Machinery Operator

Turley Farms; Rangitata Island; On-site; NZD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hands-on varied work

Career growth

State-of-the-art orchard from day one

Culture of continuous improvement

Job summary

Turley Farms is developing a new Rockit apple orchard and seeks a motivated Machine Operator to join the team. You will operate a range of orchard machinery and vehicles to support daily operations across key seasonal activities.

Working with the Orchard Manager, you’ll perform duties such as driving tractors, operating forklifts, conducting routine checks, and maintaining safety around workers and trees. A current licence and NZ working rights are essential.

Qualifications

• Full NZ working rights essential.
• Proven experience driving tractors and/or operating forklifts essential.
• Current driver’s licence essential; F endorsement (forklift) and/or tractor licence advantageous.
• Physical fitness and solid communication skills.
• Familiarity with high-density orchard systems advantageous.
• Experience with Rockit or other premium apple varieties advantageous.
• First Aid certificate advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Driving tractors and operating attachments for mowing and rolling.
• Operating forklifts to move bins, materials, and equipment around the orchard.
• Carrying out routine machinery checks, basic maintenance, and reporting faults promptly.
• Operating machinery safely around people, trees, and infrastructure.

Skills

Full NZ working rights

Tractor driving

Forklift operation

Communication skills

Physical fitness

Tools

Tractor

Forklift

Machinery checks

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Turley Farms is seeking a motivated Machine Operator to join our new Rockit apple orchard!

(Please note that NZ working rights and machinery/tractor operation experience are essential.)

What we offer

• Hands-on varied work across key seasonal activities
• Career growth in a modern, innovative orchard operation
• Be part of a newly developed, state-of-the-art Rockit apple orchard from day one
• Workplace committed to continuous improvement and efficiency.

About the role

Working with the Orchard Manager, our Machine Operator will operate a range of orchard machinery and vehicles to support daily operations across key seasonal activities.

Your day-to-day duties could include but are not limited to:

• driving tractors and operating attachments for mowing and rolling
• operating forklifts to move bins, materials, and equipment around the orchard
• carrying out routine machinery checks, basic maintenance, and reporting faults promptly
• operating machinery safely around people, trees, and infrastructure.

What we're looking for

• Full NZ working rights essential
• Proven experience driving tractors and/or operating forklifts essential
• Current driver's licence essential; F endorsement (forklift) and/or tractor licence advantageous
• Physical fitness and solid communication skills
• Familiarity with high-density orchard systems advantageous
• Experience with Rockit or other premium apple varieties advantageous
• First Aid certificate advantageous.

About us

Operating under Turley Farms, we are a newly developed, state-of-the-art Rockit apple orchard, building a collaborative and innovative team from the ground up. We value initiative, encourage new ideas, and strive for continuous improvement across all aspects of our operation. If you're passionate about horticulture, machinery, and being part of something new and exciting, we'd love to hear from you!