14.06.24 An hour or so out of Wellington is Levin, the largest town in the Horowhenua District. Despite it being a gloomy day - it had been drizzling since that morning - I was excited when my husband and I finally drove up to Lewis Farms for a scheduled pastoral care visit. 

Here I met Catherine, her husband Cam and his father Geoff Lewis. Geoff and his wife Liz had initially started growing theTendertips asparagus in the 1980s. Now, Cam and Catherine are joint owners of both Tendertips and its main supplier, Lewis Farms. In 2018, Cam and Catherine diversified into strawberries in order to provide 9-12 months of employment for core staff of locals and international workers. 

Lewis Farms employs two groups of international workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE): from Samoa and - for the first time in Lewis Farm History - from the Solomon Islands in 2024. The team of 20 from the SI had started working in May, and were now wrapping up the harvest from strawberry season. Catherine and Cam confirmed that the team will be heading to Wairarapa in July, to work for another employer for a few months, before returning to Lewis Farm later in the year to complete their 7-month contract. 

After discussions with owners and management, Catherine and Cam showed us around the farm, explaining how the strawberries were grown hydroponically in poly-tunnels, and nurtured until they were ready for harvest. I met some of the SI workers in these tunnels, picking and weighing strawberries into punnets ready to be shipped to the supermarket. I was pleased to see that the workers were a cheerful bunch, and very focused on picking and packing.

Following the tour, I sat with all 20 workers over boxes of pizza, and spoke on their experiences, as well as the opportunities and services available for them while in Aotearoa NZ. For every one of them, it was their first time picking strawberry, and for all but one, it was their first season to be recruited to work in Aotearoa NZ under the RSE scheme.

During their initial week or so in Levin, the workers had to be taught the process of strawberry cultivation, then how to select the right berries to weigh and pack. The workers expressed how much they are enjoying their job, and were grateful for the opportunity to earn money for their families back home. I commended on them on their good work, and urged them to keep the momentum and improve their productivity. 

When all was done, I was very thankful to receive a lovely goodie bag from Lewis Farms filled with fresh strawberries, and two jam jars, one of raspberry and one strawberry. Just one of the many perks of these pastoral care visits!

Tenkiu tumas Lewis Farms, and lukim iufala moa - thank you very much Lewis Farms, and see you again.