Before heading off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Faye McCausland asked Mpac to run her kiwifruit orchard’s frost protection system if needed while she was away.
“Three guys rocked up in three different utes,” she recalls. “I explained to all three of them how it worked and gave them written instructions. One person would have been enough, but Mpac arranged a backup plan for the backup plan. I thought that was amazing.”
For a grower who does almost all of the on-orchard work herself, that preparation mattered. “Nothing ever seems to be a problem with Mpac. They always find a solution, and that’s been invaluable to me.”
Faye grew up among the kiwifruit vines on her parents’ orchard near Katikati. But at 18, with her sights set on owning land of her own, she headed for the Australian mines to earn the money to make it happen.
She spent her first year in Kalgoorlie driving dump trucks, then moved into site administration and executive assistant roles. “Back in the early ’90s, it was the Wild West in Kalgoorlie. But I’m quite resilient, motivated and determined.”
At 23, Faye bought her first kiwifruit orchard, a 1.3-hectare property in Te Puke. She sold it about three years later and continued working in the Australian mines to save for a larger property.
In 2006, pregnant with her first son, Faye came home and bought the Aongatete orchard where she lives today, as she couldn’t see herself continuing to work in the mines while raising children. She now grows 3.5 canopy hectares of Green kiwifruit and one hectare of Gold, with the fruit qualifying for Early Start picking in most seasons.
About three or four years ago, she moved her fruit to Mpac. She values its professional, progressive approach and the personal relationships it builds with growers. “Their service is exceptional.”
Running an orchard means making decisions every day. When Faye wants a sounding board, she calls her grower representative, Katrina, for practical guidance and a listening ear. “Her advice gives me confidence in the decisions I make.” Faye also knows she can turn to Mpac if her contractor is unavailable.
“They provide a full wraparound service while growing their facility, and it still feels like a small family operation,” Faye says. “You’re treated as an individual, not just a number, regardless of how many hectares you own. They’re consistent, reliable and provide friendly support. They have some great social events too.”
Faye is proud of the orchard she has built and the improvements she has made, but she also loves the work that fills her days. “I enjoy having a goal to get up to every day and go to work. I just enjoy being outside, the variety of the work and the challenges of the job.”
Her two sons have followed in her footsteps across the Tasman: one is now an apprentice electrician in an underground mine, while the other is studying mining engineering in Brisbane. As a keen hiker who has explored much of New Zealand, Faye is looking forward to more adventures overseas in the coming years. Knowing she can trust Mpac to provide extra support whenever needed means Faye can make the most of the life that she’s built.