Lend a helping mandarin!
West Auckland community foundation The Trusts is calling on Kiwis with citrus fruit trees on their properties to pick surplus fruit and donate it to those in need, rather than let it go to waste.
The apple industry will harvest all its fruit this season, but finding labour is making it an increasing challenge, says NZ Apple and Pear chief executive Alan Pollard.
He is also confident quality won’t be compromised, but it will be a big effort.
“A couple of things are happening,” he told Rural News. “The unemployment around the regions is a lot lower now than historically -- certainly in Hawkes Bay, which has had some of the highest unemployment in NZ.
“The regions are doing well so we are competing for that resource. And the backpackers are just not around. I am not sure why that is but right across the regions they are struggling to get the backpackers in.”
The major issue is getting the harvest in.
About 300 more workers have been found in Hawkes Bay since the declaration of a seasonal labour shortage on March 12.
“That is quite encouraging but we can always do with more,” says Pollard. “Our biggest worry is that next season the volumes are likely to be increased again so it is a cascading effect of where pickers will come from next time.”
Because they discuss this every year with Government they are taking a long term view. The industry is working on that with the Ministries for Business and Innovation and Social Development, he says.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.