A lot happens in the half hour before Sealord’s Wetfish factory starts up at 6.00am.
From 5:30am Rosalia arrives at the factory to join nine others to set things up for the day. She is one of two Production Leads in this group, alongside three Team Leads and Step-Up Team Leads (trainees).
Together, they have 30 minutes to get everything ready – fish and infeed station ready, filleting and packing lines ready, software systems ready.
Rosalia describes this as a typically quiet time as she and the others work steadily through critical checklists and tasks.
Sometimes it can be chaotic, when there’s a variation, delay or breakdown and they have to problem-solve and pivot to a different plan.
“There is never just one plan for the day, we have up to four plans for different situations,” Rosalia says.
“It could be that a ship comes in late, or we have a different fish species to process. Sometimes a line might not be working properly, and we need to get an engineer on site.
“We pivot, put contingencies into action and then regroup.”
It is never chaotic for too long; when staff arrive for the 6.00am to 2.30pm shift, multiplying the factor’s people power by 10, they can usually go straight to their station after the morning briefing.
The Wetfish factory at Port Nelson is an essential part of Sealord's business, turning fresh catch into popular products for domestic and international markets. The catch is mostly Hoki from May to September, and orange roughy, dory, and ling in the other months.
Hoki season is a busy one, with workers recruited from Vietnam and Samoa to bolster the crew of general hands, trimmers, filleters, packers and machine operators.
Rosalia says that as well as having contingency plans to keep things running as smoothly as possible, the company has an agile approach to operations. In 2024, the factory changed from two shifts to one, opening opportunities for Production Leads and Team Leads to work in different areas.
Rosalia enjoys the agile environment and her employer’s focus on training and development.
“Because I am interested in HR it is part of my professional development plan. During hoki season Production Leads get involved in recruitment, by assessing and interviewing people for the season.
“My latest opportunity is to assist the HR team with recruiting offshore staff under the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme,” Rosalia says.
Rosalia has completed people management courses, layering learning on top of years of experience gained since her first job on the squid processing line, to grow into the confident and competent leader she is now.
“Being around people for most of a shift every day means that you are confronted with different situations. Every day is different but the more you are involved with people, the more you realise that you’ve come across a similar situation before and you know how to deal with it,” Rosalia says.
“One of the important lessons I’ve learnt is being available to listen to people’s ideas, suggestions, wants and needs.”
So how does Rosalia leap into action at the crack of dawn during her working week? It helps that she is a morning person, with a husband who likes to cook, and capable kids who know the routine. She is also getting better at winding down after a shift.
“Your mind can be pretty busy at the end of a shift, but I finish work in time to pick up my children from school so I can move my focus to family and a bit of downtime.”
