The fruit and vegetable industry in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay area and New Zealand's labour ministry have begun a major recruitment drive called PickNZ to find 17,000 people to harvest this season's crop.
For the first time, all Hawke's Bay seasonal work opportunities will be available online in one central location at www.picknz..co.nz over the harvesting season on a new industry-led website which went live this week.
New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation director Ru Collin said PickNZ will be one of New Zealand's greatest job hunting bids aimed at stopping the seasonal labour shortage that looms across the nation's horticultural sector.
The Gala harvest is forecast to start on February 10 and harvesting will continue through the calendar of varieties to May.
"Every summer thousands of job hunters descend upon Hawke's Bay looking for seasonal work, but the industry struggles to keep them," said Collin. "The website matches growers with job seekers so that people find jobs and stay working throughout the season and hopefully come back or gain permanent jobs."
PickNZ's long-term aim is to create a New Zealand harvest trail of seasonal work where people can travel and work for up to eight months throughout New Zealand's growing regions.
"We are testing it in Hawke's Bay, where there is the largest seasonal labour demand. If it proves successful we will look at rolling PickNZ out nationally for next year," said Collin.
Top fruit, stone fruit and kiwifruit alone need about 6,000 pickers and 7,000 workers post harvest.
"When looking at the whole horticultural scene, overall crop production in Hawke's Bay is up about five percent on last year. Although export crops will be less because of seasonal conditions and hail damage, we still have to get all the fruit off the trees and vines," said Collin.
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