NEW ZEALAND - Though our industry is often taken for granted, it is a sad truth that some see its value with nefarious intent in mind. We were sad to see that one family-owned New Zealand operation was the target of such attention, having discovered a sweeping theft of its blueberries early this month as the ag region still seeks to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

“The thieves would have needed several pickers and utes or a large van to transport it all,” the business, an orchard in the Bay Blueberries network, told the NZ Herald. “This has affected our family, employee families, customers, and markets. We think it’s unfair to target growers trying to recover their business after Cyclone Gabrielle and our team who are committed to growing beautiful fruit for our community.”

The target of the theft was a family-owned blueberry orchard in Hawke’s Bay, according to the report, which was “stripped” of all its crop, with thieves making off with hundreds of kilograms of berries.

A representative of Bay Blueberries told NZ Herald someone had “decided to pick our current ripe variety in the middle of the night between [January] 1 and 4. They stripped all our berries; ripe, nearly ripe, and unripe.”

Police are investigating the incident and working to identify any offenders, asking the public for those with any information to come forward.

Here is hoping there will be an update with the capture of the perpetrators soon!