5am. My alarm pierces the darkness. Within ten minutes I’m sweeping along rugged country roads, pursued by a spectacular dust cloud. Air billows into the van and music tumbles out, scarcely audible over the churn of the gravel. Sunrays peek up behind the green hills skirting the sky as I contemplate the day ahead; clambering up ladders and knocking off excess fruit from branches, fruit thinning. My arms are jelly from the day before. The work is physically gruelling, but the prospect of seeing the smiling faces ahead of me (and pay-packet) make it bearable. Such are the joys of seasonal jobs in New Zealand!
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to work for several amazing family-run farms. Like most rural Kiwis, the family hosts were salt-of-the-earth types; full of belly-laughs and tough as nails. But make no mistake. Seasonal jobs are not a holiday – it’s a lifestyle: work hard, eat, sleep, and repeat. Even when you close your eyes, visions of picking asparagus, sorting peaches, or whatever repetitive task you perform, rolls under your eyelids like a moving tattoo.
Job hunting?
To help you on your own seasonal job hunt, I’ve provided brief descriptions about the pros & cons of the various seasonal jobs I’ve had below. Like many jobs, the satisfaction largely depends on the people around you. So, choose your employer wisely! Read to the end for key job-hunting tips.
Asparagus picking
Description: Selecting and cutting asparagus spears that are the correct length for sale and loading them into crates.
Pros
- Work early (5-6am start), enjoy time off in the afternoon
- Chat with workmates during picking (if in a team)
- Fresh air, outdoors
- Walking, keeping active
- Work independently or in a team
- Easy to learn
- Often bonuses for fast workers
- Free produce
Cons
- Lots of back bending
- Repetitive
- Fast paced (if following a tractor), and competitive (if working independently)
- Asparagus growth varies due to the weather, so work is not always guaranteed
- Short October-November season
Produce Inspection
This was probably my favourite role because it offered more variety than picking/packing/thinning, and it was a luxury to work indoors out of the elements.
Description: Randomly selecting produce from packers and writing records on quality, weight, temperature, and basically ensuring issues are addressed and outgoing stock is fine for sale.
Pros
- Variety (examining, reporting, odd-jobs)
- More mentally stimulating than picking/packing
- Indoors (usually in the packing shed)
- Later ~10am start (or thereabouts)
- Free produce
Cons
- Packers may dislike you for pointing out errors in their work
- Standing in one spot for hours
- Volume of work depends on quantity of asparagus stock (variable work hours)
- Reliant on pickers to finish working, so start time can vary
- Usually no bonus for working faster
Packing
Physically speaking, this is one of the less-intense seasonal jobs. It involves packaging stock for sale, like choosing healthy fruit/asparagus spears, cutting them to size, and packaging them for sale.
Pros
- Indoors
- Less physically arduous than picking
- More social (if customers come direct to farm)
- Variety among tasks (sorting, trimming, packing, selling)
- Free produce
Cons
- Need to be especially ‘switched on’ whilst dealing with machinery
- Machinery can be noisy
- Standing in one place for hours
- Repetition within tasks e.g. labelling 30+ bags
Fruit Thinning & Picking
Thinning involves carrying a giant ladder around an orchard, and climbing it to remove excess fruit from tree branches. Picking is generally more exhausting, because you collect the fruit in a tub hitched onto your waist and carry the load to collection points.
Pros
- Keeps you fit (arms & legs)
- Bonuses for working faster
- Good chat with other workers
- Certain degree of autonomy (work how you want, provided it is safe & gets the job done)
- Long hours (6am-6pm is not unusual), so you can collect a formidable amount of $ within one week
Cons
- Fluff from fruit/trees can make you itchy and get in your eyes
- Little things like scratches, insect bites, & abrasions
- Lathering up with sunscreen
- You need a good sense of balance (and head for heights)
- Workers can become ultra-competitive for bonuses
- Weather dependent
- Physically exhausting
- Repetitive
Tips for finding seasonal jobs
Helpful websites for your search:
Accommodation & Transport
- Can’t find a job online? For best results, call farms directly, check community noticeboards and ask locals for recommendations
- Accommodation: some farms offer accommodation (dorms) and space for campervans. In my experience, having your own space is amazing- so a campervan is a real bonus. Read more about the reasons why you should consider travelling with a campervan
- These days many large farms recruit international teams of picker from overseas, so smaller farms may actually be your best bet for job vacancies
- No vehicle? Some employers offer transport to/from the farm for workers, and can help arrange carpool options
- Not keen on summer work? Consider getting a job on the ski fields and enjoy the cool snow season!
Read More
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