Mushroom production right on Auckland's doorstep

The farm is well-positioned for easy access to the Auckland markets and could soon be the largest mushroom grower in the upper half of NZ. Photo / Supplied

Owners of the operational base of Cresta Mushrooms at 55 Morrison Rd, Pukekawa, near Mercer in the Franklin District, have decided to plan for retirement and put their substantial landholding of more than 13ha on the market.

Roger Wilson of Bayleys Manukau and Karl Davis of Bayleys Waikato are offering the property for sale by tender closing April 29.

Wilson says the sale of a significant infrastructure in one of the key agricultural supply precincts for Auckland, opens up an excellent opportunity for a variety of astute operators.

The property is around 6km from the Auckland-Hamilton motorway access.

"For the past 10 years, the site has served as the streamlined production and distribution hub for the high-volume mushroom growing business," Wilson says. "While the infrastructure that is in place is fully geared-up for this purpose, it would also easily transfer to another crop requiring a highly-controlled environment.

"A new owner could either continue with the existing usage or utilise the fully-equipped and climate-controlled growing rooms for another crop such as white asparagus or witloof, for example, which need minimal light."

Wilson says the operation could also be converted to hydroponics and a new owner with vision and a sense of entrepreneurial spirit would readily see the potential in the site.

"With Auckland City - the country's largest food consumer base - easily accessible from the property, plus ease of access on to the main highway south, this is an ideal proposition for someone serious about food production on any number of levels."

The buildings have a net lettable floor area of more than 5000sq m and include a high stud warehouse, large engineering workshop, administration office, cool room/packing area and quality staff amenity areas.

Fourteen contiguous climate-controlled growing rooms, each of 165sq m, are serviced by a full-length corridor and are connected to the high-stud storage building which has a 10-tonne gantry crane running its full length. This central corridor also services the engineering workshop and packing areas allowing for all-weather protected operations.

External equipment, which travels on rails, services the growing rooms and warehouse areas from the rear.

"With such a large site, there is ample room to expand the existing buildings and to essentially double the footprint of what is currently there. A mirror-image extension could see a further 14 growing rooms along with another enclosed composting room and the current workshop would become a packing room," says Wilson. "Someone keen to pick up the reins of the mushroom-growing operation and take it up a notch could be well-poised to get a good foothold in the market. We understand the Morrinsville operation of New Zealand Mushroom Ltd is set to close down this year and will be relocating to Christchurch where the company is headquartered.

"That would make this Franklin District-based operation the largest mushroom grower in the upper half of New Zealand.

"Geographically, that is a huge advantage and with New Zealand's largest catchment market within easy reach, the sale of the 55 Morrison Rd property at Pukekawa is an opportunity waiting to happen."

In addition to the intensive under-cover cropping facility, there is also 4.4 ha of canopied green kiwifruit orchard which is fully-irrigated and 2.2 ha planted in lemons - both Meyer and Villa Franca varieties.

The lemon block is also fully-irrigated using recycled waste water from the two-pond containment system from the mushroom operation.

"These orchard blocks are currently on short-term lease to outside parties and a new owner would take over these leases," Wilson says.

Neighbouring land in the Morrison Rd area is of an undulating or easy contour with much of it used for horticultural purposes and market gardening.

"Soils for this property are described as well-drained with good availability of groundwater with average rainfall of 1500mm per annum fairly evenly spread throughout the year," Wilson says.

"Properties like this seldom come to the open market in this area as market gardening and other food production operations in this sought-after region are tightly-held and often kept within families.

"It is only the owners' pending retirement from the industry that has opened the way for new blood to enter the area and provide a real opportunity for an owner-operator."