Te Puke, a small town in New Zealand, is known as the kiwifruit capital of the world. In 2019, I spent a season working in one of its many packhouses, sorting fruit alongside dozens of workers from all over the globe. It was my first experience in a truly multicultural environment, far from my home country of Uruguay.
Most of my time was spent alongside Māori workers—the indigenous people of Aotearoa—as well as migrants from across Asia, particularly India and Pakistan. The packhouse was noisy, repetitive, and fast-paced, but it was also a space of connection, laughter, and unexpected friendships.
I began taking portraits with my phone, often during quiet moments on the floor or while walking to and from work. Nothing was planned or posed. The images simply reflect the people around me—how they looked, how they carried themselves, and how we existed together in that place and time.
This is a visual record of the people I worked with and the place where our paths crossed.
