Orchard Assistant

Key Tasks + Duties & Responsibilities: May include some or all the following: 1. Pruning • Cut off dead, diseased, and broken branches using secateurs, loppers and handsaw. Remove upright shoots, shoots growing down and shoots growing in towards trunk of tree. Tipping of 1-year old growth. Apply pruning paint to cut surfaces. • Clean, sharpen and lubricate tools and equipment. • Tree training and copper painting • Pruning tops – you will be required to operate a hydralada, hydralopper and chainsaw. • Raking during pruning • Remove cut branches from trees and put in middle of row for mulching. • Full training will be provided to operate hydralada, hydroloppers, chainsaws and pruning gear safely and effectively. 2. General Maintenance • may include fencing, hedge trimming, rabbit proofing of nets and fences and any other task required by management. 3. Frost Protection • assisting with pot refuelling, pot location and maintenance. Assisting with frost fighting at night if required • Maintenance of frost fighting systems 4. Irrigation • Assisting with maintenance of our current irrigation system which may include sprinkler replacement, pipe repairs, flushing out lines, filter cleaning, and pump repairs. • Assisting with fertigating and irrigating when required • Installation of new systems when required. 5. Roading • Filling in potholes • Maintenance and levelling of rows 6. Tree care • Planting of new trees and replacement of trees when required. • Bud stripping and guard removal or application • Where applicable, removal and disposal of dead trees 7. Orchard Care • Clean up of orchard after harvest and pruning or whenever required. 8. Use of machinery • included but not limited to tractors work including spraying weeds and crops, mowing, mulching, sweeping etc. • Driving of quads around the orchard with occasional towing of trailers • Trucks, if or when licenced, transporting equipment to and from the packhouse and other locations around Central Otago when needed. • Forklifts, only if licenced, unloading and loading trucks at the orchard or packhouse. Moving bins, skips, tanks etc. within the Orchard boundary when required. • All machinery must be operated in a safe manner, failure to do so will result in no longer being able to use the machinery. 9. Chemicals • You will be required to use chemicals from time to time whether this be with spraying or cleaning etc. Full training will be provided before use of chemicals 10. Your other responsibilities may include any other duties that we reasonably require you to do. We may change your duties from time to time to reflect the changing requirements of your position and the business.

• Genuine love for the outdoors • Own transportation • Comfortable at heights and working with power tools • Is willing to learn new things