Canterbury grower Kyle Gray (pictured third from left) wears his heart on his sleeve – and his chest – when it comes to his passion for potatoes.
As a keen competitive cyclist, Kyle, who farms at Doria, near Rakaia, was stoked to have Potatoes New Zealand sponsor his team and wear their branded strip when competing in the Tour of Southland in January.
His Onya Bike 1.5M team, riding under a Powered by Potatoes banner, produced a strong performance, with their lead rider Noah Hollamby winning the under-23 class and the team finishing second overall.
“I was extremely proud, as a grower, to have Potatoes New Zealand on my kit and explain to people why we were doing that,” says Kyle.
“Pyper’s Produce and McCain also came on board. The theme inspired a lot of questions from other cyclists and good discussions along the way.
“We need to have those conversations and for people to have a connection with where their food comes from. People are losing that understanding, not just for potatoes but across the entire primary sector.
“Potatoes are important in the diet, as a healthy carbohydrate. They are an excellent choice of carbs for an athlete because they easy to digest, as well as all the vitamins and minerals they contain.
“The good old spud has taken a hit from people saying they don’t want carbs but it’s very healthy across all spectrums.”
Neither growing potatoes or cycling were originally on Kyle’s horizon.
“I didn’t come from a farming background but when I left school I got a job with a potato growing seed operation in my home town of Darfield and I got the bug.”
Today, he co-owns the Acton Fields agricultural and cropping enterprise with his personal focus on growing around 5,000 tonnes of potatoes annually on 50Ha. All his potatoes are supplied to two commercial processors.
“I enjoy growing healthy produce, which I know is going to feed the community. Things are getting tougher for growers though and I think it is really important that we provide pathways for young growers to get into the industry.”
He sees the financial stability of the market and manoeuvring the regulatory landscape as current challenges.
“I think we all want to do what is best for the environment and grow healthy produce but we need good common sense legislation that is achievable for your everyday grower. There needs to be some of cohesion across all of that, to lessen the burden on growers.”
Having only take up cycling in his mid-30s, he finds it a great way to maintain a good work life balance.
His first race came about after he saw a farmers’ section in a race advertised in his local bike shop, and decided to enter.
His national and international successes range from winning Farmstrong’s 2021 NZ’s Fastest Farmer cycling event, to winning a silver medal in his age group at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Australia in 2025.
He’s president of the Tinwald Cycling Club and committed to supporting young emerging riders, such as the Onya Bike team.
“It’s a great release from work and being able to promote potatoes during New Zealand’s marquee cycle race was a privilege. I still wear my Potatoes New Zealand kit when cycling.”
Kyle’s own favourite way to make use of the nutritional benefits of potatoes is baked wedges.
“Sliced up and cooked in the air fryer, with a sprinkling of salt. I think that’s pretty hard to beat.”
