Plant Production.
Work with plants and grow your career. Whether you are interested in plants, processes, or people, the plant production industry has a career for you.
Opportunities in plant production
New Zealand's thriving plant production industry underpins the success of our horticulture, viticulture, and forestry industries. The sector also produces plants for landscape, revegetation projects, and home gardening to improve our natural and urban environments. It's one of New Zealand's fastest-growing primary industries.
“ From a business standpoint, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for the sector over the next decade. ”
Types of jobs in plant production
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Nursery worker
Nursery workers tend to a wide range of plants and contribute to the many different industries that all help to improve our natural and urban environments.
They are involved in a range of tasks including growing plants, identifying and detecting pests and diseases, answering customer queries, crop care, potting, and dispatch of plants.
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Plant propagator
Plant propagation is an important role within the industry. It varies depending on the plants you are working with and the production environment.
Tasks include seed and budwood collecting, indoor propagation, field propagation, grafting, budding, taking cuttings, and seed propagation.
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Tissue culture lab technician
Salary: $55,000 – $60,000 per year*
A lab technician's role covers collecting, processing, and analysing plants under laboratory conditions. There is a level of technical competency required, as tissue culture requirements are precise.
Other responsibilities can include operating and controlling laboratory equipment, preparing agar media, pathogen testing, processing plant specimens, applying quality control standards, and recording all relevant data.
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Production supervisor/manager
Salary: $55,000 – $100,000 per year*
Production supervisor/managers are responsible for overseeing and organising the equipment, staff, and processes within the nursey. Responsibilities also include managing diverse and talented production teams, organising employees, and ensuring good workflow is achieved throughout the day.
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Research and development manager
Salary: $90,000 – $95,000 per year*
A research and development manager is responsible for providing technical leadership to drive innovation processes, research, and development activities.
Training and learning opportunities
From formal training to learning on the job, there are a wide range of options to learn about plant production. Courses cover different sectors within the industry such as indoor plants, fruit and vine, natives, and forestry.
