Latest News

Rewarding to invest in renewable energy

Rewarding to invest in renewable energy

October 6, 2022

“Rewarding to invest in renewable energy” Initially published in Central Rural Life, week of September 14th, 2022 Images and words by Tim Cronshaw Robin Oakley’s call to put in 564 solar panels at his Southbridge vegetable and arable operation was done with his head and heart. The ground-mounted solar line-up sits next to the packing…

Read More

75 Years of Oakley’s and John Deere

September 26, 2022

2022 marks 75 years since the Oakley family purchased their first John Deere tractor. It was a John Deere model B21 Horsepower purchased in 1947. In 2018 Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables purchased the 8370 370 horsepower tractor, how times have changed! This week, our founder and managing director Robin Oakley and his father visited the…

Read More

Oakley’s win Horticulture New Zealand Environmental Award

September 18, 2022

Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables Ltd. are excited to announce that they have won a 2022 Horticulture New Zealand Environmental Award. Robin Oakley of Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables is a fifth-generation farmer from Canterbury. He established the business in 1999 and vertically integrated the farming operation. Oakley and his team grow on over 400 hectares and…

Read More

AgMatters Environmental Case Study

September 18, 2022

The following was originally published on the AgMatters New Zealand website.   Fifth-generation farmer, Robin Oakley, has been growing vegetables in Canterbury since he was a kid and now supplies supermarkets around the country. His family is committed to sustainable farming and is starting to think about what that means for the climate. About the…

Read More
Robin Oakley next to the new solar installation

The Future Looks Bright: Oakley’s Journey to Solar Power

April 17, 2022

We are proud to announce Oakley’s has installed a 220kw solar operation to power our Southbridge site! This is one of the largest installations in the South Island to date. We have worked with CPS Solar to introduce this grid-tied solar system. During the daytime, we can harness energy from the sun to power our…

Read More
food hero

Oakley’s Win National Food Hero Award

November 26, 2021

“Kiwis were also able to take part in the judging this year, as part of the People’s Choice campaign. After the success of the special Food Hero Awards last year, the awards programme introduced a new Food Hero award for 2021, sponsored by Palmerston North City Council. This award celebrates people or organisations that continuously…

Read More

How do Potatoes Grow?

November 22, 2021

Have you ever wondered how a potato actually grows under the ground?  The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a herbaceous annual that grows up to 100 cm (40 inches) tall. As the potato plant grows, its compound leaves manufacture starch that is transferred to the ends of its underground stems (or stolons). The stems thicken to…

Read More

Taste Selwyn

July 17, 2021

In May this year, the Selwyn District council of Cantebury ran a campaign called “Taste Selwyn”. It was a celebration of our local producers and eateries where some amazing stories in our communities were uncovered. The Oakley’s Golden Gourmets were featured on the menu at Suburban Eatery in Leeston where they were used to create…

Read More

Oakley’s Pandemic Pantry

April 5, 2020

I think we can all agree that things are a little crazy out there at the moment! With all of the changes we’ve had in our lives these past few weeks one thing remains the same – we still want to feed our family delicious and nutritious meals. Introducing the Oakley’s Pandemic Pantry! Every few…

Read More

Leading Grower Harvests Three Environment Awards

April 2, 2020

This autumn, Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables founder and managing director Robin Oakley is featured on the cover of Business Rural magazine. In this article, Robin chats with journalist Virginia Wright about the Oakley’s story and the things we are doing which led us to be awarded three Ballance Farm Environment awards. Check it out! “Robin…

Read More