Thames High School
Nursery Grower/Worker Kaiwhakatipu/Kaimahi Otaota
Nursery growers/workers grow young plants, flowers, trees and shrubs for sale or for use in parks and gardens.
Nursery growers/workers may do some or all of the following:
- prepare soil mixes and composts
- grow plants from seeds and cuttings
- water, feed, prune, pot and label plants
- operate and maintain irrigation systems
- organise stock and dispatch of plants
- spray plants to control weeds, pests and diseases
- sell plants in a garden centre
- drive tractors, forklifts and delivery trucks.
Physical Requirements
Nursery growers/workers need to be reasonably fit, healthy and strong.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for nursery growers/workers includes work in:
- garden centres
- orchards
- crop farming
- parks and reserves.
Personal Qualities
Nursery growers/workers need to be:
- reliable
- practical and adaptable
- motivated
- willing to learn and work hard.
Skills
Nursery growers/workers need to have knowledge of:
- how to grow and care for plants
- pest, weed and disease control
- plant and soil types and characteristics
- production planning.
Nursery growers/workers who are in charge of staff also need management skills.
Conditions
Nursery growers/workers:
- usually work regular business hours, and sometimes weekends
- usually work in glasshouses, plant shops and garden centres, and outdoors in fields
- work in all conditions, which may be hot and humid in glasshouses and cold and wet outdoors.
Subject Recommendations
There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a nursery grower. However, biology and agricultural and horticultural science are useful.
Nursery Grower/Workers can earn around $23-$25 per hour.
Pay for nursery growers/workers varies depending on skills and experience.
- New nursery growers/workers can expect to earn the minimum wage.
- Nursery growers/workers with one to five years' experience usually earn up to $25 an hour.
- Senior nursery growers/workers and managers can earn up to $31 an hour.
Source: careers.govt.nz research, 2020.
Nursery growers/workers may progress to set up their own nursery growing business, or move into management, training or education roles.
Nursery grower/workers can specialise in:
- garden centre work
- growing seedlings for commercial purposes.
Years Of Training
There are no specific requirements to become a nursery grower/worker. However, many employers prefer to hire nursery growers/workers who have or are working towards a qualification.
To become a qualified nursery grower/worker you need to complete an apprenticeship and gain a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Nursery Production) (Level 3 and Level 4).
The Primary Industry Training Organisation oversees nursery production apprenticeships.
Nursery growers/workers using chemical sprays need to have the correct certificates.
A driver's licence and forklift licence are also useful.
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