Gourmet Blueberries Ltd. - Working in Hawke's Bay

Since I haven't spoken up in a while, I'll do that now. (When we travel to the South Island at the end of April, beginning of May, there will be more posts again. But here we only work and the weather is terrible anyway, so there is nothing interesting to report.)

The following post will be useful for those looking for work in New Zealand and for those who are generally interested in what a workday looks like here.

Blueberry pickers. In the Hawke's Bay region, there is the company 'Gourmet Blueberries Ltd.', a large blueberry farm with a packhouse.

We have been working there as pickers for a few months now. As the name suggests, it refers to the profession of picking blueberries. There are other jobs that can be done there, but more on that later.

Picker, what does one do as such? Well, working hours are usually from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., that is, 12 hours. However, these often shift depending on the weather, sunrise, and sunset. Work is not done in the rain and the orchard (as the fields are called) is not opened until sunrise for the pickers.

There is a hotline that can be called to find out when to come to work. But a Facebook page is also provided, where we are usually kept up to date.

As a picker, one can freely choose whether, when, and how long to work each day. If you don't feel like it, you can stay at home. If you want to start in the afternoon, you can do that, and you can leave whenever you want.

Once the decision is made to work, here's how it goes:

1. When you arrive at the company, you go to the gathering point with your chip card, from where you will be taken to the various orchards.

2. You get your card scanned and then take your hanging basket, insulating film, a wooden board, and trays for the basket.

3. Then either go to the nearby orchard or wait for the van that will take you to another orchard. It depends on where the picking is done that day.

4. Once you arrive at the orchard, you take a cart and put two green crates for the fruit and usually one grey crate for your belongings in it. I recommend always having at least 3 grey crates so you can sit more comfortably.

5. Then follow the arrows that lead you to your workplace.

6. When you arrive there, the supervisors are standing. Their job is basically just to boss us pickers around, let us into the rows, and weigh our berries when we're done. Sounds relaxed, it certainly is.

7. Once you have been assigned a row, the card is scanned again, disinfectant is sprayed on your hand, and then you can start picking.

8. Then it's time to pick. Every blueberry you can find, from bottom to top, through the bushes. The fruit is collected in the hanging basket. When it's full, it weighs about 1kg. You have to make 6 of those, which you then pour into the green crate and cover with the insulating film. When you reach 6kg, go to step 9.

9. Call the 'runner'. Those are the people who spend the whole day walking through the rows, collecting the crates and taking them to be weighed, so that the picker can work continuously.

So you're in your row and have 6kg. From then on, you always call the runner. Like this: 'Rrrrrruuuuuunneeeeeerrrrrrrrr!'

Some also like this: 'Rhuuuuuunaaaaa!'

Or like this: 'Raaaaaaanaaaaaaaaa!'

It's funny what some people shout..

If you have managed to attract attention, the runner shouts back: 'What row?'

Oh yeah, which row actually? There is a number at every entrance to the row. I still haven't managed to remember it.

Anyway, in 70% of the cases, the answer is: 'I don't know!'

But sometimes it's also: 'Row tötitre!' which means 'thirty three'.

If the runner has luckily located you, he comes and collects everything necessary. The crate(s) and the chip card, so that the berries can be assigned to the picker.

10. When you're finished in your row and can't find any more berries, or if you don't feel like being in that row anymore, you leave it, go to a weigh station (where the berries are weighed) and then get assigned to a new row or go home.

11. If you decide to go home, you take your crates away, tidy up your cart, and put away the things you took at the beginning (insulating film, etc.). Then you clock out and leave.

Home time!