Career story

Leading hand

Layton Dunn's role as leading hand on an apple orchard near Hastings involves many different challenges. However, the part of the job he likes best is meeting people from all over the world. During the apple thinning and harvest seasons he supervises a team of 15 people, many of whom have never been on an orchard before.

"Finding out all about their background, what they do and where they come from...I find that pretty interesting," he says.

As well as training and supervising staff, Layton is responsible for monitoring the insect pest traps on the orchard. In the off-season he prunes apple trees. Through his job, Layton has been given the opportunity to learn new skills and take on new challenges.

"Both the manager and the foreman taught me a lot," he says. "Each day I was learning new things about different trees, soil types and apples because I came to the orchard not knowing anything. I am so lucky that I have had people who have helped me and coaxed me along."

Layton has formalised that knowledge by completing a Growsafe Certificate and a National Certificate in Horticulture. He has also completed a Dale Carnegie course and entered the Hawke's Bay Young Fruit Grower of the Year competition.

"Just give horticulture a go, don't hold back and say, 'I don't want to do horticulture because it's not for me'," he advises. "You don't really know until you give it a shot."