Taranaki is looking into the possibility of growing more avocados in a bid to diversify its economy and make it more resilient.
It's part of the Branching Out initiative, which will investigate the feasibility of up to a dozen new ventures exploring new economic opportunities for the region.
Justine Gilliland, chief executive of regional development agency Venture Taranaki, says although some avocados are already grown in the region the number is small compared to places like Bay of Plenty or Northland.
Gilliland said an event held next month will bring together landowners, potential growers, financial decision-makers and agricultural advisers to collaborate and learn about possible opportunities.
"When we're looking at things like this we've got to ask the hard questions and look at it through a really hard commercial mode as well as looking at potential benefits," Gilliland told Magic Talk's Rural Today on Thursday.
The event - which will be held on March 17 in New Plymouth - follows a similar seminar last year looking into the possibility of growing kiwifruit.
Avocados and kiwifruit were the "first cabs off the rank" because there was already an existing value chain to tap into, Gilliland said.
A total of 10-12 "venture blueprints" for diversification across the region's food and fibre sector will be looked at through the Branching Out initiative.
"The others are slightly more complex and involve newer value chains or even brand new value chains," Gilliland said.
She added that if developing a larger avocado industry turns out to be feasible, it could benefit not just Taranaki but the rest of the country too, as having more regions producing the fruit for export would mean greater resilience against damaging weather events.
