Their contributions received multiple awards, most notably Horticulture New Zealand's Bledisloe Cup for their development of a black rot-resistant strain of kūmara, an indigenous sweet potato integral to Maori cuisine that was almost wiped out in the 1950s.
He attended school for four years before leaving to work in his father's market garden in the Hawke's Bay Region.
[5] Gock and his wife developed a disease-resistant strain and gifted stock for the use of other farmers, and are credited with the indigenous staple food's survival.
After a process of trial and error, Gock developed and patented a polystyrene box which could hold the broccoli together with ice for transport.
[6] In 2013, Gock and his wife jointly received the Bledisloe Cup for services to horticulture, citing their work as "pioneers" in the field.