36 | 550 hectares of Kiwifruit EHC has a policy of developing its people as much as possible. T T from page 34 EHC Orchard Management REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT “In saying that, some of our existing larger clients have an appetite for growth and we are committed to growing organically with them to ensure we can provide them with the high-quality service that we’re known for.” EHC also has a policy of developing its own people as much as possible, and typically has two cadet trainee managers at any one time. “Of our current managers, seven have come through the ranks in-house starting as cadets. Gone are the days when you would place an advert to find an orchard manager — it just doesn’t happen anymore, you can’t find anyone. The industry is a lot more settled than what it was a number of years ago, so you have to do it inhouse, and the benefit is that you train them the way you want them to be, and with the right work culture.” Cadets come from a variety of backgrounds, including university, polytechs, amd some not long out of school, and one of EHC’s senior managers used to work in a dairy sheep farm. The exception to the rule is Jono Edwards, EHC’s Field Operations Manager, who did come from another facility a number of years ago. Progressing from Manager, Jono now has a senior leadership role in the business with responsibility for the training of cadets and new team members. EHC’s General Manager Tim Woodward, joined the business a number of years ago having previously worked for Zespri, and brought with him a wealth of technical knowledge and experience. About three years Tim took a 15% shareholding in the business. Reflecting on the challenges faced by EHC Orchard Management and the wider industry over the last few years Tom says the availability of contract labour stands out as a key issue, with Covid a leading actor in that. “When Covid was here, New Zealand’s borders were closed, which meant that backpackers and RSE workers were essentially locked in, and couldn’t get home. “So, the industry had those people retained in the country, which meant the harvest season during Covid was actually quite a good year, because we had plenty of staff. But once the borders opened there was a real outflux of workers, as backpackers and RSE workers flooded home, and it was slow for that to re-engage back in again.” The upshot of this was that for a couple of seasons post-Covid (2021/2022) the labour market was really tight, and while EHC does not typically rely on backpackers or RSE workers, the contract workforce it would normally utilise was spread around all the harvesters and post-harvest operations. “The labour suppliers took advantage of that situation. They knew labour was tight and they were very quick to ramp up contract labour prices well higher than normal inflation. “To a certain extent, they held the labour market to ransom, and we didn’t forget that when labour availability started to rise again. Back then, the tail was wagging the dog, now the pendulum has swung to a normal regime of supply, and we have control over labour contractors and suppliers.” Tom says the labour shortage during that period also impacted on the quality of work, at a time when the industry as whole is working hard tidy up poor picking practices. “Because labour was tight, you would have picking crews turn up in your orchard and want to rain-pick, where the fruit is dropped from canopy height into the picking bag, and that causes a lot of bruising. It’s a terrible practice, and one that we simply will not tolerate. “So, the workers would leave, knowing they could find somewhere that would accept the practice. We had periods of time when we weren’t running at full capacity because of that. It protracted harvest and also impacted on our harvest margin.” With two decades of successful operation in the Te Puke community, and a large employer within the local region, EHC Orchard Management is now very much part of the community, contributing generously annually by way of scholarships; sponsorships; and contributions to sporting clubs, schools, Volunteer Fire Brigade, St Johns and KidsCan. “There are times when we have called the Brigade or St Johns, and they all rely on funding, so you need to be involved. That is our approach.” TOP QUALITY BUILDER Residential & Commercial • New homes & Renovations Shop & Office Fit-outs • In-House Architectural Designer Licensed Builders with 20+ years experience CABINET MAKING & JOINERY EXPERT PAINTERS & DECORATORS Kitchens & Joinery Design & Build | Cad Drawings | Wardrobes Interior & Exterior Professional | New Houses & Repaints At Waterite Pumps & Electrical we are an experienced friendly team who specialise in orchard irrigation design, installation & frost protection. We also sell, repair & install pumps. We have in-house registered electricians, so we offer a full turn key installation. We supply & install water treatment systems & filtration, water meters & water tanks. Call in to our shop at 41 Jocelyn Street, Te Puke to view our range of quality fittings. Please get in touch with us if you would like a chat with Peter (Water) or Garth (Electrical) to discuss your plans Proudly supporting EHC Orchard Management (07) 573 8485 | 41 Jocelyn St, Te Puke | office@wpe.co.nz | www.wpe.co.nz Water: Irrigation & Frost Protection • Design & Installation • Pumps Service/Repair • Filtration & Water Treatment • Trenching • Pipes & Fittings Electrical: Orchard • Dairy Farm • Automation • Industrial • Commercial • Domestic
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