New Zealand Working Holiday: Earn TWD 10,000 a Week at Kiwifruit Packing Factories, the Kingdom of Kiwifruits

Reported and photographed by Chen Hanyin in New Zealand

The ubiquitous slogan “真的耶” (It’s true!) has made Taiwan the world’s fourth-largest kiwifruit consumer, with an astonishing record of 10 million cases eaten by Taiwanese in 2016 alone. Leading kiwifruit company Zespri has put New Zealand on the map as the “Kingdom of Kiwifruits,” creating countless economic miracles in the fruit industry. We head to the kiwifruit-rich Bay of Plenty to uncover Zespri’s juicy secrets.

▲ New Zealand is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of kiwifruit.

▲ Organic orchards employ sustainable farming methods, using only organic fertilizers and ensuring 100% residue-free produce.

▲ The kiwifruit season in the southern hemisphere runs from around April to December, but Zespri also has orchards in the northern hemisphere, ensuring year-round availability of Zespri kiwifruits.

New Zealand produces nearly 490,000 metric tons of kiwifruit annually on 12,500 hectares of land. Zespri distributes to over 50 countries worldwide, supporting the livelihoods of 2,540 growers. It’s hard to imagine that this fuzzy little fruit holds the economic lifeline of an entire nation. The North Island town of Tauranga, with its volcanic ash soil rich in minerals and loose texture ideal for root growth, is perfect for kiwifruit cultivation. The orchards and packing factories here offer abundant working holiday opportunities, making the town a hotspot for backpackers.

▲ Zespri’s headquarters is located in Tauranga, North Island.

▲ The office atmosphere is bright and lively, even featuring a kiwifruit-themed “bicycle juicer.”

Zespri has a dedicated team of experts who manage a global supply chain of 140 million kiwifruit cases each year. This includes 18 packing factories and 60 cold storage facilities. Every aspect—sweetness, firmness, and texture—is meticulously monitored. Zespri also collaborates with New Zealand’s national agricultural testing agency, Eurofins, to develop kiwifruit cultivation programs. Each year, new varieties are created, including green, yellow, and red ones. Surprisingly, there are even spicy-flavored kiwifruits.

▲ A variety of unreleased, improved kiwifruit breeds are truly impressive.

▲ Production history is tracked through testing, allowing farmers who grow high-quality fruit to earn better profits.

▲ Kiwifruit hardness is being tested.

Zespri’s testing centers and packing factories are not open to the public, but visitors must wear protective caps before entering. Stepping into the vast packing facility reveals that kiwifruits go through about 200 quality control checkpoints—from harvest to market. Upon arrival, the fruits are brushed to remove debris, then undergo initial sorting by hand and machine to remove defective ones such as misshapen, insect-damaged, or bruised fruit. They are then automatically weighed and graded by machines, packaged by both human workers and machines, and finally labeled with the Zespri logo. Every sweet and tangy bite you enjoy comes with a guarantee of quality.

▲ Labels on kiwifruit boxes detail the production history, including cultivation and packaging records.

▲ The packing factory attracts backpackers from all over the world every year.

New Zealand produces over 100 million kiwifruit cases annually, and the packing factories require a large workforce, creating numerous working holiday opportunities that draw backpackers from more than 70 countries.For example, packing factory workers earn about NZD 15 (approx. TWD 330) per hour. Working a 9-hour shift, 4 days a week, they can earn up to TWD 11,880 a week.The youngest worker at the factory is a 19-to-20-year-old French youngster who came to New Zealand to work and seek those magical life moments.

▲ A young working holiday traveler from France.