Turners postpones Zespri court case

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Produce distributor Turners and Growers has sought a postponement of its continuing legal action against kiwifruit marketer Zespri.

It was scheduled to continue its campaign against the grower-controlled company with a five-week trial starting in the High Court at Auckland today. But Turners and Growers said late yesterday that the case had been postponed through unforseen circumstances.

Zespri plans to go ahead with a reception at Parliament today, staged by Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, designed to thank politicians and officials for their support since the industry was deregulated in 1999. Prime Minister John Key is expected to speak, and Zespri will outline its growth strategy through to 2025.

Turners and Growers has claimed that Zespri breached the Commerce Act by trying to preserve its monopoly after deregulation by tying producers into exclusive contracts, trying to control kiwifruit exports to Australia in 2008/09, and trying to take control of new kiwifruit cultivars.

Turners and Growers would not elaborate on why the trial had been delayed, but said a teleconference would be held today to set a new start date.

The company last year unsuccessfully challenged regulations underpinning Zespri's monopoly on NZ kiwifruit exports outside Australasia.

- NZPA