Employing people who lost

Employing people who lost their jobs due to Covid-19

In February, in the midst of uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 restrictions, Te Puke orchardists Kris and Mat Johnston, concerned that the industry may be faced with some level of crop management, were preparing for significant financial impact.

By Elaine Fisher

“We really didn’t know if we could pick our fruit or our clients’ fruit,” says Mat. “We were so fortunate that our industry was declared an essential industry and we could go ahead with harvest,” says Kris. Despite that relief, staffing needs changed for the couple who run not only their own orchards in No 1 Road Te Puke, but also through their company Mat Johnston Contracting, harvest fruit from 90ha of client orchards.

“We had delayed the arrival of our RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) scheme workers from Samoa as we wanted to have them here later in the year for pruning. I regret that now because they never got here,” says Kris. The couple feel for the RSE workers, many of whom would have been returning for their third season. Because of Covid-19 they have missed out on earnings which are vital to the well-being of themselves, their families and communities. They are also a loss to the kiwifruit industry. “They are highly skilled pruners and that’s something you can’t teach anyone in a day or two, like you can with picking or bud thinning,” says Kris. Acutely aware of how rapidly the national and international Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were progressing,

Kris increased her recruitment efforts, mainly through social media.

“We had quite a lot of interest from backpackers in the South Island and when I realised travel restrictions within New Zealand were coming, I contacted them saying don’t hang about, get on the Cook Strait ferry and get here ASAP. “Some couldn’t get a booking but just turned up at Picton and hoped to come across. Others didn’t make it at all.” The Johnstons also recruited New Zealanders who had lost their jobs. “We had an Air New Zealand cabin crew member, a vegan baker, black water rafting guides, and of course hospitality workers, a real mix of good people,” she says.

The Johnstons also recruited New Zealanders who had lost their jobs... a real mix of good people

Mat coordinated picking teams, considering the possibility of electing to pick some fruit from all orchards at first to ensure every grower had the chance of at least some income. As it turned out, all the available fruit was eventually harvested. “The lack of a dry matter payment is a bit disappointing, but the fact that we were able to harvest, and the fruit got to market and is selling well, more than makes up for that disappointment,” says Kris. Harvesting was slower because of the social distancing rules and a reduction in the size of teams from 18 per team to between 12 and 14 per team. Kris and Mat colour-coded their team members, issuing them coloured wristbands and coloured strips on their picking bags to help identify family and housing bubbles. “Because of distancing requirements, only three people could be around the bins emptying bags at any one time, slowing things down. We were probably 20% down on bin numbers picked during the start of the season,” says Mat. That the weather was fine, until the last couple of harvest weeks in May, also helped. “We normally pick for six to seven hours a day with late starts over the G3 (gold kiwifruit) period. With the weather being so good we managed to extend that out to nine-hour days.”

Left: Covid-19 social distancing requirements slowed down the speed with which pickers at Mat Johnston Contracting could fill kiwifruit bins (photo supplied).

Top: Orchardists and contractors Mat and Kris Johnston (centre), pictured with some of their staff, are committed to the kiwifruit industry despite its highs and lows (photo supplied).

This year, 2020, was Mat’s forty-third kiwifruit harvest and 37 years since Kris became involved in the industry. The couple who began their orchard contracting business “with a pair of secateurs and some wet weather gear” and finally realised the dream of owning an orchard, are still committed and enthusiastic about the industry, despite its highs and lows. “It’s a fantastic industry to be part of. Kiwifruit is a highvitamin nutritious fruit — it’s such a good product and I’m so proud to be part of this industry and part of the Zespri family,” says Mat.