Fruit picking getting unemployed back into work, study

A Christchurch man says he'd probably be on a benefit if he hadn't secured fruit picking work in Central Otago over summer. Luke Condon, who is planning to go to university in Christchurch next year, is currently thinning apples at CAJ Hollandia in Alexandra where he is working 46 hour weeks as part of an MSD programme. Yesterday Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni visited the Orchard to speak with workers and growers and to encourage more people to take up picking. But as Tess Brunton found out, the opportunity has changed Luke Condon's life and forced the 23-year-old to focus on a more productive future.