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The kiwifruit industry has successfully reached the end of its harvest with a record crop now headed for overseas markets, New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc says.
The sector weathered the labour crisis that affected the country's horticulture sector well – "but that was down to a combination of good practice and good fortune," NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond said.
The 2021 season's domestic operational practices weren't disrupted by Covid-19 to the same extent as last year's, but continued border closures meant Working Holiday Visa holder numbers were down significantly, and RSE worker numbers were limited – meaning an even heavier reliance on Kiwis filling the roles, Bond said.
"We continued our labour attraction strategies from previous years, based on getting good information on the work available to potential workers via collateral and a range of media, including a strong social media programme."
That was bolstered this year by support from the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry for Primary Industries, which made significant contributions to get unemployed New Zealanders into the kiwifruit industry, Bond said.
Meanwhile, a pattern of mixed weather through the season slowed the harvest, meaning that work was often disrupted.
"But that simply means the fruit is on the vines longer and increases the pressure to get it picked at the optimum time."
One development expanded this year was to raise awareness of the career possibilities and long-term work available in the industry.
"We don't just need workers for the harvest; we need them for crucial winter and summer maintenance work to ready the vines for the next year's crop.
"For that, we've retained our 'taster' courses which give people an introduction to the roles and a chance to have a go."
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc would be closely reviewing and evaluating its 2021 recruitment programme and assessing the new challenges to identify how the labour uncertainties could be reduced in 2022, Bond said.
"We see kiwifruit, along with the other horticultural crops, needing certainty of labour supply, and one way we can encourage this is by supporting employment of a workforce that can be on the orchards almost year-round."
The labour shortage issue was crying out for solutions to create certainty, and RSE workers from the Pacific Islands were critical for the near future, Bond said.
"That would be a massive boon for both the Island economies, which are struggling given the massive impact of Covid-19 on tourism, and the New Zealand primary sector. In the longer term, the industry is also looking at automation and is innovating and expanding into this area."
Labour would remain a critical topic as the industry headed into next season, "and we'll be looking again to take a lead on this issue," Bond said.
• More information on the winter pruning taster courses was on the NZKGI website.
• Kiwifruit is New Zealand's largest horticultural export.
• New Zealand kiwifruit production was expected to jump from 150 million trays in 2020 to 190 million trays in 2027.
• The kiwifruit industry's global revenue was expected to jump from $3.4 billion in 2020 to $6 billion by 2030.
Kiwifruit industry contribution to the regions:
• Kerikeri: $55m
• Whangarei: $21m
• Auckland: $66m
• Waihi/Coromandel: $23m
• Bay of Plenty: $152m
• Waikato: $66m
• Poverty Bay: $57m
• Hawkes Bay: $34m
• Lower North Island: $6m
• South Island: $63m