New Zealand's most famous fruit export. A fruit that is not native but became a national icon. It was introduced from China in 1904 by Isabel Fraser. The seeds were planted and the fruit was first called Chinese gooseberry. In the 1950s, it was rebranded as kiwifruit for export marketing. The brown, fuzzy fruit has bright green flesh with small black seeds. It is a woody vine, not a tree, and grows on trellises in orchards. The Bay of Plenty is the centre of New Zealand's kiwifruit industry. A fruit that changed its name to fit in. The kiwifruit vine is deciduous, losing its large, round leaves in winter. It requires both male and female plants for fruit production. A single male vine can pollinate up to eight female vines. The flowers are creamy-white and fragrant, appearing in late spring. The fruit develops over summer and is harvested in autumn. Each vine can produce hundreds of kilograms of fruit per season. The kiwifruit industry has faced significant challenges. In 2010, the bacterial disease PSA (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae) devastated orchards, particularly the popular Hayward green variety. Growers adapted, planting more resilient varieties and developing new management techniques. The industry survived and continues to innovate. New varieties, including gold kiwifruit and red-fleshed types, have expanded the market. Kiwifruit is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fibre. It contains an enzyme called actinidin that can tenderise meat. The fuzzy skin is edible, though most people prefer to scoop out the flesh. The orchard is green. The kiwifruit hangs on the vine, brown and fuzzy, bright green inside. It does not know it was once a Chinese gooseberry. It does not know it is a national icon. It just wants to be eaten.