Growers out to ditch ‘mud and gumboots’ image

“Horticulture is sitting on $7 billion/annum and we are global leaders; we’re doing alright so why should be focus on our future workforce? The fact is horticulture is doing more than alright.”

The industry sectors have ambitious growth goals: $10b by 2020. Kiwifruit is talking about $3b by 2025, pipfruit $2b by 2022, NZ avocados quadruple sales and triple productivity by 2023.

In the 2014 ‘People Power’ report the Ministry for Primary Industries strongly indicated that the industry does not have the people capability to meet horticulture’s export targets. A net increase of 7800 people will be needed in the next nine years and 15,000 more workers with qualifications by 2025. 

“Traditionally our industry has had a high focus on technical excellence, production mechanisms, leading edge production mechanisms, the market place – but less on its people,” she says. 

Investment in people has been relatively low. For example, in 2006, through a project HortNZ worked on with Berl, 49% of the workforce had qualification of level 2 and above – significantly lower than the national average of 66.6%.

“We have a history of a negative profile; negative public perception is a huge issue we have to turn around – 20 years of cabbage class mentality in our schools. 

“One of the worst things that happened was 20 years ago agriculture and horticulture did go into schools, but the problem was they targeted, for our industry, those students with either discipline problems or [those who] weren’t particularly academic and liked the practical side. So we have built 20 years of negative image in our schools.”

The seasonal nature of the industry has brought about a public perception that we are “all mud and gumboots”. 

“We need top talent for the roles we have now and the future roles. The industry has an opportunity in the next five years to change things around. The public is looking for more grassroots, back to the land, back to the intrinsic values we can offer and it is coming through with the teachers.”

Horticulture is looking towards strategies and the success of the migrant RSE has had a huge impact on that. 

“The solutions to supplying a seasonal workforce through RSE have now allowed a place for the business, the HR managers, the people on the ground to start working towards their permanent workforce or transitioning seasonal into permanent and I have seen quite a change in focus.”

A number of career events are promoting things, including field days in Hawkes Bay led by the Hawkes Bay
Fruitgrowers Association. And NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc has a new scheme called ‘Cultivate Your Career’ in which 160 students and teachers work on modules. 

Pickering says coordination is needed with so much going on. So a group called the Horticulture Capability Group – HortNZ, Pipfuit NZ, NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc and a vegetable sector – is coordinating the efforts.