Not much interest in picking fruit

A bid to get potential fruit-pickers into work in the Hawke’s Bay suburb of Flaxmere didn’t go very well, drawing a crowd of zero.

Hastings District Council teamed up with the Ministry of Social Development and New Zealand Apples & Pears to run two information sessions yesterday for people keen to work on the orchards.

It followed the declaration of a seasonal labour shortage in the region last month, after a record crop meant the industry was facing a worker shortage in the order of 300 to 400 people.

The other information session yesterday was held in the Hastings suburb of Camberley. It was more popular than the Flaxmere meeting, attracting 30 people.

A council spokeswoman said more meetings would be held in Flaxmere, possibly on Wednesday mornings which was believed to suit more people.

The labour shortage declaration meant people on visitor visas could apply for a variation of conditions enabling them to be employed on orchards and vineyards in the region.

New Zealand Apples & Pears spokesperson Gary Jones said that with a record crop and low unemployment Hawke’s Bay’s horticulture sectors were seeking to engage more closely with local communities.

‘‘We are grateful to Work and Income and Hastings District Council for their support to bring non-Work and Income jobseekers together with employers.’’

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said it was an opportunity to bring people together to help with the pipfruit harvest.