Crops that shaped the Rodney District

This talk builds on Warkworth Museum's Auckland's Fruitbowl exhibition to explore how fruit-growing became one of the Rodney District's defining industries. Lyn Wade, a Morrison Orchard descendant, describes how growers such as the Morrisons of Red Bluff were prominent members of a wider network of orchardists across Warkworth, Matakana, and Mahurangi.

Apples, pears, citrus, and stone fruit thrived in Rodney's climate, supplying Auckland and shaping the region's identity as a food-producing area. The talk touches on the range of crops that supported early settlement and everyday life, showing how both orchards and other plantings contributed to Rodney's development.