Fruition Horticulture with Sandy Scarrow

The kiwifruit industry is in the middle of the biggest ever harvest of kiwifruit.

For the third year running the volumes of Gold3 kwiifruit harvested exceeded that of the traditional green fruit.

While not producing volumes of commercial fruit, the recently released Red kiwifruit also became a part of the offering of fruit from the marketer of New Zealand kiwifruit, Zespri International.

Looking at the numbers

The graph presents the production from the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.

The industry is booming. Orchard prices are the highest they have ever been and wages paid over the harvest have typically been the living wage of $22.10 per hour as a minimum for any worker with many roles, including pickers, being paid handsome premiums.

The increase in production cannot occur without an input of more staff. Staff are needed not just for the pruning, picking and packing of the fruit.

There are a raft of full time roles on orchard and within the post harvest sector – jobs, that most of those reading this article would have no idea existed in the industry.

The previous year, with the challenges of Covid have lead many people to either think about, or be forced to think about, career alternatives.

You may never have thought about a career in horticulture, but now is a great time to consider it.

The industry is crying out for talented, reliable staff. More information on potential roles in the industry is available on websites such as Opportunity Grows Here.

Seaonal work is advertised on alternative websites such as Work the Seasons.

Have a look at these sites, talk to those you know working in the industry to determine if there is a particular role for someone with your skills.

Upskilling

Fruition Horticulture offers a range of courses for those who may wish to enter the industry and feel a need for upskilling. Our entry level programme, Tu Te Wana, is aimed at youth who need some additional support to help them on the road to a career in the industry.

Our Fruition Diploma, or the Diploma we are contracted to tutor for Lincoln University, provides opportunities for a variety of entry points or upskilling for those who are in the industry and want to improve their career prospects.

Our training packages are tailored to meet your needs and provide you an opportunity to earn while you learn.

For more information on any of the training offered by Fruition go to their websites: www.fruiton.net.nz or www.fruition.ac.nz.