The vining times

Peas have been an important part of New Zealand’s agriculture for many years and it was during the 1974/75, 1975/76 and 1976/77 seasons that Selwyn Stafford discovered what it was like to work in this fast-paced area of the industry, when he worked as part of the Wattie’s operation near Christchurch.

Now trading as Heinz Watties Ltd., the company produces many of the products that British consumers see labelled as Heinz, but with a Wattie’s label for the New Zealand market. These include frozen vegetables, of which peas make up a significant proportion.

At the time these photographs were taken, Wattie’s operated pea-processing plants in Hastings (East Coast, North Island), Christchurch (Central Canterbury) and Timaru (South Canterbury). According to the Wattie’s website, Canterbury is the only area growing, harvesting and processing peas. The large increase in irrigation (in central Canterbury sourced from underground aquifers) has doubtless increased both crop reliability and yield.

The website also states that Wattie’s grows and