Kiwifruit picking jobs in New Zealand: Bay of Plenty, visas and wages

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What kiwifruit picking involves

Kiwifruit vines grow on pergolas at head height. Pickers wear a front picking bag, snap fruit off quickly, then empty bags into large bins. Scratching the skin must be avoided, since marked fruit is downgraded and loses export value.

Teams work in lines beneath the canopy, often with arms raised for hours. Harvest stops when fruit is wet, so morning dew or rain delays starts and makes working days irregular and weather-dependent throughout the season.

The Bay of Plenty, kiwifruit capital

The Bay of Plenty holds most orchards, around Te Puke, Tauranga, Katikati and Opotiki. Kiwifruit is also grown in Northland around Kerikeri, in Waikato, Gisborne and the Nelson and Motueka district in the South Island.

Season calendar

Harvest usually starts in March with gold kiwifruit and continues through June with green varieties. Winter pruning then keeps orchards busy from June to August, followed by flower picking and bud thinning in spring.

Year-round orchard work

Outside harvest, the PickNZ job board lists roles such as flower picker in Te Puke, bud thinning in Motueka or orchard worker in Tauranga. These tasks let workers stay in a region across several seasons and build references.

Summer brings girdling, canopy management and summer pruning, so a worker who arrives for harvest can often string together almost a full year of orchard work in the same district.

Who can work in the orchards?

New Zealand citizens and residents, and Australians, work freely. Young international travellers use the Working Holiday visa, generally open to ages 18 to 30 and up to 35 for some nationalities; exact terms for each country are set by Immigration New Zealand.

Every worker needs an IRD tax number to avoid a higher tax rate, plus a New Zealand bank account. Working Holiday holders must hold health insurance covering their whole stay in the country.

The RSE scheme for Pacific workers

The Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme lets approved horticulture and viticulture employers recruit in the Pacific, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, within a cap of 20,750 places and stays of seven months in any eleven.

Changes under way to the RSE

Workers from Kiribati and Tuvalu may stay nine months. The 2026 MBIE review proposes removing the annual cap from 2027 and replacing the RSE limited visa with a work visa, subject to government decisions.

How much do kiwifruit pickers earn?

Since 1 April 2026, the adult minimum wage is NZD 23.95 an hour before tax. Pickers are paid hourly or per bin depending on the orchard, but piece rate pay can never fall below this minimum for hours worked.

Workers on short contracts often receive holiday pay as an 8 per cent addition to each pay. RSE employers must also guarantee pay equal to at least 30 hours a week, whatever the weather.

Finding somewhere to live

Te Puke and Tauranga run short of housing at peak harvest. Working hostels, campgrounds and shared houses fill quickly, so booking before March is wise. A car makes it much easier to reach orchards spread around the towns.

New Zealand residents can also turn to the NZ Seasonal Work Scheme run by Work and Income, which may help people taking up at least six weeks of horticulture or viticulture work of 30 hours or more a week. Its helpline is 0800 779 009.

Steps to secure a job

Orchards and harvest contractors start hiring in February. Paperwork ready, a local address and availability until the end of the season are the strongest assets for any applicant.

1. Get the Working Holiday visa and buy health insurance.
2. Apply for an IRD number and open a New Zealand bank account.
3. Book housing in the Bay of Plenty before March.
4. Check the PickNZ job board and the sites listed by the industry.
5. Apply to harvest contractors and packhouses.
6. Check the contract: hourly rate, pay method, 8 per cent holiday pay.
7. Keep payslips and timesheets.

Pitfalls to avoid

The season draws many travellers, which encourages some dubious practices around housing and piece rate pay. A few habits avoid most problems.

• Accepting per-bin pay with no minimum hourly wage guarantee.
• Paying a housing bond without a receipt or agreement.
• Working without an IRD number, which means more tax.
• Arriving in May expecting a place when crews are full.
• Ignoring the weather: rain days are unpaid.

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover the questions international candidates ask most often while preparing a kiwifruit season in New Zealand in 2026.

Is picking experience needed?

No, crews quickly train beginners in picking technique and quality rules. Fitness, punctuality and care with the fruit matter more than experience, because damaged fruit costs the grower money.

Can you move on to packhouse work?

Yes, kiwifruit packhouses often run longer than the harvest, with coolstores shipping fruit into spring. Grader, packer and forklift roles extend the season by several weeks for reliable workers.

Does the minimum wage apply to visa holders?

Yes, every employee in New Zealand, whatever their visa, is entitled to the NZD 23.95 adult minimum wage, holiday entitlements and a proper payslip showing hours and deductions.

When is the best time to arrive?

Arriving in late February or early March gives time to settle before peak harvest and choose an employer. By June, work shifts to winter pruning and packhouses, with fewer picking roles available.

Gold or green: does it change the work?

Gold kiwifruit ripens earlier and has thinner, more delicate skin, so pickers must handle it with extra care, keeping nails short or wearing thin gloves. Green kiwifruit is picked later in the season and is a little more forgiving for beginners.