Co-ordinate fruit picking in your area

Our aim is to spread our fruit sharing concept nationwide, so that no fruit ever goes to waste. We need volunteers across New Zealand to co-ordinate fruit picking in their street, suburb or town.

Fruit picking co-ordinators manage a database of local fruit trees, match up trees with volunteer pickers when the fruit is ripe and ensure that the fruit is delivered to a local charity.

We also rely on our volunteers to spread the word about Community Fruit Harvesting in their area to encourage people to register their trees and sign up for picking.

What are the requirements for being a co-ordinator?

Passion and commitment: The most important requirement is the desire to do good and help others in your community and the passion and commitment to follow through and make things happen.

Spare time: You will need to have some time on your hands to manage the administration of your local group, answer emails, organise fruit picking and possibly pick and deliver fruit. This can be as much or as little time as you can spare – every bit helps.

Computer skills: You’ll need access to a computer and the ability to regularly check and respond to emails and to manage a spreadsheet of trees for picking and volunteers.

Transport: If you are picking and delivering fruit, you’ll need a car.

Fruit picking tool: This is a handy tool that helps reach fruit at the top of the tree. You can buy a fruit picking tool at your local DIY store or an agricultural store such as PGG Wrightson or Fruitfed. Or there are a number of tutorials on Google that show you how to make your own fruit picker.

Gardening tools: A ladder, wheelbarrow, garden gloves, plastic buckets, plastic bags and fruit boxes are all useful.