Witness History

Kiwi: How New Zealand hijacked China's fruit

12.26.2023 - By BBC World ServicePlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

The kiwi fruit is synonymous with New Zealand in the minds of most European and American shoppers. But the hairy fruit actually comes from China and was once known as the Chinese gooseberry. So how did New Zealand hijack a Chinese fruit and turn it into their biggest horticultural export? Former fruit exporter Don Turner tells Vicky Farncombe how his family named the kiwi fruit in the 1950s and created a global industry.

More episodes from Witness History