Ben Hurley to MC kiwifruit’s 65th anniversary bash

Ben Hurley will be the MC at a celebration of the 65th anniversary of the renaming of the Chinese gooseberry as kiwifruit.

It was 65 years ago that the kiwifruit was born.

Brought to New Zealand in the early 20th century, before 1959 it was known as the Chinese gooseberry.

In the 1950s, New Zealand started exporting the fruit to the United States. But this was the time of the Cold War and the name was proving to be a marketing nightmare for Turners and Growers.

During a Turners and Growers management meeting in 1959, Jack Turner, who was part of the management team, suggested a name change to kiwifruit.

The name has been used ever since and next month, as the Kiwifruit Capital of the World, Te Puke will celebrate with a gala event.

Comedian Ben Hurley will act as MC for the evening.

He is no stranger to Te Puke audiences, having captained teams in the Epic Te Puke Comedy Debate in 2019 and 2021.

There will be a short play put on by Te Puke Repertory Theatre and a question and answer session with contestants from NZKGI’s Bay of Plenty Young Grower competition.

There will be an official handover of the official bell by outgoing town crier Michael Jones and the winner of the Lorna Treloar Te Puke Citizen of the Year announced.

Te Puke town crier Michael Jones will hand over the regalia and ceremonial bell on August 31.

There will be a continuous supper and a complimentary drink for each ticket holder.

The celebration takes place at Te Puke Memorial Hall on August 31.

Tickets are on sale at Te Puke Paper Plus and are $120 each or $1000 for a table of 10.