6am. Out of bed, after having breakfast with my husband, Garry, and packing some lunch, I check emails to see what will need processing later.
7.45am. I arrive at the packhouse, after grabbing any paperwork needed for the day, and meet up with the team. Often a couple of team members – Lesh and Raquel – have arrived earlier to assemble and put liners in the plastic crates ready to fill with carrots. Garry and I have been commercial growers in Ohakune since 1981, originally on a smaller scale growing Brussels sprouts and parsnips, but now solely carrots. Garry’s taken a sidestep and now does tracking and water supply maintenance on the farms, assisting our son Carl who runs the sheep and beef side of our business. Carrot orders come in by text or phone call from the supermarket vegetable procurement team and wholesale market reps all over the North Island till around 11.30am. As the orders arrive, I liaise with the packing staff on tallies of the different lines. Carrots are packed into either twenty-kilogram plastic crates, ten-kilogram and twenty-kilogram plastic bags, or bulk bins, depending on customer requirements.
10am. Morning tea – time for a cuppa and a catch-up. We have two-hour runs between breaks, so muscles get a rest now from standing at conveyors sorting or from lifting and packing.
10.20am. Throughout the rest of the morning I am in the packhouse checking the quality and sizing of product, and helping where needed. Now that I’m older, I do not spend the hours sorting on the conveyor that I used to. My role now also involves staff employment, wellbeing, and health and safety. We are lucky to have a great team who put a lot of effort into producing a top-quality product for our customers.
11am. As the orders are completed, I move the pallets of carrots with the forklift from the chiller to the freighting bay to await pickup in the afternoon – this includes labelling each consignment. I book the freight with the trucking company just prior to lunch and write up all the necessary documentation to go with it.
1pm. I retreat into the office to keep up with the paperwork, payments, invoicing and GST, plus there are compliance requirements to record. I also regularly maintain a good supply of the various packaging required. During the afternoon we start processing for the next day’s deliveries, so the carrots will be chilled down enough. The harvesting team in the paddock liaise with us during the day to dig sufficient carrots for orders. We harvest to order to keep the carrots fresh for a longer shelf life. Our climate in Ohakune assists with this, especially in the winter months, enabling good ground storage as long as the carrots are covered with soil.
3pm. Break time. The working day usually winds up between now and 4pm with a big clean up. Like Garry, I’m about to retreat more from the business as Ricky has taken over running the carrot operation. This progression to the next generation has been happening for a number of years – it’s great to see the guys carrying on, putting their own tilt on the both the carrot and the sheep and beef sides of business. Our whole operation is a family affair, with both daughters-in-law Mel and Holly, two nephews, and a niece involved, along with several loyal staff who have been here so long that they’ve become “family.” We employ nine permanent staff over both operations, and usually employ another ten seasonal staff in the packhouse from February to October each year. We remain passionate about growing and providing fresh carrots, although weather conditions, cost of production, market returns, and ever-increasing compliance rules are all part of the challenge.
4pm. After work, if I have enough energy and the weather’s obliging, I will go for a walk on the farm, or I’ll e-bike along the gravel road on the farm boundary – which I’ve just started doing this year. I’m also a keen gardener. I do like to catch up with my grandkids as much as I can – sometimes after school and usually most weekends. We all love the outdoors. I do enjoy getting out on the farm whenever I can.
5.30pm. I prepare dinner. Quite often I’ve put meat in the slow cooker in the morning – I try to have something appetizing, usually with lots of veggies.
7pm. I usually sit down with Garry, and am guilty of going to sleep in front of the TV.
9.30pm-ish. I head off to bed.
This story featured in our Kōanga Spring 2025 Edition.
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