Kiwifruit industry in New Zealand Kiwifruit industry in New Zealand Kiwifruit or kiwi is a major horticultural export earner for New Zealand. New Zealand developed the first commercially viable kiwifruit and developed export markets, creating the demand for the fruit that exists today. Today New Zealand is the third largest kiwifruit producing country, next to China and Italy, and holds approximately 30% of the market share. In the 2008-2009 season the value of New Zealand kiwifruit exports was NZ$1.45 billion. Cultivation of the fuzzy kiwifruit spread from China in the early 20th century, when seeds were introduced to New Zealand by Mary Isabel Fraser, the
Great spotted kiwi Apteryx, is endemic to New Zealand, 44% of the bird species native to New Zealand are endemic. Kiwis are placed in the ratite family, which also includes the emu, ostrich, rhea, and cassowary. All ratites are flightless. While it was long presumed that Kiwi were closely related to the extinct moa bird that once inhabited New Zealand, recent DNA research identified the extinct elephant bird of Madagascar as the Kiwi's closest relative. Additionally, the kiwi is more closely related to the emu and the cassowaries than to the moa. Before the great spotted kiwi was known to science, several stories