Hort HR

Colorful tomatoes background, food pattern

Fresh mandarin oranges fruit or tangerines with leaves, as background

Ripe fresh carrots as background, space for text

fresh pears with leaves as background, top view

fresh asparagus on a cutting board healthy

New harvest of fresh ripe green peas. legumes.Green peas and pea pods on wooden background.Close-up selective focus

Leaf cabbage or kale plants growing in the vegetable garden

Water drops on ripe sweet blueberry. Fresh blueberries background with copy space for your text. Vegan and vegetarian concept. Macro texture of blueberry berries.Texture blueberry berries close up

Fresh whole onions as background, top view

Colorful organic potatoes at a local farmers market

Services

HR

HR can be difficult to get right, and very easy to get wrong. Hort HR can help with everything from the ground up; from employment contracts and policies, to everyday HR matters such as hours, wages and leave, through to disciplinary, termination and disputes.
At Hort HR, we aim to pre-empt and prevent problems before they become problems, and we work hard to resolve problems as promptly and effectively as possible.

Recruitment

The horticultural industry employs more than 60,000 people, but finding the right workers (and even finding enough workers) can be a time-consuming and stressful job. While Hort HR can’t address labour shortages, we can take some of the stress of recruitment and hiring away from you, leaving you to concentrate on what you do best – running your business. We can organise advertising, initial interviewing, and reference-checking, provide you with a shortlist of suitable candidates to consider, and continue to assist you right up to hiring new staff.

Contractor Auditing

Weather, seasonality and periodic labour shortages mean growers frequently have to rely on labour hire companies to supply additional short- or long-term labour. However, many growers are not aware that if their labour hire provider doesn’t comply with minimum standards of employment law, the Labour Inspectorate can hold both the labour hire company, and the grower, accountable.
At Hort HR, we can audit your labour hire provider’s relationship with you, and their employment processes, and make sure they are not putting you at risk of prosecution for breaches of the law.

Countdown’s Responsible Sourcing Program

NZGAP and GRASP (GLOBALGAP)

Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme

During 2019 / 2020, nearly 12,000 workers arrived in New Zealand to work under the RSE scheme. The number of RSE placements will remain capped at 14,400 for 2020 / 2021. If you are a Grower seeking to hire additional workers under the RSE scheme, and you require assistance with applying to become a RSE workplace, or with meeting your obligations as a RSE workplace, Hort HR can help.

The Labour Inspectorate

A few words about us

About Melanie

Melanie has a conjoint degree in law and social sciences (BSocSc / LLB (Hons)) and over ten years’ experience in employment law.

She is a qualified mediator (AMINZ), has completed a Countdown Social Auditor Training Course, has certificates in recruitment and a number of GoHort digital badges.

She is currently working towards a Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety Practice and once qualified, intends to offer this additional service to clients.

She intends to complete further qualifications – in horticulture – in 2022.

When she isn’t working or studying, Melanie can be found collecting, caring for, and cultivating indoor plants (mainly aroids, hoyas and succulents), or working in the family vineyard.

Melanie is a member of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRNZ).

Hort HR Ltd was incorporated in 2021, when a combination of qualifications and experience in employment law, some inspirational grower clients, a growing (pun intended) interest in indoor plants, and the establishment of a family vineyard all came together and it just made sense to put a passion for plants, a personal interest in horticulture, and established skills and experience together to form Hort HR.

Fees

Standard Fee

Fees are charged on an hourly rate and time-spent basis

If you require an estimate of costs, this can usually be provided on receipt of full instructions.

Fixed Fee

A fixed-fee may be available in situations where the time required to complete the job can be reasonably predicted.

If neither of these options suits you, let’s talk! We might be able to offer a fee arrangement that works for you and for us.

Clients

Hort HR specialises in helping business owners in the hort industry with HR advice and assistance. Whether your business is seeds, seedlings, flowers, fruit, veg or vines, from small, family-owned and -operated businesses with less than 10 in the workforce, to larger-scale businesses of 100+ workers, Hort HR can help.

Young woman harvesting apples in an orchard

harvesting fresh apples on a plantation - workers, fruit trees and boxes of apples

NEW ZEALAND, CROMWELL, SUNCREST ORCHARD - JANUARY 2016: An unidentified young traveler picks fresh cherries from tree and collect them into a bucket. Working holiday visa are popular to see the world.

Orange orchard in Kerikeri, Northland, New Zealand NZ - harvest of citrus fruit in plastic crates on pallet of vintage antique tracto

Experienced male worker gardening in glasshouse, checking flowers poinsettia

Cropped shot view of worker put the spray guard to covered a little grapes plant in grapes vineyard in Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand.

View of stacked freshly harvested green celery on plantation on background with working people

A seasonal worker prunes and ties grapes in winter on a vineyard in Canterbury, New Zealand

Bulk of Red Apples In the Wooden Box with two girls picking at back

New Zealand orchard, picking job,oranges

Hort HR is based in rural South Auckland and is available to support growers in the Franklin area, and greater Auckland region.

Enquiries from outside these areas are welcome.

We understand how busy growers can be, so we are happy to travel to your premises to meet with you and discuss how we can help you.