organic are low spray operations.

Olive Growing

The total planting of olives in Central Otago is approximately 19,000 trees. Most of the groves are small, less than 200 trees, while the largest grove has 3,500 trees. The most popular varieties are the Tuscan varieties Leccino/Minerva, Frantoio and Pendolino. These are the most cold-tolerant varieties available in New Zealand and have adapted well to the Central Otago climate.

The growing season in Central Otago is rather short with flowering typically occurring in the period from the first week in December through to the first week in January. Harvesting commences either in May or June and because of the risk of frost damage the fruit is typically picked relatively unripe with the resulting oils being similar in style to Tuscan oils.

The olives are largely harvested with hand held rakes onto nets laid on the ground, but a small number of hand operated mechanical harvesters have been used with varying degrees of success.

In 2006 approximately 15 tonnes of olives were harvested and processed into oil. This figure is expected to increase rapidly as the trees mature and newer groves come into production.

The first commercial olive press, an Oliomio 50, was commissioned in 2001 and has provided and still provides contract-pressing services to other growers. Since that time other presses, both larger and smaller have been commissioned. The most recent being an Oliomio 150, which was in use for the first time during the 2007 season.

Much of the oil produced in Central Otago is sold locally through speciality food stores, cellar doors at local vineyards, tourist attractions and at restaurants.

Single varietal oils from one Central Otago grower have consistently won awards, proving that the region is capable of producing high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Having largely overcome the challenges posed by the climate in growing olives, growers will now face the challenge of selling the increasing volumes of oil produced by their maturing trees. The small size of many of the groves will make this even more challenging and may require amalgamation of olives and/or collaborative marketing and promotion.

Growers' Organisation

A local grower’s organisation, Central Otago Olive Growers, was formally created in 1999 and currently has 54 members.  Membership is open to anyone with an interest in olives and olive oil.  Technical matters are dealt with at two field days each year, and social matters are taken care of with a harvest dinner in July and a long Italian lunch in December.

A branch of Olives New Zealand is run in conjunction with Central Otago Olive Growers.