Handpicked Crew’s attraction campaign is in full swing for the upcoming summerfruit harvest. The focus of the campaign, as it has been in other years, is to attract various workforce cohorts into our seasonal workforce, with a special focus on students, backpackers, international and New Zealand travellers.
Below is an outline of activities currently completed, in progress or planned preseason.
Handpicked Crew webinars
Over the past few months, we have put together a series of webinars to assist growers to attract, retain, and grow a skilled and productive workforce. The webinars support growers to enhance their HR practises, and to help protect and lift the reputation of the horticulture industry as a great place to work.
You can find them in the Portal under: Main menu/All documents/Labour resources.
University expos and job boards
Universities are currently hosting their summer job expos. Many students are out and about looking for jobs to get their summer sorted – for example, the recent Lincoln expo saw a larger turnout than in previous years. Let’s hope it’s a reflection of jobs taken up!
Handpicked Crew attends these expos to represent all growers to promote seasonal jobs. However, you are welcome to host your own table. If you would like to do so, please contact:
graduate.recruitment@otago.ac.nz | W: www.otago.ac.nz/careers
The Otago Pop Up Job Shop is again running this year and is open to the public. Handpicked Crew will be attending but feel free to set up your own desk.
Contact deb.sutton003@msd.govt.nz
As well as university expos, Handpicked Crew is promoting seasonal jobs on Student Job Search, and Uni talent. Uni talent is a national wide job board that is connected directly to student portals.
Growers are also encouraged to use these other platforms to promote their jobs:
Older New Zealanders
The older New Zealand cohort, sometimes known as ‘Grey Nomads’, is being targeted this year via the New Zealand Motorhome and Caravan Association, via different platforms such as social media pages, members newsletters, and magazine articles.
Opportunity Grows Here
Handpicked Crew is again being supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) this year, with its nationwide Opportunity Grows Here (OGH) campaign. The OGH Campaign will start promoting seasonal jobs in the coming week. Both OGH and Handpicked Crew direct all job seeker traffic to Pick NZ so get your ads up on Pick NZ now!
Handpicked Crew website and social media pages
Handpicked Crew's social media pages will continue to promote seasonal jobs and the regions. If you have a social media page, head along to Handpicked Crew and follow us. Please also send tracey.mansfield@summerfruitnz.co.nz any posts you have created on your platforms so that we can share them on our page.
Website – all summerfruit growers in any region can be listed on the Handpicked Crew website, by emailing tracey.mansfield@summerfruitnz.co.nz. This is a place for job seekers to find out a little about you and then be directed to your website/application page.
Crew Cards – again we will run the incentives programme with business in the region offering deals and discounts to all seasonal workers that take on work in the region.