Orchard Work | Seasonal Fruit Picking & Packing | Motueka Jobs

Orchard Work &
Horticultural Jobs

Apples & Kiwifruit Growers New Zealand

Motueka Job Opportunities

Fairfield Orchards Ltd is a dynamic horticultural operation specializing in apple and kiwifruit production. Our properties are located in the picturesque Motueka region, where we cultivate, pack, and store high-quality fruits for the export market.

We offer a variety of seasonal and permanent orchard job opportunities. From to Tractor & forklift operators, orchard hands & supervisors to seasonal work such as fruit picking and packhouse jobs in Motueka. We value the people who choose to work with us and offer a good hourly rate, accommodation, support staff and social opportunities.

Current Job Vacancies

Who

We are always interested in talking to people that are keen to work in horticulture and bring their enthusiasm and skills to the team. If you are looking for fulltime work, please feel free to contact us to see what we have available. We often have positions available for computer-savvy people and people that would enjoy working outdoors in the orchards outside the picking & packing season.

When

Our season work (fruit picking and packing) begins in late summer in mid February, and peaks in March every year. We are looking to recruit skilled staff at the start of the season but we always have work throughout the season. Although quieter in the winter months we have a variety of orchard work with pruning and maintenance. October and Spring brings a burst of activity with thinning.

Where

Our Packhouse is situated in Riwaka, just 5 minutes from the vibrant township of Motueka. It's a great place to live and work with access to the Abel Tasman National just a 15 minute drive away. Surrounded by beautiful beaches, valleys and mountains our region clocks up some of the longest sunshine hours in the country.


SEASONAL WORK

APPLE TREE PRUNING

Taking up a large part of the cooler winter months, pruning is important to maintain the health and form of the tree.  Duties involved are  opening up the tree by removing laterals or new wood growing up vertically, removing obvious old branches that are shading new wood, identifying canker for removal. This enables the tree can put all its energy into producing blossoms and fruit for us, and will let in optimum light for colouring up our fruit. Kiwifruit pruning is all overhead work, cutting out old vines, and tying a designated number of vines per bay for the next season. Both jobs, use secateurs & loppers. Pruning is usually paid on a per tree or Row basis, with kiwifruit paid by a per bay basis.

FRUIT THINNING

In late spring and early summer after the blossom has fallen, thinners move through the orchards selectively removing fruit and “thinning” bunches of baby apples so the trees will grow the ideal number of perfectly sized juicy apples.

FRUIT PICKING

The excitement and anticipation builds in late summer as the fruit reaches maturity and is finally ready for picking. Our apple crop is 100% intensive plantings in dwarf style trees with high colour varieties, so this means you don’t have to travel to far to fill your bag & bin. We start our picking programme in Early February through until Mid May, using both modern mobile platforms, where you pick onto a conveyor belt that feeds into picking bins as well as the traditional ladder and bag style picking.

FRUIT PACKING (Packhouse work)

Our packhouse operates from late summer to early winter. The fruit is gently washed, sorted and graded by machinery, then the apples are carefully placed into trays, packers turn fruit to best side up and place the trays into cartons by hand, where it then goes by conveyor belt to be stack and labelled by machinery.

For more information please email hr@fairfieldorchards.co.nz or call 03 5284599 if you are interested in any of this type of work. We look forward to working with you!

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