Project Manager Geoff Burke said there was potential for Central Hawke's Bay to grow high value crops such as kiwifruit, nuts, and grapes for wine making.

He said growing high value crops in Central Hawke's Bay would not only benefit the district but potentially Hawke's Bay as a whole reported nzherald.co.nz

"Central Hawke's Bay could be like the Napa Valley, where you've got a lot of high value crops, so there's a lot of wealth being produced, that feeds into local communities and that can widen Hawke's Bay's offering from a tourism point of view.

"To be taking the first step along that path is pretty exciting to be involved with and to be making happen."

The project is looking at five individual properties and their capacity to grow kiwifruit and resources such as water, soil and climate.

No kiwifruit will be grown during the project, which will wrap up in late February or early March, and Burke said the earliest kiwifruit would be planted in Central Hawke's Bay is 2020.

The project has received funds through MPI's Sustainable Farming Fund Tere, which funds projects up to $100,000.