More women wanted in hort

General manager Paula Dudley says United Fresh takes pride in supporting the value chain, which supplies fresh fruit and vegetables to people throughout NZ.

She adds that their award-winning femaleled team echoes an international movement towards gender equality.

“The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals include the empowerment of women in the workplace. Studies in NZ have found that women represent 50% of workers in the industry, yet they hold less than 20% of leadership positions. That’s a statistic United Fresh is keen to change.”

A significant part of United Fresh’s work is promoting the 5+ A Day message to Kiwi consumers as well as managing the Fruit In Schools initiative, which will this year deliver over 27 million servings of fruit to 110,000 children around the country.

5+ A Day Charitable Trust Project manager Carmel Ireland says the importance of women to the fresh produce industry can’t be underestimated.

“Just from a retail perspective, women are still the primary decisionmakers when it comes to the nutrition choices that family make,” she says.

“It’s vital that women within the industry take leading roles to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of those consumers to put fresh, affordable and healthy food on the table each day.”

During the initial Covid-19 lockdowns when hospitality, schools and independent retailers were shut down, within two weeks the United Fresh team rerouted produce that otherwise would have gone to waste to needy families.

Adding up to 300,000 boxes of fruit and veg – and a Primary Industries NZ Summit Team Award in 2022— Dudley calls the effort testament to the abilities that women bring to the fresh produce industry.

“[We’d] set up projects of this size before, but not under such extreme circumstances.

“Only the years of teamwork within our small group and alongside our members enabled us to respond so quickly. Women often have a different perspective of the community and whānau and this drives us to develop solutions to deliver essential nutrition to New Zealanders.”

5+ A Day media manager Katie Fegan says the ways in which women contribute to horticulture has changed over the years.

“While primary industries like horticulture may seem a traditionally maleoriented environment, unlike corporate workplaces women have always played an important part in the growing and harvesting of fruit and vegetables,” she says.

“As the industry grows, so do roles for females, with limitless opportunities now available to young women entering the industry.”

Dudley believes the example set by her team of women at United Fresh should be replicated throughout the horticulture industry.

“As our industry grapples with environmental, financial and social change, women offer a fresh perspective in an industry that is vital for the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.”