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Sofia is part of CentralPac’s dedicated team of cherry pickers
Attracting and retaining Kiwi workers key to future of picking
COVER STORY
With the border still closed and backpacker numbers dwindling, Central Otago cherry growers had to cast their net far and wide to attract the pickers needed for the 2022 harvest season. HUGH CHESTERMAN speaks to Tim Hope on how CentralPac is future proofing its business through Kiwi workers.
Tim Hope, operations manager at CentralPac in Cromwell, says they have managed to find enough pickers to get through the season, and have even found some hard-working New Zealanders along the way. “The biggest thing that we notice though is that you always start again every year,” says Tim. “We only have five people during the year, and then we have to bring in 15 team leaders –
five of them were returning this year – and then a whole lot of pickers. Getting the return staff is key to making it work.” Abby, one of CentralPac’s harvest managers, is one of those returnees. Even though she is in her early 20s, Tim says she’s proven to be more than capable of leading her team of 80 pickers. “It’s only her third season. She was team lead for two years and now she’s a harvest The ORCHARDIST : FEBRUARY 2022
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