Orchard spray records: what should a contractor give you?

A contractor's spray record should show what was applied, where, when, how much and who applied it, in enough detail that someone else can understand the job later. Before the contractor leaves your orchard, ask for a copy of that record, or ask where and when you will get one. This guide is practical advice. Your crop, your scheme and your region may ask for more, so check them.

What should a contractor's spray record include?

No single list applies to every orchard. The items below are a sensible starting point. They are advice, not a legal requirement, and your scheme or regional council may ask for something different.

• Date and times. The day, and when the spraying started and finished.
• Where. The orchard or property and the block or blocks sprayed, in the same names you use on your own maps.
• What. Each product by its full label name, and any additive mixed with it.
• How much. The rate or concentration, the volume of spray made up, and the area covered.
• Why. The pest, disease or weed the job was aimed at.
• Who. The person who applied it, and who decided what to apply and when.
• Conditions. Many spray records note the weather at the time, including the wind. Note what the contractor actually recorded rather than assuming.
• Equipment. Which sprayer was used, if you need to tell jobs apart.
• Leftovers. What happened to any surplus mix and the tank washings.
• Restrictions. Anything the contractor told you about keeping people out of the sprayed area, taken from the product label.

Ask for the record in the form the contractor already uses. A photo of a job sheet or a printed copy is better than a phone call.

Why do I want my own copy of a contractor's spray record?

Because the spray happened on your orchard, and you may be asked about it months later. You might need to answer an auditor, a buyer, a neighbour, a new manager or your own team. If the only copy sits in the contractor's ute or inbox, you are relying on them to find it at the right moment.

A copy also helps in smaller ways:

• You can see what was applied to each block before you plan the next job, or before anyone works in that block.
• You can check the record matches what you agreed, including the block and the products.
• You can spot a gap early, such as a block missing from the record or a product left off.

Your own copy does not replace the contractor's records. It means you can retrieve what you need without waiting.

What should I ask for before a contractor leaves the property?

Ask while they are still there. It is a short conversation at the end of the job, and it is much easier than chasing details a week later. Good questions to ask:

1. What did you apply, to which blocks, and when did you finish?
2. When will I have the full record, and in what form?
3. Is anything still restricted in the sprayed area, and where does the label say that?
4. What did you do with any leftover mix and the tank washings?
5. Is there anything about the job that I should write down now?

If the job is still under way or a block is still restricted, make sure the people working nearby hear about it directly. A sign-in message or a document on a screen does not reach people who are already on site. Our guide to temporary hazards at the orchard gate covers how to get that message to the right people.

Do not work out a safe time to go back from the weather or from a rule of thumb. Check the product label with the person responsible for the spray work. The same point is in our summer orchard access guide, which covers confirming spray restrictions with the person responsible.

A spray record checklist to copy

Paste these into a message or a job sheet and adjust them to your orchard.

• Date, start and finish: [when the job began and ended]
• Property and blocks sprayed: [names that match your maps]
• Products applied: [full label names and any additives]
• Rate and volume: [concentration, total spray made up, area covered]
• Target: [the pest, disease or weed]
• Applied by: [name, and who authorised the product choice]
• Conditions recorded: [what the contractor noted, such as weather and wind]
• Surplus mix and tank washings: [what happened to them]
• Restrictions: [what is restricted, where, and who confirms any change]
• Record supplied: [when you will receive it, and in what form]
• Checked by: [who on your side looked at it, and when]

Is a spray diary the same as a spray record?

Often, yes. A spray diary is simply a running record of what was sprayed, where and when. Some schemes and marketers ask growers or contractors to keep one in a particular system. If you supply a scheme, ask its documents or your packhouse which record they expect, and who must enter it. A contractor's own job record can still be a useful copy for you either way.

How long should I keep spray records?

Check your certification scheme and your regional council. We have not found a single retention period we can confirm from a primary New Zealand source for every orchard, so we do not give one here. Whatever period applies to you, keep the records somewhere you can find them quickly.

Kiwifruit: what the Zespri standards say

This section applies to kiwifruit supplied to Zespri only. It describes what Zespri and the kiwifruit industry say, not what applies to other crops.

• Zespri's contractor requirements say contractors must keep full records of agrichemical applications in the Spray Diary. They must also keep records of other substances applied to the orchard's water, soil or irrigation system.
• Zespri's planning guidance for spray contractors describes getting a job sheet from the grower for each spray application. The job sheet covers items such as notifications. It says who is notified and how, whether that is the grower or the contractor. The guidance tells contractors to check the label for re-entry information and to use re-entry signs when required.
• New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers says the orchard manager or owner and the contractor both have responsibilities around spraying. It lists the contractor as meeting local authority requirements, including signage and drift management. It lists the orchard manager or owner as having an orchard spray plan and ensuring the required signs are in place.

These are kiwifruit documents. Read the current versions, and ask your packhouse if you are unsure what they mean for your orchard.

What about other crops?

Other crops follow their own schemes, marketers and regional rules. Apples, pears, citrus, avocados, stonefruit and others may each ask for different records. Do not assume the kiwifruit points above apply. Ask your marketer or certification body, and read your regional council's rules. For the wider picture, see what GAP audits ask about visitor, contractor and induction records.

Where GateBud fits

GateBud™ does not record sprays, work out re-entry times or store your spray record. Keep that with your contractor's records and your own system.

What it offers is the gate. Visitors and contractors scan a QR code, check in through their phone's browser, read your site documents, answer your questions and check out. Check-out is a good moment to ask the contractor for their record, because they are still on the orchard. Keep the record itself somewhere else.

Growing kiwifruit? See GateBud for kiwifruit orchards.

Sources

Sources checked on 9 November 2026. The record list and checklist are practical prompts to adapt, not an official form or a legal requirement.

• Zespri, Agrichemical Records, for contractor records and the Spray Diary.
• Zespri, Agrichemical Understanding & Planning, for job sheets, notification, re-entry information and signage.
• New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers, Agrichemical compliance, for contractor and orchard manager responsibilities.