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Explore careers

Your existing skills

Upskill

Success stories

Immediate-start jobs

Considering a long-term change in career or lifestyle? There’s a diverse range of roles and pathways available for you to progress your career in our resilient food &amp; fibre sectors.New Zealand needs talented people in jobs right now to help feed Kiwis and people around the world. If your employment has been impacted recently or if you're looking for a change in career or lifestyle, our innovative food &amp; fibre sectors will welcome your skills and experience. You can be well rewarded financially or quickly progress to becoming self-employed. There’s a role for every talent.

Opportunities for you

Forestry Machine Operator

Farm Assistant

Rural Consultant

Orchard Manager

Explore the range of careers available in the food &amp; fibre sectors.

Job Hunters' Workbook

Where your hospitality skills can take you

Future careers are skills-focused

Many of your existing skills may be transferable to our food &amp; fibre sectors. These articles will make you feel more confident about transferring your skills to a new career.

Rural Retraining Foundation Skills

Agri Training

Agri Training&nbsp;have created a comprehensive taster programme for those looking to transfer their skills into a farming career. An online course will help you make an informed decision on whether a change to the food &amp; fibre sectors is for you. If it is, you'll progress to a 13-day, hands-on Rural Retraining Foundation Skills Course in Canterbury, giving you the skills to be "farm ready". The final step will be getting matched to the right employer for you, and then your career is ready to take off!

Agricultural Contractor Training

Southern Institute of Technology - Telford

&nbsp; Retrain and get into the Agriculture sector as an Agricultural Contractor at&nbsp;SIT Telford Campus. Learn how to cultivate land, plant and harvest crops, work with tractors, harvesters, and other essential farm equipment. If you have good practical skills, technical know-how and can work to deadlines then this industry is a great redeployment option for you.This course is six weeks long and will teach you all the skills you need to have to become an agricultural/rural contractor.All accommodation, meals or living costs provided. NO FEES.

Southern Institute of Technology, Telford - Agricultural Contractor Training

Career Weeks

Taratahi Food and Fibre: Taster Camp

Career weeks are being offered for people to experience life on the land at Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre (Wairarapa), and decide whether they want to learn more about working in the agricultural sector. The career weeks are free, including meals and accommodation.A range of flexible options, or taster camps, are available to introduce you to the food &amp; fibre sector. The training is done at Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, and you’ll visit local farms, work with industry professionals and learn what kind of career lights your fire and suits your strengths. A range of subject options are offered throughout the year depending on the season and the needs of the industry.Courses range from 2-days to 6-weeks duration.

Winter Pruning One-Day Taster Course

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI)

This NZKGI led, Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) funded initiative is designed to give NZ citizens and permanent residents a no-obligation opportunity to see if this crucial task in the kiwifruit calendar might be for them.Potential applicants are warmly encouraged to join the one-day course and learn how they can become a part of the leading horticultural export industry growing a high-quality product in demand around the world.

Add to your skillset or qualifications. A number of providers offer specific bridging programmes to help you transition to a career in our food &amp; fibre sectors.

Steven Hartley, Orchard Manager

Steven Hartley

STEVEN HARTELY

Dairy Farmer career changers

Thomas Lundman, Farm Assistant

Thomas Lundman

THOMAS LUNDMAN

Be inspired by real stories from real people who have successfully changed careers and joined our food &amp; fibre sectors.

Agstaff

Agstaff&nbsp;is a supplier of staff to the primary industries, supplying staff to the agricultural, horticultural and food processing sectors. It remains open as an essential service.

Apata Group Limited

Apata Group Limited&nbsp;is a specialist service provider for New Zealand kiwifruit and avocado growers. They harvest, pack and store fruit in packhouses and coolstores situated in the heart of kiwifruit and avocado growing country, the Bay of Plenty. As an essential service, work continues and they are hiring now.

Farm Source Jobs

Farm Source&nbsp;links dairy farmer employers with employees across New Zealand.Many of these roles do ask for experience, but some just ask for the right attitude and an interest in farming.

GoHort

Looking for a career that allows you to be a part of a sustainable, progressive and rewarding industry?The&nbsp;GoHort&nbsp;JobBoard is a platform to showcase the skilled career opportunities currently available in the horticultural sector.

Kiwifruit Jobs New Zealand

Kiwifruit Jobs New Zealand&nbsp;is the official page to find and promote kiwifruit work. The kiwifruit industry is considered an essential service under Covid-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4 and continues to operate under enhanced hygiene practices. Seasonal labour is still required to pick and pack the kiwifruit harvest.

Opportunity Grows Here

If you’re looking for work, there are opportunities in Aotearoa New Zealand right now.Our vineyards, forests, farms, orchards, and seas have roles for everyone – from immediate jobs and careers, to training and taster courses to get you started. We need people with a range of interests, skills, experiences, and background.While there are seasonal jobs, many may be the start of a long-term career with opportunities to grow and advance.

PickNZ Job Board

Looking for a new seasonal job in New Zealand’s fruit and vegetable industries?&nbsp;Find seasonal jobs across NZ on PickNZ’s Job Board.

Sealord

Sealord&nbsp;as a food producer, is considered an ‘essential’ service by the New Zealand Government. So we are continuing to make our good food, in line with our own strict production practices and the Government’s health and safety requirements.

T&amp;G&nbsp;is a global business that produces and distributes some of the world’s safest fresh fruit and vegetables. Now it has a vital role to play in providing nutritious fruit and vegetables to Kiwis as an essential service during this critical time.

Growing and processing food are essential services. New Zealand needs talented people in jobs right now to help feed Kiwis and people around the world.&nbsp; From seasonal job opportunities to longer-term career opportunities - our resilient food &amp; fibre sectors will welcome your skills and experience.&nbsp;Explore the job listings at the sites below.

Changing Careers