Editorial: Employment there for the picking

Linda Hall, Assistant Editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

There really is no excuse for any able-bodied male or female to be unemployed in Hawke's Bay at the moment.

Our apple trees are laden with a bumper crop — all that's missing are pickers.

Yes it might be a hassle to go off the unemployment benefit for just a few months and then have to reapply. I'm not sure how that works but as Hawke's Bay Seasonal Labour Group chairman Gary Jones says it could well lead to a full-time job in the industry.

How much better to earn your own money by doing an honest day's work outdoors than sit indoors waiting for a benefit to land in your bank account.

Mr Jones says that the Bay needs a workforce of more than 12,000 people to fill permanent and seasonal jobs "so we can harvest our export crop".

We know how delicious our fruit is but showcasing it to the rest of the world so they can enjoy it is an important job.

The people who pick our apples are charged with treating them with care so they reach the eater, no matter where in the world, in pristine condition.

You could say it's a labour of love.

Imagine picking an apple that's going to end up in the hands of someone on the other side of the world. That's pretty special.

Stay-at-home parents could also make the most of this opportunity. Get a group together, pick someone very trustworthy to look after the children, go picking — extra money to spend how you wish with the child-carer getting a cut from everyone.

Here's an opportunity for lots of people in our community — make the most of it.