NZ Herald Headlines | Friday December 5, 2025
Video / NZ Herald
A tight job market has helped a Hawke’s Bay father go from jumping from job to job to finding a place where he can thrive.
After a restructure didn’t go his way, Kole McGarvey spent the next three months screaming through his savings before walking into a Ministry of SocialDevelopment (MSD) office in search of a job.
The very next day he interviewed for and landed an MSD cadetship role at T&G Global’s Hastings site as an orchard developer.
Seven years later and McGarvey is still there today.
He’s now the workforce development and planning manager – helping run Core Talent, the same programme that got his foot in the door.
“When I first had my interview with my manager, Maurice, he told me if you want to go far in the industry all you need to do is turn up and have a good attitude,” McGarvey said.
“I thought he was joking.”
T&G Global workforce development and planning manager Kole McGarvey. Photo / Jack Riddell
Before getting the role at T&G, the father of four job-hopped every two years – trying everything from being a chef to dabbling in IT to call centre management.
But thanks to the MSD-funded programme Core Talent, McGarvey said he finally found his niche.
The 12-month Core Talent (formerly Sustainable Employment-Employee Development or Seed) programme provides fulltime permanent work for up to 10 candidates a year at T&G’s apples business across Hawke’s Bay.
It includes on-the-job training in outdoor orchard work, packhouse work and life skills such as budgeting.
MSD East Coast regional commissioner Steve Smits-Murray said in 2024 nine MSD job candidates were employed by T&G through the programme and are doing really well.
In 2024, six people successfully completed the programme and remained employed for six months or longer.
“Between November 2024 and November 2025, we’ve had 4056 people in Hawke’s Bay move off benefit and into work,” Smits-Murray said.
“Horticulture is one of our region’s backbone industries, so we’re really proud to see people get in there and build a solid career.
“Helping people do that is MSD’s top priority.”
McGarvey said the permanent contracts offered through Core Talent enable participants to move between different roles, develop diverse skills and stay employed between seasons.
Participants could start in packhouse or forklift driving roles, then move on to an orchard, doing flower picking, development, tree training or thinning.
