Orchard Work

Kiwifruit is grown on vines which are supported by overhead pergolas that are approximately 2 metres high. The work is very physical as you have your hands in the air and your neck back for the majority of tasks performed. With the work being outside this on orchard work is weather dependant, meaning you do not work in wet weather. Some orchard work is paid on an hourly rate, however the majority is paid on contract rate, i.e per bin picked or per bay pruned, fast efficient workers can make a fair amount of money.

Packhouse Work

Packhouse work takes place in a packing shed, there are a large amount of different roles in the Packhouse to suit people of all ages, shapes & sizes as long as you are reasonably fit. Packhouse work is generally paid on an hourly rate and some packhouses offer bonuses to staff who work the full packing season. There are a large range of pack house roles available. These range from Quality Control, fruit grading, box making, packing, palletising and strapping, forklift driving to name a few.

Role Descriptions

Picking (April – June)
During the picking season you work as part of a gang or team. Wearing a picking bag which crosses across your back and shoulders and sits in front of your torso, you pick the fruit from the vines above your head, a full picking bag can weigh up to 20kgs so you need to be physically fit. The work is paid on a contract rate per bin, bin rates vary as the bin size varies. Wet weather means no work.

Packing (April – September)
During the peak of the picking season double shifts are available at the majority of packhouses, meaning you could work between 8 and 14 hours per day. Paid on an hourly rate, work is indoors and therefore is not weather dependant unless long periods of rain delay fruit picking.

Winter Pruning (July – September)
After the fruit is picked and the leaves have fallen from the vines, the vines are pruned back and the best canes are selected to produce the next seasons crop. This work is highly skilled and requires a lot of training. Employers are looking for experienced staff, but will train people who plan to stay in the industry, return following years or work for a minimum of 3-4 months. Paid on a per bay, so your efficiency influences your income.

Bud Thinning (November)
The aim of bud thinning is to reduce the number of buds prior to pollination by removing side buds and flat buds, which prevents damage caused by overcrowded fruit.

Male Flower Picking (November)
Male flowers are picked just as they begin to burst and used to for artificial pollination. Picked into a picking bag, the paid for flower picking is contract rate by the kg.

Summer Pruning (November – February)
Summer pruning involves selecting the poorest quality cane and spur for removal to create a summer canopy that will have optimum fruit size and maximise the potential for fruitful cane development. This is done by:

• Selecting best quality cane and spur to be retained.
• Tipping cane past fruit storks to prevent tangles.
• Remove surplus and unfruitful canes from leader to prevent shading.
• On orchard work is done using either your hands or secateurs.

Fruit Thinning (February to March)
Defective or over-crowed fruit is removed from vines leaving room for the rest of the crop to grow either by hand or using clippers.