About Meadow Mushrooms

Meadow Mushrooms is a proud New Zealand family-owned business in Christchurch. What started with two entrepreneurs has grown into one of Australasia’s leading mushroom producers.

More than 55 years on, we’re still family-led and have kept that same entrepreneurial spirit—aim high, keep learning, invest in our people and keep looking for better ways to do things. Today, our farms in Christchurch and Dunsandel combine technology, innovation and specialist knowledge to grow high quality mushrooms in carefully controlled environments.

We’re mushroom obsessed—and proud of it. That obsession drives everything we do - from how we grow, to how we pick, to how we think about the food on our table. We love that we grow nature’s think tank: fresh, nourishing mushrooms that are full of goodness to fuel Kiwis and make meals better every day.

The Opportunity

At Meadow Mushrooms, growing isn’t about simply following a process. It’s about understanding the crop, the environment and the many variables that come together to create quality mushrooms.

We’re looking for someone who is genuinely interested in how things grow, enjoys being close to the crop and wants to understand what makes it thrive.

You don’t need mushroom-growing experience. We can teach you mushrooms.

What you do need is passion and interest in growing and the curiosity to learn something highly specialised.

As Growing Manager, you’ll become immersed in our growing operation and build your mushroom-growing knowledge from the ground up. You’ll learn how temperature, humidity, air movement, watering, timing and other conditions influence the crop, while monitoring crop development and using production data to make practical decisions.

You’ll spend most of your time in the growing rooms, learning to read the crop and understand what it is telling you. You’ll work alongside experienced mushroom growers developing your own understanding. You’ll also work closely with our substrate, production and harvesting teams, building an understanding of how each part of the process contributes to growing and delivering a high-quality final product.

Become a Mushroom Growing Specialist

Building your specialist growing knowledge will be our priority.

There is a lot to learn, and you won’t be expected to know it all from day one. We’ll support you to develop your knowledge, learn the science and craft of mushroom growing, and build your confidence in making decisions about the crop.

As your mushroom growing capability develops, so will your leadership responsibilities.

Over time, you’ll lead and develop a team of growing specialists, helping them understand the crop, perform at their best and continually improve the way we grow. This is a genuine opportunity to build skills in a specialised area of fresh produce while developing your career and leadership capability.

About You

You’ll be passionate, curious, and genuinely interested in how things grow.

You’ll enjoy learning how a crop responds to its environment and be the sort of person who wants to understand why, not just what to do. You’ll notice detail, ask questions and be willing to learn from people around you.

You’ll be passionate about growing and take pride in creating something from the beginning of a growing process through to a high-quality finished product.

You’ll be hands-on and comfortable working in an indoor growing environment. You’ll enjoy being close to the crop, getting your hands dirty and spending time understanding what is happening in the growing rooms.

You’ll also need the mindset to keep learning. Mushroom growing is specialised, and there is a lot to learn. We’re looking for someone with curiosity, persistence and the desire to become a specialist.

You’ll have the potential to lead and may already have taken on leadership responsibilities in previous roles. You’ll be able to build relationships, communicate well, work with others and gradually develop your leadership capability.

You might come from a horticulture, agriculture, science, food production, manufacturing or another hands-on commercial environment. Growing experience is an advantage, but not essential. Mushroom experience isn’t essential. We can teach you mushrooms.

What matters most is your mindset, your curiosity and your passion for learning and growing.

The Details

• Permanent, full-time salaried role

• Monday to Friday

• Starting circa 7am daily

• Based in Hornby

• Long-term career opportunity in a specialised growing environment

Keen to Grow With Us?

We’re a down-to-earth team who take pride in doing a great job. Our values are simple:

• Creator — we lead the way.

• Specialist — we bring our best every day.

• Community — we’re in it together.

Find your calling. Build your career. Grow with Meadow Mushrooms.

Apply now or contact Caitlin Bardell on 027 222 8817 for a confidential conversation.

You will be required to meet residency requirements by holding New Zealand Citizenship or a Resident Visa. This role would not suit someone looking for short-term employment.

Shortlisted applicants will be required to undertake a pre-employment health assessment and drug test.