1 Mar 2018
Orchardists struggle with huge apple crop, few pickers
Where are all the backpackers? That's the question Hawke's Bay apple growers are puzzling over, as they scramble to find enough workers to harvest a bumper crop. Orchardists say they less have than half the workers they need, and despite a recruitment campaign, are failing to attract the usual hordes of backpackers they rely on. Hawke's Bay reporter Anusha Bradley has more.