Omicron could threaten kiwifruit harvest

NZ needs 24,000 people to harvest the nation's kiwifruit crop. (Image: Getty)

Fri, 28 Jan 2022

A kiwifruit workers’ shortage is expected to bite harder in 2022, particularly if people fall victim to omicron.New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Colin Bond says NZ needs 24,000 seasonal workers to pick and pack the 2022 kiwifruit harvest and “the shortage of seasonal labour is forecast to be higher than in 2021".Horticulture, like the dairy sector, has been struggling to find workers to fill the massive gap caused when the border shut. Bond says border closers – which restricted the number of working vis...

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