I grew up in Marlborough, where Seasonal Work is a way of life. Each and every summer I marched out into the vineyards, sun-block smeared across my forehead, gloves at the ready, hoping to gain new friends, some more work experience, some cash to burn, and most importantly, a sun-tan.

What I gained from seasonal work was all that and more. I gained character. Working outdoors in the elements can have its ups and downs but at the end of the day it’s always worth it. You retreat back out of the sun to wherever it is you came from and enjoy a fantastic glass of Marlborough wine, quietly wondering whether the grapes that went into the wine came from a plant that was once tended by your own hands in summers passed.

The people from all walks of life who join you working along those long rows of endless summers will stay with you forever. For several summers I watched a friendship blossom between myself and two friends as we bud-rubbed and wire-lifted away our days together. Those girls are now young women, and will be escorting me down the aisle as my bridesmaids in January. I watched a romance grow as two people working together over the summer leaned over the wires and whispered things to one another. They are still in Love and still spend their summers working together as a couple, 5 years on. One year I worked with a Tongan family for a few weeks and learned things about their language and culture that helps me relate to people in many situations.

Those people who have experienced seasonal jobs like me will agree that although it feels like you are just picking up a bit of work over a period of time, and although it feels like a temporary state that will be gone and forgotten, this is not true. Seasonal jobs COULD change your very life as you know it.