Kiwifruit - History

History

The fuzzy kiwifruit is native to southern China. Originally known as mi hou tao (猕猴桃) or yang tao (杨桃), it has now been declared as a "National Fruit" of China. Other species of Actinidia are native to India and Japan and southeastern Siberia. 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 principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting mission schools in Yichang, China. The seeds were planted in 1906 by a Wanganui nurseryman, Alexander Allison, with the vines first fruiting in 1910.

Export markets opened up after World War II thanks to pioneering research into the transportability of the fruit by John Pilkington Hudson and others at the agriculture department in Wellington.

The importer in the US, Ziel & Co in San Francisco suggested the old name of Chinese gooseberry was unsuitable, recommending instead a short, Maori name. Jack Turner initiated the name "kiwifruit" around 1962 as part of Turners & Growers marketing response to this feedback, and the name became a global brand for the marketing of fuzzy kiwifruit.

The name 'kiwifruit" was not registered internationally as a trademark, so has since become a common name for all commercially grown fruit from the family Actinidia. Outside of Australasia, all New Zealand kiwifruits are now marketed under the brand-name label Zespri.