The impact of Cyclone Cook and former Cyclone Debbie could be felt for "years to come" by the Bay of Plenty's leading horticulture industries.
Avocado and kiwifruit growers are cleaning up after bearing the brunt of the two extreme weather events which tore trees from the ground and flooded orchards throughout the Bay this month.
NZ Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular said the industry had experienced its biggest ever season for both volume and value with 7 million trays of avocados grown, harvested, packed, marketed and exported. However Cyclone Cook, as well as the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie, had impacted New Zealand avocado growers "significantly".
"Growers have reported fallen trees and broken branches as a result of the strong winds experienced from Cyclone Cook. Throughout the Bay of Plenty there are reports from avocado growers of isolated incidences of uprooted trees, trees with broken branches, significant amounts of fallen fruit and flooding," she said.
"The extent of the damage varies across the region, but has been made worse due to the significant amount of rain that had fallen in the three weeks prior to Cyclone Cook hitting."