Tunnel Crop Worker (Tomatoes and Peppers)

Crops do not wait, and a wine farm near White River needs extra hands this season. It's the kind of job where doing the basics well every day gets you noticed.

This post is White River-based, with most of your time spent at a wine farm. The first two weeks are spent shadowing someone experienced.

• Wash hands and use the field toilets for food safety
• Follow the re-entry times after spraying, as the signs show
• Fill crates or bins and carry them to the collection point
• Tie up tomato and pepper plants in tunnels
• Move irrigation pipes and check drippers for blockages
• Clean and store picking bags, ladders and secateurs
• Prune and thin fruit trees and vines to the farm's method

• Valid ID or work permit
• Careful with fruit, since bruised fruit is rejected
• Available for the full harvest season
• Able to work outdoors in heat, cold and rain
• Follows farm hygiene and safety rules
• Willing to start at sunrise

• Tractor or quad bike experience
• Living on or near the farm
• Previous harvest or picking experience

• Farm transport from nearby towns
• Piece-rate bonus on top of daily wage
• Chance of a permanent post after good seasons
• Seasonal accommodation on some farms

• If you have picked before, say which crop and how many seasons. Farms rehire experienced pickers first.
• Farms hire before the season starts, so apply four to six weeks early. Late arrivals often find the teams already full.