King’s Birthday Honours 2026: Kiwifruit pioneer Russell Lowe honoured for services to horticulture
Russell Lowe has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Two-thirds of New Zealand’s kiwifruit comes from varieties developed by Te Puke scientist Russell Lowe – now an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Lowe has been named in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours for services to horticulture and the kiwifruit industry.
He pioneered title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/creator-of-gold-kiwifruit-russell-lowe-clocks-up-50-years-at-plant-and-food-research/TWYGDEOEVJML7EJRBXZ6VO3SZE/">significant innovations in the kiwifruit industry during his 51 years working with the Department of Scientific Industrial Research and Crown Research Institutes, and he was instrumental in the development of Zespri Gold, Zespri SunGold and Zespri RubyRed.
Lowe said being recognised on the King’s Birthday Honours list was “rewarding and humbling”.
He said the honour was also a congratulations to the whole team.
“You can’t do it all on your own. You need a team of people to raise the seedlings, grow the plants in the orchard, and help with the assessment of the fruit.”
Lowe, who was born in Blenheim, studied for a Bachelor of Science at the University of Canterbury and worked on a mixed-fruit orchard in the Horotane Valley in Christchurch.
He graduated in 1969 and worked at an apple research station in Nelson until 1972, when he was approached about moving to Te Puke to start a new research department working on citrus and subtropical crops.
Lowe and his wife, Veronica, moved to Te Puke shortly after, and the rest is history.
He moved from officer in charge into a breeding scientist role in 1984, where he remained until he stepped back to become an honorary fellow at Plant and Food Research in 2020. Lowe officially retired last year.
Lowe was integral to the selection of the Hort16A vine and its polleniser cultivars, which became the Zespri Gold kiwifruit, making $3 billion in export earnings.
Lowe spoke about how Psa decimated the crops in 2010.
He remembered how rapidly the disease spread across the district.
“The impact on our plantings and the research station was immediate. Virtually all our susceptible seedlings were lost.”
However, some resistant material survived and helped support growers’ transition from the Psa-affected vines to the new gold variant.
“We had to keep focused,” Lowe said.
“At the time, a huge new job for us was working on ways to combat the disease.”
Lowe said he thought the kiwifruit industry came back stronger.
“Prices for gold fruit were better than for green. There was higher production per hectare and better income.
“So once growers had got through the shock of losing their plants and regrafting them, and having no income for several seasons, once their plants were established, they were getting quite a good income.”
Lowe led the development of Zespri SunGold and Zespri RubyRed.
He was also involved in the selection of the Kaimai and Bounty 71 rootstocks, enabling SunGold to grow in a wider range of places. SunGold now accounts for 60% of all New Zealand kiwifruit orchards.
Lowe said breeding was a “continuous” and “innovative” process.
“There’s always something we’re looking forward to.”
When the Bay of Plenty Times asked him about spending half a century in horticulture, Lowe said the people kept him going.
“That’s why we continue doing our job.”
Lowe said the success of Zespri SunGold was a highlight of his career.
One of the challenges facing future kiwifruit breeders was climate change. Warmer winters would affect flowering, creating pressure to develop a new material tolerant to mild winters.
However, Lowe said, a challenge was also an opportunity to evolve.
Another future step he saw for New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry was developing cultivars tailored to specific regions.
Now in his retirement, Lowe starts every day completing the code cracker in the Bay of Plenty Times.
He also gardens, attends the Tauranga Organ and Keyboard Society, plays the organ for his local Methodist church, and writes newsletters for various Te Puke clubs.
Lowe has no orchard of his own, only a home garden, in which he grows roses and camellias as a hobby.
He belongs to the Bay of Plenty Rose Society.
Lowe has citrus trees, an apple tree, and “feijoas, of course”.
His wife Veronica died in 2012, but their three children are joining Lowe for King’s Birthday weekend. The family planned to go out to dinner to celebrate Lowe’s honour.
Lowe said he would “break the news”, as he had been sworn to secrecy.
“They’ll be quite pleased that I’ve finally achieved this award, even though I’ve had others. This will be the ultimate one.”
Although Lowe has been living in Te Puke for 54 years, he still calls himself a “mainlander” from his time in Canterbury.
Lowe is a Crusaders fan at heart – he said he would back Canterbury’s Super Rugby team whenever they faced Waikato’s Chiefs.
Russell Lowe’s awards
New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry Hayward Medal, 2012
Plant and Food Chairman’s Award, 2015
New Zealand Kiwifruit Innovation Award, 2020
Science New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award, 2020
Associate of Honour of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, 2021
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.