Avocado grower catches thief in the act

(File)
(File)

Sky-high avocado prices are creating opportunities for night-time thieves to make their money on the black market.

Reports have emerged of hundreds of avocados being stolen from eastern Waikato and Bay of Plenty growers, as short supply hikes up demand.

Robin Hanvey, an avocado grower from Lower Kaimai in the Bay of Plenty, says he caught a man in the process of stealing from his orchard while he was spraying one night.

"I was driving back through the orchard and I saw these lights of a car, and I thought, 'I better see what's going on'."

"There was a guy -- and he tried to drive away and I just turned my tractor so he couldn't drive away. I asked him, "What do you think you're doing?" and he said, "I'm looking for my uncle, bro".

The man then made an escape, with Mr Hanvey chasing his vehicle out the gate "at about 5km/h" on his tractor.

He said he didn't get the getaway car's number plate because the mask he was using to do the spraying prevents him from wearing glasses.

Mr Hanvey says he's concerned that this may be just one of several raids on his orchard.

"It's a bit of a worry -- I think it's a bit of a worry for everybody -- because this is the one guy that I caught. How many times have they been in here and I haven't been out spraying in the middle of the night?"

Police say there have been a spate of complaints that have come through in relation to the theft of avocados in the Bay of Plenty in recent months, especially in Katikati.

They say some arrests have been made in relation to those incidents.

There is, however, some confusion over why thieves are choosing to steal avocados at this time of year, when they're no longer in season.

Avocados won't be properly ripe again until September or October.

Last month the average cost of an avocado was nearly $5.

Newshub.