NZ New Emperor director Ali Farahani said some of his employeees can earn between $400 to $600 a day picking. Photo / Supplied
NZ New Emperor director Ali Farahani said some of his employeees can earn between $400 to $600 a day picking. Photo / Supplied
Picking wages in Hawke's Bay could be on the rise with some companies and contractors trying to attract workers offering anything from $50 to $130 per bin.
Horticultural contracting services NZ New Emperor Contracting Ltd is offering $130 plus bonus per bin of apples filled.
Director Ali Farahani said thecompany placed a high value in providing competitive payment.
"Our bin rate allows us to fairly reward our core team, whilst also providing flexible work hour options for parents and caregivers who wish to work during school hours," he said.
The apples that the company are picking are Rockit apples - a smaller hybrid of New Zealand's popular gala and splendour varieties.
But despite the high potential earnings, Farahani said they are still struggling for workers.
"Though Facebook posts gain a lot of attention through likes and comments, it is hard to filter out the really keen and interested applicants," he said.
"A lot of money is out there, some of our employees are making $400 to $600 a day."
Yummy general manager Paul Paynter said bin rates mean nothing in relation to what people get paid. Photo / File
However, Yummy general manager Paul Paynter said bin rates meant "absolutely nothing" about what people get paid.
"Bin rates aren't very useful unless you know how big the trees are, how big the apples are and how many bins you can pick in a day," Paynter said.
He said the $130 bin rate for some people could work out as minimum wage only, and the $50 rate could be much more attractive.
"In the first situation you might pick 1.5 bins a day and in the second you might pick six," he said. "So you'll make around $200 a day picking the smaller apple and $300 a day picking the larger ones."
He said Rockit use the standard industry bin, the apple is about 65g and you can get approximately 6400 in each bin.
"Say you can pick 9600 fruit a day of small apples or 1.5 bins, you might only pick 8000 of larger apples, which is about four bins. In this scenario the hourly rate is almost identical."
The orchardist said his company hadn't paid a bin rate for years.
"We pay $20 an hour and then higher hourly rates if you can pick more bins - So we have some on $30 plus an hour."
