Grower’s role in promoting the value of New Zealand Kiwifruit: Mechanisms which encourage the use of good practice to create a positive identity for social license to operate.

New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry which sells a high-value product may have the opportunity to utilise improved social capital to strengthen its leading position. This report analyses the kiwifruit industry’s position in gaining social licence to operate and argues for communication mechanisms which will create socioemotional value and thus social capital amongst stakeholders to form SLO with the aim to ultimately create value and sustainable longevity of the kiwifruit industry for New Zealand’s kiwifruit growers.

Trust, a decrease of social distance between growers and their stakeholders, and a strong understanding of grower drivers are critical communication mechanisms to encourage best practice by New Zealand’s kiwifruit growers. Financial and non-financial incentives to encourage good practice are also analysed.