My 1st Paid Job in NZ

9 Mar - 21 Mar 08
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Cedenco is a food processing factory....van took us to the factory everyday

Tools for pumpkin chopper & the uniform



We need to wear the uniform to cover our whole body, except the face



Fierce & strict supervisor & colleague, most of the workers here are from Samoa Island


Pumpkin! pumpkin! ................Happy together

I never thought that I will work in a pumpkin process factory in NZ before. I'm always thinking & planning to work in a Apple packhouse before I go to NZ. But actually you can't follow what you've plan when you come here. This is what backpacking mean, it's unpredictable trip for me. I was cheated by an agent(Shirly) to Hastings because she told me that there is job for apple packer. Hence, I took the bus from Hamilton to Hastings, it took about 6 hours. It was already late evening when I reach there. Shirly took me to have dinner with a group of China man then drop me to a house staying by a few Malaysian. There are 5 uncle aunties and 2 teenage boys in the house. They told me that they felt cheated by the agent who arranged them to NZ. They pay few thousands to the agent in order to work legally with a work permit in nz, but the agent didn't keep his promise by giving excuses to delay the process. They also told me that it's tough to work for grapes picking. I can't sleep the whole night because I was worried about my job and what to do next. Shirly told me that there is no more apple packing job at this moment, I have to work for grapes picking.

I decided to leave this places the next day. Hence, I tried to contact a few farm in Hastings area so that I can temporary stay at the farm before I can get another job. In the same time, I tried to contacted a friend whom I knew before I came to nz, she gave me a phone number. After contacted that guy, he offer me a job in pumpkin factory and help me to move to a bbh on that day. Thank God, I can leave here today. That was how I got the job in pumpkin factory.

I was a chopper at the beginning, but it's a tough job for me, my hand started felt sore after chopped the pumpkin for few hours. The supervisor changed me to scoop out pumpkin seeds the next day. I have been arranged to cut the pumpkin stalk (tough job too), grade the pumpkin in the cold room (the temperature is under 0'c!). Finally I settled down as a grader to separate the pumpkins into different grades. It seem like an easier job, but actually need lot of attention and need acute sight. Although the supervisor satisfied with my performance but I decided to leave because I don't like the working environment and the atmosphere. However, I'm glad to be here because I made a lot of good friends here.