"New Zealand horticulture is enjoying quite a boom at the moment and we're on a roll," says Horticulture New Zealand chief executive, Mike Chapman. "The question is, how do we stay there?”

He suggested that a vital element moving forward is ongoing upskilling through the education and training of the staff within horticulture. “People are the lifeblood of the industry, and consistent training programmes are a must."

As horticulture processes are constantly changing, and with the introduction of new technology and regulations, there's always something new for staff to learn - from improving efficiencies and using technology, to keeping safe.

"We're proud to launch our Let's Grow initiative, focused on training the next generation of superstars in the viticulture, fruit and vegetable production industries," says Primary ITO chief executive, Mark Jeffries. "Let's Grow actively promotes a range of our high quality and relevant horticulture programmes, including General Skills, Effective Supervision and Horticulture Apprenticeship."

One rising star and Primary ITO advocate, is Northland orchardist Patrick Malley, winner of the 2014 Young Horticulturist of the Year award. He has recently initiated an innovative solution to the traditionally seasonal nature of the horticulture workforce by marrying up multiple different crop types, including kiwifruit, avocado, raspberries, figs and tamarillos.

His company, Onyx Capital, has also looked at expanding into kumara, to ensure his staff are employed all year round.

To deepen workforce engagement, productivity, quality and efficiency Malley puts a lot of emphasis on training. "Training, leading by example, demonstrating our commitment by trying to keep people employed and also helping staff to understand what we want to achieve, makes a tremendous difference to engagement and motivation. When people understand what you want to achieve, they will generally ride the wave with you because it's human nature to want to succeed."

Growers are invited to grow their businesses, using Primary ITO's horticulture-specific products and services. To benefit them right now, Primary ITO said it is offering 50 per cent off first year fees for Horticulture Apprenticeships.

For more information, visit: www.letsgrow.co.nz