Harvest traditions, family atmosphere preserved at Birchwood

Friends Jude Kauika and Christine Simpson (with dog Izzy) are among the motorhomers in the Birchwood ‘camp’ for this kiwifruit harvest season

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.

We are grateful that New Zealanders are so willing to help us pack this season’s fruit

We have people knocking on our door saying they have heard Birchwood is a good place to work.” The facility’s relatively small size and Karen’s own three decades of experience in the industry are among the reasons for Birchwood’s family atmosphere and staff focus ethos, which is supported by its growers and board. “My first season in the industry was in 1983 at Clark’s Packhouse where Tony and Trish Clark were great employers who believed in working hard but having fun too. I think it’s important to have happy engaged staff as without good staff, you don’t have a post-harvest business,” says Karen who has not missed a harvest season in 38 years. By early March, the camp for motorhomes, all of which are self-contained, was filling up. Among those settling in where friends Jude Kauika who has been working at Birchwood each season since 2017, and her friend Christine Simpson and dog Izzy there for the first time.

It was like Christmas or family reunions.

The area between the women’s campervans is paved and has a fence to keep Izzy in, and Christine has pots of lettuce and tomatoes growing by her door. They are well set up for the weeks ahead. Birchwood runs two shifts each staffed by 60 people, from 6.45am to 4.15pm and from 5pm to 2.30am, and pays an extra $1 an hour for nightshift. “Some of our older staff and young mums don’t work six days and often sort out between themselves who will work when, so our six-day roster is filled for us. “As with last season, extra safety protocols around keeping everyone safe in the Covid-19 environment are in place.

…without good staff, you don’t have a post-harvest business.

“We have implemented temperature checks, contact tracing, extra hygiene measures, and as well as normal cleaning procedures we also clean high contact areas regularly,” says Karen. Birchwood, which for the past five years has been contracted by Zespri to pack its Zespri Red fruit from pre-commercial trial blocks, began packing the variety in early March. “It’s a beautiful fruit which looks and tastes great but tends to be smaller in size than green or gold. Harvest began a week earlier than last year and once packed it is quickly shipped to market.”

Photos on pages 14,16 and 17 courtesy of Mark McKeown Against the industry trend, Birchwood packs more green than gold fruit. This year it expects to handle in excess of 2 million trays, of which 60% will be green. “This reflects our grower base, many of whom are smaller growers who have elected not to switch to the new gold variety,” says Karen. The co-operative’s grower numbers are expanding and for the first time it has leased offsite storage to meet demand. This season it will pack fruit for orchardists growing in the area from Te Puna to Paeroa and few from Whangarei. “The fruit size is looking good this harvest which is great, especially for our Katikati and Waihi growers who suffered badly due to the droughts of the previous two seasons. Rain in late February and March has helped improve fruit size this season.”

While Birchwood has no trouble filling its shifts, Karen says all post-harvest operators are missing the backpackers who added vitality and colour to the packhouse. “They brought a very international atmosphere and many friendships were formed during their time here. We always saved spaces for them. However, we are grateful that Kiwis have applied for positions and are so willing to help us pack this season’s fruit.”