Spend your New Zealand summer operating modern tractors and vegetable-growing equipment on one of the country’s most respected commercial farming businesses.
Mills Recruitment is proud to partner with a highly respected, family-owned commercial vegetable grower in Pukekohe, New Zealand, to recruit an experienced Seasonal Tractor Operator for the 2026/27 growing season.
This is not your average tractor driving job. You’ll be joining a progressive farming business that has spent more than 60 years building a reputation for producing premium onions, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and pumpkins. Farming over 280 hectares, the business combines generations of experience with modern farming practices, precision agriculture and a genuine commitment to quality.
If you’re travelling New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa and have solid tractor experience, this is an outstanding opportunity to spend the summer working with a professional team, modern equipment and a business that genuinely values skilled operators.
Start Date
The position runs from the second week of November 2026 through to the end of April 2027, providing over five months of full-time seasonal work during one of New Zealand’s busiest and most rewarding horticultural seasons.
Come and enjoy a New Zealand summer while gaining valuable commercial farming experience and earning excellent money.
About the Role You’ll be working for a grower recognised throughout the industry for producing premium-quality vegetables and continually investing in new technology, improved farming practices and its people. The team takes pride in delivering produce that ends up on supermarket shelves across New Zealand and overseas.
You’ll be involved in all aspects of seasonal crop production, operating a range of modern tractors and specialist vegetable-growing equipment, including:
- Bed formers
- Power harrows
- Rotavators
- Disc cultivators
- Chisel ploughs
- Cambridge rollers
- Precision seed drills
- Fertiliser spreaders
- Boom sprayers
- Ridgers and hilling equipment
- Mechanical onion harvesters
- Potato harvesting equipment
- Bulk trailers and field transport equipment
Your work will support the production of premium onions and other vegetable crops from land preparation through to harvest.
About You We’re looking for someone who has:
- Proven experience operating tractors in commercial agriculture or horticulture
- Previous onion farming experience (highly desirable)
- Experience with vegetable or arable crops
- Confidence operating a variety of cultivation, planting and harvesting implements
- Mechanical knowledge and the ability to complete daily servicing and basic maintenance
- A strong understanding of safe machinery operation
- A positive attitude and willingness to work as part of a close-knit team
- Flexibility to work longer hours during busy harvest periods
- A current driver’s licence
- Eligibility to work in New Zealand, including applicants on a Working Holiday Visa
What’s On Offer
- $25 – $28 NZD per hour depending on experience
- Accommodation provided throughout the season
- Work with one of New Zealand’s most respected commercial vegetable growers
- Modern John Deere, Fendt and New Holland machinery (fleet may vary)
- Gain valuable experience in large-scale onion and vegetable production
- Work alongside an experienced team that enjoys mentoring skilled operators
- Explore New Zealand while earning excellent money over the summer season
Whether you’re looking to build your international farming experience, strengthen your CV, or simply enjoy an unforgettable season in New Zealand, this role offers the chance to work with some of the best in the industry.
Not available this season? We recruit seasonal tractor operators and agricultural workers for a range of commercial farming and horticulture opportunities across New Zealand throughout the year. If the timing isn’t right for the 2026/27 season, we’d still love to hear from you. Register your interest for future seasons by emailing your CV to kathryn.haddow@millsrecruitment.com, and we’ll keep you in mind for upcoming opportunities that match your skills and experience.