Key career areas

The horticulture industry can be divided into four key areas. Think of it as practical, science, business and technology.

Within these areas are a huge range of career opportunities - each catering for your own area of interest and skill.

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Practical

These are the roles that relate to the growing, harvesting and looking after the crop once it is harvested. People working on the farm or orchard are primarily responsible for making sure the crop is grown and harvested and reaches the consumer both in New Zealand and overseas in premium condition. This is no mean feat when you consider our products are all perishable. So a huge amount of skill and technical expertise is required to make sure this happens and we get it right every time.

People working in this area love their job because of the variety it offers on a daily basis, because there is lots of outside work and because of the challenges it presents.

Science

New Zealand has been successful in using science to create products with global appeal. Think of the Jazz apple or the Gold kiwifruit - both are new varieties that have been developed in New Zealand. New cultivars, sustainable production systems and new storage techiques are just some aspects of science in this industry.

People working in the science area may be involved in research at a Crown Research Institute or with an industry association or with a grower/packer entity finding solutions for growers.

Business

Not everyone in the industry works on the land. In fact there are many roles that are off the orchard and vineyard. They play a vital role in promoting the industry, finding new opportunities and protecting its future.

Business roles are hugely varied. The range includes: crop procurement, sales and marketing, working on the logistics of getting a crop from one place to another, rural banking, working at a government level on access to other countries for our exports, and protecting our borders from unwanted pests and diseases coming into New Zealand.

Technology

The horticulture industry is full of amazing gadgets and gizmos to make growing, packing and storing and transporting that greatly improve growing, packing, storing, transporting and selling our fresh produce. These include retractable covers to protect crops from birds and hail, computerized irrigation and frost protection systems, near infra-red technology for grading fruit, and robotic harvesting.

If you like making things, fixing things and working and playing with high tech equipment then this is your industry. All the stuff you learnt at school or in another trade can be readily applied to the horticulture industry. If you like installing, operating and maintaining machinery and high-tech equipment, then horticulture is your industry. Your school technology education or knowledge from another trade can be transferred.