Management | Agri-business
The fruits of our labour By Rosie Duff
Technology allows growers to yield bigger, fatter and juicier fruit – so why not invest in technology to reduce the labour required for said pickings? As it turns out, viticulture is ripe for techbased-solutions with automation already being embraced in domestic and overseas markets. For example, the grape-picking robots recently developed locally by agri-tech start-up ‘Smart Machine’, and Pernod Ricard Winemakers demonstrate the untapped potential of tech-based solutions to streamline arduous vineyard tasks. Less labour requires less hands and would allow growers to save on any related overheads the fruits of which could directly be reinvested back into their workforce – from operator training programmes through to higher-paying positions. All of which could encourage locals to stick around for longer than just a seasonal stint. The University of Auckland’s ‘Centre for Automation and Robotic Engineering Science’ (CARES) also recently released information about a virtual reality vine pruning tool that could drastically cut back on the time needed to upskill local labourers.
Labour shortages, tax-hikes and allegations of poor working conditions have left winemakers across the nation hard-pressed for future-proofed solutions. According to Stats NZ, there was over 112 million litres of wine available to the domestic market in the year ended 2020; and 75 percent of that total volume was grown right here, on Kiwi soil. Indeed, it’s without question that the viticulture industry makes a significant and valuable contribution to the New Zealand economy and will continue to do so in the coming decades. Yet, in recent years winemakers have found themselves continually plagued by a lack of skilled and willing workers – a dilemma that reached a tipping point after borders were closed last year due to COVID-19. Conversations between the government and the viticulture sector to address said predicament have carried on fruitlessly over the past couple of years. And the introduction of an additional tax hike of $2.33 per wine bottle from July 1st has only further soured negotiations between the two. However, on August 2nd it was announced that recognised seasonal employer (RSE) workers will be welcomed into the country sans quarantine, from September. A seemingly-certain victory for growers – could this be a turning point for the sector? Well, maybe in the short-term. According to the New Zealand Winegrowers website, the success of Aotearoa’s viticulture industry is heavily contingent upon the ‘commitment and passion of the employees behind it’. But alas, the continued allegations against local vineyards in regards to the exploitation of migrant and seasonal workers remain as permanent stains on the industry’s reputation. 14 | www.canterburytoday.co.nz
As to be expected, growers have always been quick to defend themselves and the sector as a whole. One popular argument is that their top workers can earn up to double the minimum wage on contract. Paying per vine – also known as ‘piecework’, is common industry practice and is paid per the market rate – aka the price is set by the vineyard. Following the plea last summer for Kiwis to fill 8,000 jobs picking and harvesting fruit, Canterbury-raised Sophie Richards and Natalie Mora-Aldwin packed their bags and headed down south. They recall that upon signing their contracts, piecework was marketed by their employers as an easy way to earn a few extra dollars on top of a base-hourly rate.
While Sophie says the rewards are there for those who are willing to work hard for them, “the targets were often so unreasonable you ended up only making minimum wage”, she explains. And to meet the quotas in question, employees were required to tend to over two thousand grapevine’s buds, shoots or the wires holding them upright – “in under three hours in 30-degree-weather”, Natalie adds.
From a commercial perspective, the adoption of new technologies will initially lift the bottom line. However, mechanised systems come with fewer intangibles and in the long-term will save employers’ time and money, whilst also decreasing the dependence on experienced overseas labour. Fortunately, these innovations are just the tip of the industrial iceberg and it appears that techbased solutions will serve a significant role in diversifying the viticulture sector in the future.
The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, recommends that: ‘the only solution for the wine sector in the medium-term will be to improve the productivity of labour’.
Nevertheless, whilst automation may reduce the need for manual labour, it will not eliminate it entirely – for now. This is why it is crucial that growers continue to invest in their employee’s growth and professional development.
But instead of incentivising employees to work harder and faster, employers should perhaps retire – or at least rethink, the business model that relies heavily on manual intervention.
Indeed, with conscious consumerism on the rise, sustaining unethical practices surrounding worker’s conditions will certainly come at the cost of a company’s reputation.
