With the season hitting its heaviest period, New Zealand’s apple industry is struggling to find pickers because of the crop’s slow start.
The season began with a large number of small apples that take longer to pick by volume, which has turned off many backpackers who are paid by the bin, according to growers.
“The general feeling is that staff are not as experienced and that the new generation of backpackers have different expectations of work than previously,” Pipfruit New Zealand chairman Ian Palmer told Business Day.
The slow start meant many tourists had decided to keep travelling rather than stay and work, and replacing them halfway through the season is not easy, explained Palmer.
Pickers from the Pacific Islands working under the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme have been a godsend to some, although unable to fill all the workforce gaps, the Business Day report said.
“Without the RSE scheme I wouldn’t grow apples any more, it would be just too hard. Our Tongan workers are gold, foreigners are good but Kiwis just don’t stick around,” explained Motueka Fruitgrowers Association chairman Simon Easton.
New Zealand’s apple season, which reportedly has some of the best colouring in recent memory this year, is now moving into later varieties like Fuji, Braeburn and Pink Lady.
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