Cohelix to make employment easy for horticulture industry

19 December 2016

Kiwi startup Cohelix to make employment easy for horticulture and viticulture industries

Having built an innovative platform that makes it easy to bring new employees into a business, Kiwi startup Cohelix have set their sights on helping the horticulture and viticulture industries lead the pack as good employers.

“During peak seasons the number of employees in the horticulture and wine industry increases 200-900 per cent, with an annual employee turnover of 82 per cent,” says Cohelix CEO Nicole McCallum.

“Under New Zealand employment law this means there are a huge number of new employees who need to be provided with employment agreements, as well as other types of records to track wages, hours worked and leave entitlements.

“Yesterday’s report on migrant exploitation demonstrated some of the challenges these industries face, with the seasonal nature, the high demand for labour, and use of contract arrangements meaning these obligations aren’t always met.

“Statistics NZ data has also highlighted that as many as 20 per cent of workers in the horticulture industry do not even have a written employment agreement - we want to help change these statistics, prevent exploitation, and safeguard the reputation of the industry.

“With Cohelix it’s easy for these businesses to bring new employees on board and meet their employer obligations,” says Ms McCallum.

The cloud-based platform allows businesses to complete, check, sign and store employment documentation online – significantly reducing administration time and enabling employers to focus on their business.

“It’s about putting people over paperwork and with less time spent on the latter, we save New Zealand businesses time and money,” says Ms McCallum.

“Cohelix recently signed on our first two customers, Focus Labour Solutions and Alapa Viticultural Services. We are excited to help build the reputation of both the horticulture and viticulture industries and their capability as good employers.

“With $2.6 billion in kiwifruit, pipfruit, wine and vegetables going to more than 120 countries every year, horticulture is New Zealand's fourth largest export industry.

“Overseas consumers are demanding higher standards and more transparency in the supply chain, so by helping the industry better meet their employment obligations, we are protecting and growing their international brand - not to mention avoiding action here at home by the Labour Inspectorate for breaching employment law,” says Ms McCallum.

Cohelix is launching their platform to customers in January 2017. You can get involved by becoming a partner or customer. Visit www.cohelix.co.nz

ENDS

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