YOUR INDUSTRY
Winter pruning of kiwifruit is a highly skilled task which sets the orchard up for next season’s harvest. (Photo Liam Butler, Fruition Horticulture assistant horticultural consultant)
Pruning courses helping to attract workers Winter pruning is a crucial aspect of kiwifruit management, setting orchards up for the next season’s harvest. But there is currently a shortage of skilled labour, which is why winter pruning taster courses have been established to attract staff. By Elaine Fisher Funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and facilitated by New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI), the courses provide an introduction to the work and are followed by a five-day training for those keen to take it further. Di Holloway, NZKGI education coordinator, says the courses have led to jobs for many who complete the five-day training, and are also serving as a pathway to other employment within the industry. The programme began last year with MPI funding aimed at providing new opportunities for people displaced by the impact of Covid-19. The pandemic’s effects continue to be felt this year, with fewer of the highly skilled seasonal workers who have traditionally carried out winter pruning, being able to enter the country. 22
The ORCHARDIST : AUGUST 2021
This season’s taster courses were run by Fruition Horticulture in Te Puke, Tauranga, Whanganui and Pukekohe. The Whanganui course, co-ordinated by local growers Beth Lamb and Graham Wright, was attended by 30 people. “There have recently been three quite big new plantings, mainly of green kiwifruit near Waverley and Waitōtara,” says Beth. “We have proved we can successfully grow kiwifruit here, and anything we can do like the pruning course to help upskill workers is valuable,” says Graham. The couple, who own and lease a total of 12 ha of kiwifruit, made one of their orchards available for the taster course.
