- New Zealand is investing in a hyperspectral imaging project.
- The technology aims to help reduce waste and improve fruit condition
- Project will be led by agtech firm Hectare.
The funding, announced by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, forms part of a NZ$4.6m (US$2.72m), three-year programme aimed at giving the country’s apple industry more detailed information about fruit quality before storage and export decisions are made.
“The project will develop hyperspectral imaging technology – light-based scanning that sees inside fruit without cutting into it – to understand what is going on under the skin of an apple, as it enters the packhouse and during storage,” he said.
The government investment will come from the Primary Sector Growth Fund, while Auckland-based agtech company Hectre will contribute the remainder.
In February, Hectre announced that it had raised NZ$12m (US$7.10m) to further develop this technology.
According to McClay, the technology could help exporters make earlier and more informed decisions about storage, packing and shipping, improving the chances of fruit reaching overseas markets in optimal condition while reducing waste.
Solving destructive sampling
The initiative seeks to address one of the apple industry’s longstanding challenges: identifying internal fruit quality without physically cutting fruit open.
Current assessments of traits such as maturity, starch content and firmness typically rely on destructive sampling methods that only provide insights into a small portion of a crop.
Hectre’s proposed system would instead use hyperspectral imaging to scan fruit at commercial throughput speeds, generating real-time information on internal defects and quality characteristics as apples move through packhouse operations.
The company already collects sizing, colour and quality data from billions of pieces of fruit annually.
The new programme expands its focus beyond external characteristics to analyse attributes hidden beneath the skin.
By providing continuous quality information across larger fruit volumes, the technology could enable packhouse operators to make more targeted decisions about storage duration, packing requirements and shipping schedules.
Export and productivity gains
McClay said innovations that improve efficiency and decision-making are critical to supporting growth in New Zealand’s horticulture sector.
“The government investment will help bring this technology to market sooner, giving our apple industry a competitive advantage and supporting stronger growth across the sector,” he said.
The project’s development roadmap includes producing a proof-of-concept algorithm capable of achieving at least 80 per cent detection accuracy by June 2027.
A packhouse prototype validated under commercial operating conditions is expected by June 2028.
If successful, the technology could create new opportunities not only for fruit exporters but also for New Zealand’s agritech sector, where advanced sensing and data-driven tools are increasingly being adopted to improve productivity.
Significance for sector
The announcement comes as New Zealand’s apple and pear industry continues to play an important role in the country’s horticultural economy.
According to McClay, the sector contributes more than NZ$1bn (US$591.5m) annually to the national economy and supports jobs and communities across regional New Zealand.
He said the Hectre project demonstrates how investment in science and technology can strengthen export performance while creating commercial opportunities for domestic agtech companies.
“Projects like this demonstrate how smart investment in science, technology and innovation can improve productivity, strengthen export performance and create new opportunities for New Zealand agritech companies on the global stage,” he said.
