Two-and-a-half hectares of building and 50 new jobs for the beleaguered Irongate industrial precinct south of Hastings will be in place for the 2018 pipfruit season.
Family-owned Sunfruit Orchards will no longer truck apples to Hamilton for packing and instead move operations to the development which will dominate the area.
"This new development, which incorporates 2.5 ha of buildings, will expand our ability to deliver our PickMee branded fruit direct to supermarkets and to meet the most stringent international compliance standards in both quality and food safety" managing director John Altham said.
A new facility was the best option and the Irongate industrial zone was close to both orchards and the Hawke's Bay Expressway to Napier Port, he said.
Irongate landowners have long disputed development charges needed to provide infrastructure, saying they should be able to self-service using soak-hole drains and independent water supplies from the underground aquifer.