She’s the BOSS
Candice Pardy
JOBLOADS
It’s three years since Candice Pardy gave up her corporate Auckland life for a quieter existence in Gisborne. But with three young children, a working orchard and now a fast-growing business to run, she’s the first to admit her plan to slow down hasn’t quite come to fruition.
“I’ve realised I’m someone who likes to be busy,” she laughs, speaking to us on her mobile as she races to meet her children off the school bus.
A former merchandiser for Countdown supermarkets, Candice (Ngāti Porou and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) is now the founder and CEO of Jobloads, a digital business that connects seasonal workers and growers. She wasn’t looking to start a company when she moved back to her hometown, instead buying a lifestyle property and orchard with husband David. But when it came to hiring seasonal workers for harvest, she was shocked by what she saw. Low pay, a lack of mana, and a system she felt could work so much better.
“Like most growers, I used a contractor to hire seasonal workers. But I quickly realised that having no connection between the grower and
