Hello

We do get a lot of enquiries for work, and have quite a few friends out there putting the word out, so if you are keen, please get in touch via the contact us page and give us a bit of info about yourselves.

Thinning

This is a seasonal job starting mid November for between four to six weeks – all orcharding is governed totally by the weather so we have to be very flexible on time and dates. Thinning involves removing some of the fruit from each tree so that the remainder grows to a good size. The fruitlets removed are dropped on the ground. You thin the whole tree from top to bottom so are using ladders all day long. It is tiring, especially if it’s hot! You are paid on trees thinned or by the hour depending on your skills and the amount of crop on the trees.

Picking

Accommodation

In Hawkes Bay it is very hard to get accommodation on site, and backpackers charge around $100 a week, if you can get in. It is a big problem in the Bay.

 We have limited accomadation at Te Koha but can have up to 12 people here at any one time in a basic smokefree enviroment .

Hours

All orcharding is weather dependent – we like to work a six day week but cannot work in heavy rain. During picking we often have to wait for fruit to ripen again, and so may have two days off in the week and then work all weekend, so you need to be flexible and understand that we do our best to keep you working. We start at 7.30 am and work until 4.30 pm.

Preference is given to people willing to work both thinning and picking, and then to people who can at least work the whole of one season; we cannot give you work for just one week. It is also preferable to us if you have work visas arranged, NZ bank accounts and IRD numbers, and transport.

On Orchard we have kitchen facilities, toilets a shower block, clothes washing area and a common room with internet access. It is all a bit rough and ready but most people say it has character!

Get in touch !

It is a really good idea to get in touch with us as soon as you can as our positions fill up pretty quickly. As a rough guide a lot of the people who come and work with us are travellers who are just arriving in NZ or who are on their way home and are trying to get some cash together. Many come to us for the Thinning season then head down to the South Island over the Chrismas break and come back for Picking when they are broke. This seems to work for many and over the years we have had some great adventures and laughs with people from all over the world, many of whom we still keep in touch with via the web or by meeting friends of friends who end working with us too.