KELSTON ORCHARDS
MAF RODA AGROBOTIC CASE STUDY - Kelston Orchards (November 2025)
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Background – Partnering for Success MAF RODA NZ’s robotics and automation of post-harvest processing of fruit and vegetable packhouses is helping industry leaders in New Zealand’s horticulture sector to build their businesses, the national economy, and global food security:
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➢The New Zealand coalition government has a goal of doubling exports by 2034 to improve the economy – the food & fiber sector accounts for 80+% of NZ exports (New Zealand is self-sufficient in fruit & vegetable, meat, dairy, fish and seafood)
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➢Horticulture is of increasing importance to the national economy – for the year to 30 June 2025, horticulture’s export revenue was projected to hit a record $8.5B and to approach $10B by 2029. This has been driven by kiwifruit and apple exports
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➢The Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan, which aims to double farmgate value by 2035, emphasizes collaboration, science and knowledge
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➢The post-harvest period is pivotal to growing New Zealand's horticulture sector – efficiently and attractively presenting fruit to the global marketplace through technology and skills
➢Industry leader Kelston Orchards in Hawkes Bay has operated for 40+ years as a family owned and managed business, specialising in the growing, packing and selling of fresh apples for New Zealand and international markets
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.➢MAF RODA AGROBOTIC, a Kelston Orchards supplier, provides innovative end to end solutions for automation, grading, sorting, and packing in the fresh fruit & vegetables industry.
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Challenge – Upgrading to Enable Growth amidst Change
In 2020, Kelston Orchards’ packing operation was working 60 to 70 hours a week. Global demand for New Zealand applies was rising and Kelston Orchards had the opportunity to grow, but its equipment was ageing. Owner Tony Harington decided it was time to upgrade with top equipment and technology to enable much faster packing.
The strategy was to ensure that infrastructure kept pace with the rate of growth of the business. In a major upgrade, the Harington family rebuilt their packhouse facility, putting in a turnkey MAF Roda system. At the same time, they built a big new cool store.
Over 50% of the apples processed by Kelston Orchards are their own fruit. The focus of the new state-of-the-art equipment developed by MAF Roda in France was to maximise value and pack multiple grades out of a bin. The 2,500 square meter packhouse facility included a multi-lane feeding and optical grading system able to handle up to 60 bins per hour.
“We installed a six-lane pre-sort system feeding onto a four-lane commit-to-pack line, complete with all the conveyors and equipment for handling the boxes. With our old and new sizers, we have got the versatility to do what we want,” says Tony Harington.
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Results – Innovation, Custom Solutions, Continuous Care
The upgrade with MAF Roda’s multi-lane feeding and optical grading system had a major impact on Kelston Orchards’ productivity. It delivered the capability to more efficiently grade and pack fruit and provide a high level of service to partner orchards.
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“It meant we are packing almost half as much again in two thirds the time,” says Tony. Kelston Orchards presently has about 60 people in the packhouse and can put out as many as 10 000 cartons a day. When not packing apples for export, the packhouse is used to support local summer fruit growers.
“I wasn't looking for a start to finish turnkey fruit packing operation, and they put one in front of me at a price that made it work. What MAF offered was what we wanted, well-designed and it was excellent.”
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MAF NZ succeeded over competitors in winning Kelston Orchard business through flexibility to tailor to specific needs, not just core factors like efficiency and reliablity.
“I like dealing with the MAF guys,” says Tony. “They put a proposal in front of me that I quite liked and were very open to changing it to suit what we wanted. Most come in and say, ‘this is what you need.’ They listened – as opposed to telling us what they thought we should have.”
The business relationship with MAF NZ is built on trust, goodwill and consistent after-sales care and service. “They’ve come down every year, not charging us, and made sure everything is running properly – beyond what they needed to do.”
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Future – Technological Innovation, New Skills, Strong Brands
The picture ahead for New Zealand’s vital horticulture industry and lead players like Kelston Orchards is one of opportunity but the usual risks and challenges are ongoing.
Two years after its major expansion, Kelston Orchards like others had to weather Cyclone Gabrielle. It took half the crop that year, but luckily Kelston lost only a few trees.
Weather is the primary challenge. “One hailstorm and it’s all over for the year,” underscores Tony Harington. Secondary challenges for Kelston include currency, shipping prices and at times Northern Hemisphere and South African competition. After four tough years, the business is improving, and today, the horticulture sector is on a growth track.
Technology is at the heart of competitiveness moving forward. The MAF RODA Group devotes an average of 3% of its annual turnover to technological innovation.
Kelston Orchards recognises that post-harvest is starting to manage a lot more of the industry. “My parents had a pack house out of which we packed 15 to 20,000 cartons a year,” says Tony. “We've just finished a season where we packed 635,000.”
Tony sees innovation as the gamechanger for the industry, acknowledging that the future is about cheaper efficient robots and new workforce skills for automation.4 He highlights that, “Robotic packer technology (in particular, cameras and processing power) is advancing towards doing a comprehensive analysis and getting the phyto-sanitary status of the fruit guaranteed so it has no bugs going to market.”
Kelston Orchards works hard on sustainability and has managed to halve its landfill waste over 12 months. The business recognises the importance of the clean green New Zealand brand. “There is always going to be a future for clean fruit. New Zealand has a great reputation, and our competitiveness depends on our brand – the biggest problem is distance from market.”
Robotics and automation are transforming horticultural industries around the world. As horticulture fuels the future of New Zealand’s land-based economy, MAF NZ considers it a privilege to support horticulture industry leaders like Kelston Orchards through tailored automation, custom solutions and responsive service.