Information such as that presented in this chapter could contribute to more resilient and sustainable orchard practices by developing a greater understanding that orchardists do not set out solely to gain materially, nor are all orchardists aiming for the same kind of orchard. Thus, this has demonstrated that the way in which an orchardist relates to their orchard is contested. As Setten (2004:391) states:
Notions of what is natural and unnatural are notions of morality, and notions of morality surface frequently because different people and groups know and conceive of landscape and nature in differing ways…The cultural meanings of nature shaped by individuals and groups are hence contested, because inherent in shaping the meanings of nature are powerful moral judgements as to who is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘natural’ or ‘unnatural’.
This is a particularly interesting conclusion because for many forms of farming (for example, dairying; Jay 2005) only a single kind of productivist farm is rewarded with symbolic as well as economic capital. Jay indicates that such a farming structure reduces the chance of farmers taking up environmentally sustainable practices. If the land-use practices are to be sustainable and resilient there is a need for diverse models of potential practices so that choices are available to people. This poses less risk to the environment than a singular normative practice model. It also reveals for New Zealand, as in other places, the ways in which nature (as seen here in kiwifruit orchards) and ‘social practices and values are inextricably interlinked and…[are] co-constitutive’ (Buller 2004:139).
This chapter has explored how the people who have taken up kiwifruit growing as a progression to retirement adapt their orchard landscape so that things important to their identity in their former working lives are maintained. Such people contribute to the stability of the kiwifruit industry but will need to be balanced by the risk takers and supported by the encouragement of seasonal workers.