Kiwifruit industry in New Zealand and Growers, who were calling the berries "melonettes", because the local name for the fruit, "Chinese gooseberry", had political connotations due to the Cold War, and to further distinguish it from real gooseberries, which are prone to a fungus called anthracnose. An American importer, Norman Sondag of San Francisco, complained that "melonettes" was as bad as "Chinese gooseberry" because melons and berries were both subject to high import tariffs, and instead asked for a short Maori name that quickly connoted New Zealand. In June 1959, during a meeting of Turners and Growers management in Auckland, Jack Turner suggested the name
China–New Zealand relations China–New Zealand relations The China - New Zealand relations, is the international relationship between the People's Republic of China and New Zealand. The establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sovereign states was announced in December, 1972. Improvements in relations between China and New Zealand led to New Zealand becoming the first developed country to sign a Free Trade Agreement with China. However, interaction between the countries started in the mid-nineteenth century when Chinese people, predominantly from the Guangdong province emigrated to New Zealand during the gold rush. During the early days of the Colony of New Zealand many of