JOB DETAILS

What do the jobs involve?

Thinning

In Spring (November and December) we are ‘thinning’.

This involves removing some of the small developing apples by hand to allow those that are left behind to grow larger for harvest.

The job is physical (but not too tough) and outdoors. It is not difficult to learn and Mr Apple will provide full training. You don’t need any experience, only a good attitude and average fitness.

Picking

In late Summer/Autumn (March, April and May) we are harvesting our crop.

This is our busiest and most important period of the year and your best opportunity to earn good money!

Picking involves selecting the ripe apples, picking them in to a ‘bucket’ and transferring them to a wooden bin for transport off the orchard to our grading and packing facilities. It is a physical job but easy to learn...  again Mr Apple will provide full training.

Packhouse

There are also other opportunities during harvest season for work in our packhouses, grading and packaging the fruit for export. This is indoors work that is paid by the hour.

What does it pay?

On the orchards we pay almost all our wages as ‘piece rates’. This means we pay for each tree that you thin or each bin of apples that you pick. It also means that the more you do... the more you can earn.

The rates we pay vary depending on the difficulty of the job at the time, but once you have learnt the job the average worker can expect to earn about NZ$100 per day (before tax) for thinning and early picking (March) and NZ$120 per day (before tax) for late picking (April and May).

Our best experienced pickers can earn in excess of NZ$180 per day (before tax) during picking.

Mr Apple obeys all New Zealand labour laws and guarantees payment for all work in full on a weekly basis. There are no hidden catches or deductions. You are also guaranteed a minimum of NZ$96 per day (before tax) while training for thinning and picking.