YOUR INDUSTRY
Friends Jude Kauika and Christine Simpson (with dog Izzy) are among the motorhomers in the Birchwood ‘camp’ for this kiwifruit harvest season
Harvest traditions, family atmosphere preserved at Birchwood It’s a modern facility, commissioned to pack Zespri’s new red variety, as well as green and gold kiwifruit, yet Birchwood Packhouse at Katikati also retains the traditions and atmosphere of the industry’s early harvest years. By Elaine Fisher That was very obvious during induction day in midMarch when seasonal staff greeted each other like long-lost friends – which in many ways they are. “The majority of our seasonal staff this year are returnees from previous seasons and some have been with us for a long time,” says . For Dean Gower, newly appointed to the Birchwood grower services role, induction day was amazing. “It was like Christmas or family reunions. It reminded me of my early days working in small family packhouses in the 1980s when everyone knew each other. That atmosphere is one of the reasons people keep coming back.”
Karen says the “fun days” held occasionally through the packing season, when staff are encouraged to dress to theme, flexible working hours and shifts, the mobile-home campsite behind the packhouse and home baked food in the cafeteria all add to Birchwood’s reputation as a great place to work. “We don’t have a problem filling our day and night shifts and have never employed Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers. This year our shifts are over-subscribed thanks to the locals who return each year, and to our motorhomers. The ORCHARDIST : APRIL 2021 15
