According to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture, New Zealand's apple cultivated acreage will significantly decrease in 2023/24. The drop is forecast to be substantial, from 11,000 at the start of 2022/23 to 9,200 hectares. 

The considerable decline can be pinned to the impacts of adverse weather patterns with calamities such as Cyclone Gabrielle and El Niño in the country's main horticulture regions.

Cyclone Gabrielle brought "large-scale floodwaters, silt, debris, wind, and surface flooding to the primary apple growing regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne." Orchards in these regions were damaged severely, destroying tree stocks completely. according to New Zealand's government, the cyclone was one of the deadliest weather events to hit the country since 1968. 

Growers in the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions are undergoing the decision process to salvage or repair damaged orchards. Estimated costs of reinstating apple and pear orchards is between $108,000 to $150,000 per hectare. 

FAS/Wellington forecasts apple production in 2023/24 to be 480,000 metric tons, a predicted recovery after El Niño weather pattern due to seasonal labor and new implemented farm system innovations. The number is still behind historical volumes. 

the Foreign Agricultural Service office also estimates a recovery in apple exports, following the damage incurred in the previous year which concluded at 309,084 MT compared to the USDA official forecast of 310,000 MT. 

"Zealand remains at an advantage by having a counter seasonal production to other countries; as a result, market demand will continue to stay strong," the report states. 

Apple exports in the first three months of the 2023/2024 MY are up 37% from last year and market demand is expected to remain strong. 

New Zealand ranks among the world's top ten largest apple exporters due to their sufficient winter chilling, warm springs, long sunshine hours in summer, and dry growing areas. The country is prioritizing their focus on Asian markers such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and China.