Pieters Horticulture

Very professional interview, promised a lot. On arrival I was treated suspiciously, overly watched and not offered safe or adequate training. After hearing numerous stories of people unfairly fired I feared the worst and after a few days it happened, they are truly unfair judgmental people. I was glad to have left

I worked for Pieter’s Horticulture as a kiwi fruit picker in the Bay of Plenty.

The initial welcome is fairly well organised and you feel properly onboarded at the beginning. Unfortunately, things quickly become disappointing afterwards. Communication is quite poor, with very little clear information and an overall lack of organisation.

The main issue is the lack of work. The company clearly hires more people than needed, which means that even on working days, some people get called in while others don’t work at all. Over the whole kiwi season (March to June), there are actually very few hours available, with only around two weeks of intensive picking.

They expect you to be reliable and to notify them if you can’t come to work, which is fair. However, this is not always reciprocated. Workers can be let go from one day to the next without proper explanation or clear communication.

I would not recommend this company. Other, more family-run businesses tend to offer more consistent hours and better working conditions, with a more human approach and better respect for workers.