YOUR INDUSTRY
Staff manager Irene Passadore (26), bakery/compliance manager Ellen Watt (25), and administrator/harvest manager Geraldine Watt (24) at Waitaki Orchards in North Otago
Orchard a family affair
YOUNG GROWERS
Nestled in the Waitaki Valley in North Otago is an orchard owned by the Watt family. By Helena O’Neill Waitaki Orchards near Kurow is now run by the eldest three children. Irene (26), Ellen (25), and Geraldine (24) carry out the day-today running of the orchard with parents Justin and Julie available for advice and guidance just a short drive away in Duntroon. For Ellen Watt, horticulture is a busy but rewarding industry to be a part of. “You get such a huge variety, there’s a whole lot of different aspects to it which at times is stressful because you’ve got so many things that you’re trying to juggle. “You meet a lot of different people as well which is always interesting.” Each season is different with new problems and challenges each year, she says. “You get more wisdom every year … and a bit more of an idea of what you’re doing.”
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The ORCHARDIST : FEBRUARY 2021
The Watt family moved from Patumahoe near Auckland to the Waitaki Valley at the end of 2002 and bought the orchard despite having no horticultural experience. Justin was an accountant and Julie worked in a blood-testing laboratory before becoming a stay-at-home mother to their eight children. Justin spent five months learning the ropes before taking over the orchard in May 2003. Growing up there were always things to do around the orchard, Ellen says, from putting spray guards around the trees or helping to pack fruit.
I was 13 when I had my first full season in the packhouse. I’ve been in the packhouse ever since
