The kiwifuit industry is looking for seasonal workers for the upcoming harvest. Photo / Supplied
The kiwifuit industry is looking for seasonal workers for the upcoming harvest. Photo / Supplied
A $5 million new orchard worker accommodation that's more than double the size initially planned pre-Covid will be built for 140 recognised seasonal staff in Katikati.
Seeka says the purpose-built accommodation for RSEs at Sharp Rd will significantly increase the number of people able to be accommodated in the area while safeguarding the industry from having nowhere to house vital seasonal staff.
There are stringent rules around where RSEs can stay, with workers not allowed to stay in residential houses.
Seeka's chief executive Michael Franks said there was a national quota of 16,000 RSEs to New Zealand and at one point Seeka was 1100 people short through Covid-19 sickness and general labour shortages.
Seeka is involved on the orchard, at the packhouse and in the market and is the largest grower of kiwifruit in New Zealand and Australia.
While some seasonal workers travel domestically for the roles, many of the RSEs come from the Pacific Islands of Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands and Franks said it was hoped more can come from Papua New Guinea.
RSE workers to be housed in Katikati complement the 800 permanent staff and 4500 seasonal workers the horticulture company hires each year.
"There's a big demand for the Bay of Plenty. Quite rightly these people need to be in really good accommodation in New Zealand," he said.
In a tight labour market and with Katikati locals unable to fill jobs, Franks said it was important to provide for growth.
"A lot of accommodation has been taken for social housing," says Franks. "We're better to build for it."
The existing facility will be replaced with a modernised building that includes two recreational lounges and wifi.
There were upgrades in the interim, with Franks saying there had been some criticism of what was offered.
"We've had some but we're doing things on such a scale, there always will be some [criticism] and it will never be perfect.
"It is important that we are providing quality living arrangements for their time with us and this project will deliver them a comfortable home away from home."
It comes at a cost of $5m, up from $1.6m when initially planned in 2018, and postponed due to the uncertainty of bringing in seasonal workers due to government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions.
Franks said seasonal workers were a huge help during the labour shortage throughout the kiwifruit harvest and more recently, orchard operations, and they worked hard.
Warehouse Packers experienced an average advertised salary rise of 17.5 per cent to $51,853 in the quarter to July, according to data from the employment website SEEK NZ Employment Report.
The company pays a minimum of $24 per hour but workers are able to earn "much more".
The kiwifuit industry is looking for seasonal workers for the upcoming harvest. Photo / Supplied
However, Franks said the higher wages haven't led to more locals applying for jobs.
"They [locals] are all hired to start with."
Seeka is investing in new kiwifruit orchards in partnership with iwi and the Provincial Growth Fund, including a 40-hectare Hayward orchard on the East Cape with PGF, and a 7-hectare SunGold orchard in the Bay of Plenty.
SEEK country manager Rob Clark said in "an incredibly tight job market like this" a boost in salaries was expected.
According to SEEK data, the top 20 roles with the fastest growing salaries for the three months to July 2022, compared to the quarter before, included five roles within Information & Communication Technology, rising between 9.9 per cent and 17 per cent, Warehouse Packers with average advertised salaries rising 17.5 per cent, Real Estate Salespeople up 13.3 per cent, and Travel Consultants with salaries rising 9.6 per cent.
