Packhouse
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Once the produce has been harvested, it is transported to packhouse for grading, packaging and shipping. Apples March-April The apple packhouses experience considerable shortages of skilled labour during March and April. AGworks has found that its Asian workers are highly sought after by packhouses. Again it appears to be their hand to eye coordination, the diligent work ethic and their ability to handle the fruit delicately that has built their reputation. AGworks has a commitment to supply 60 workers during March and April to Hawkes Bay packhouses. It cannot do so without permission to employ migrant workers. This season the variation of condition strategy enabled AGworks to fulfill its obligations. May-June The apple packhouse commitment continues over these two months, requiring 60 migrant workers, preferably the same (and by now experienced) migrant workers as used in the previous two months. Onions January-June Throughout these six months AGworks Ltd provides 25 workers to an onion packhouse. The work is dirty/dusty. The existing New Zealand workers at AGworks will not do any hands-on work with onions so there are requirements for migrants to do this work. Asparagus September-December From September to the end of December AGworks provides all the labour for an Asparagus packhouse (80 workers). During September and October the 80 workers are locals. They leave the packhouse en masse in November for vineyard maintenance and apple thinning and do not return. AGworks usually has to find 80 migrant workers in November and December each year simply to honour its Asparagus packhouse commitments. |