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New Zealand's Peanut Trials Point To Bigger Food Opportunities


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New Zealand's journey towards producing its own peanuts has taken another step forward, with scientists preparing to evaluate a new cultivar specifically selected for Northland's climate.


Researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute say several years of commercial-scale trials undertaken alongside Pic's Peanut Butter, Northland Inc and industry partners have produced encouraging results. Crops experienced very low pest and disease pressure, required no insecticides or fungicides during the trials, and showed no evidence of aflatoxin contamination—a major issue in many overseas peanut-growing regions. Naturally occurring nitrogen-fixing rhizobia were also found across most trial sites, suggesting peanuts could become a useful rotational crop for northern growers.


The next phase centres on evaluating a high-oleic cultivar sourced through the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Unlike current varieties, it requires fewer growing degree days, giving it a much better fit within Northland's growing season while delivering the quality required for premium peanut butter and snack products. Subject to approvals, trial plantings could begin during 2027.


For Pic's Peanut Butter, the project has always been about more than growing peanuts. Founder Pic Picot said it had long felt unusual producing an iconic New Zealand brand from imported peanuts, with the company seeing local production as a way to reduce food miles while keeping more value within New Zealand. Today, virtually every peanut processed by New Zealand manufacturers is imported, despite annual imports worth many millions of dollars.


The commercial opportunity may ultimately be modest compared with global peanut producers, but the strategic implications are much larger. If Northland can reliably grow peanuts, it raises new questions about what other subtropical food and protein crops may become commercially viable as New Zealand's climate evolves.



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