YOUR INDUSTRY
CAMPAIGNS AND SCHEMES INCREASE APPEAL OF WORK IN HORTICULTURE Elaine Fisher
The Opportunity Grows Here workforce attraction campaign has helped increase the appeal of jobs in the primary sector
The Opportunity Grows Here (OGH) workforce attraction campaign has helped more than 10,000 people find jobs in the food and fibre sector.
by directing potential employees to the most relevant job website. “For example, this season, we have worked across the horticulture and viticulture sectors to help drive traffic to the newly established PickNZ job website,” says Cheyne.
“The campaign was established by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in July 2020 in response to Covid-19. It was developed in close collaboration with other government agencies and with sector groups hardhit by Covid and border closures,” says Cheyne Gillooly, MPI’s director investment skills and performance.
PickNZ.co.nz was launched in September 2021. Since then, horticulture and viticulture advertising via OGH ads has delivered more than 40,000 clicks to the site. The Summerfruit NZ campaign led people directly to the PickNZ website as opposed to the OGH website.
“While not physically placing people in jobs, OGH has increased the visibility and desirability of working in our food and fibre sector, helping New Zealanders to find work in areas they might not have otherwise considered.” To help fill immediate and seasonal job vacancies, OGH provides support
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Cheyne says the highly social aspect of many horticulture roles gives people the opportunity to build new friendships, support networks and deepen their connections into communities. “Our primary industries have long been recognised as the backbone of New Zealand’s economy. In fact, one in seven jobs in the country is
currently based in our food and fibre sector.” MPI’s Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report in December 2021 forecast export revenue for the Primary sector would exceed $50 billion for the first time, hitting a record $50.8 billion in the year to 30 June 2022. “Continued growth in key sectors such as horticulture are key to achieving this goal,” says Cheyne. “Despite growers and exporters having to adjust their operations because of seasonal labour supply shortages, horticultural export revenue is forecast to rise nearly five percent to $6.9 billion for the year to 30 June 2022.” Research conducted in August 2021 showed the OGH campaign had made a marked improvement in building the visibility of food and fibre sector jobs and increasing the appeal of working in the sector.
