Pasta Vera is a New Zealand-owned food manufacturer based in Wigram, Christchurch. We make fresh pasta, sauces, pesto, lasagne and ready meals, and operate a busy 24-hour production facility.

We’re looking for a practical, hands-on Maintenance Technician to join our maintenance team and support our factory operations, with a strong focus on machine setup, repairs, breakdowns and keeping production running smoothly. Our business is growing and we offer opportunities for growth and career development for the right candidate.

About the Role

This is a hands-on factory maintenance role working as part of an existing maintenance team. You will help support our 24-hour food manufacturing operation, but you will not be solely responsible for full 24-hour cover.

The main focus of this role is to set up production machinery, respond to breakdowns, carry out repairs and preventative maintenance and support the production team to minimise downtime.

You will work across a wide range of food manufacturing equipment, including pasta production lines, filling machines, packaging equipment, conveyors, cooking equipment, chillers, pasteurising equipment and other factory machinery.

You will be expected to be on the factory floor, working closely with production staff, supervisors and the wider maintenance team to make sure machines are ready for each shift, running correctly and repaired quickly when issues occur.

This role may also require you to assist on the production line from time to time when the team is short-staffed or extra support is needed.

Position Details

• Full-time, permanent role.

• Based in Wigram, Christchurch.

• Pasta Vera operates 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday.

• This is primarily a day-shift role, normally rostered Monday to Friday between 4am and 5pm.

• As part of our 24-hour maintenance team, flexibility is important. You may occasionally need to start earlier, finish later, cover afternoon or night shifts, and provide on-call support depending on production and maintenance requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Set up, adjust and prepare machines and production lines for operation.

• Respond quickly to machine breakdowns and production issues.

• Diagnose faults and carry out mechanical repairs.

• Complete routine maintenance, checks and adjustments on factory equipment.

• Carry out machine changeovers, start-ups and shutdowns.

• Support operators with machine settings, safe operation and troubleshooting.

• Identify recurring machinery issues and help improve reliability.

• Assist with repairs and maintenance on conveyors, motors, pumps, packaging machines, food production equipment and related plant.

• Work with electrical components where competent, including sensors, switches, panels and basic fault finding.

• Support planned maintenance and improvement projects.

• Keep accurate records of breakdowns, repairs, maintenance and downtime.

• Ensure all work is completed safely and in line with Health & Safety, Food Safety, GMP and company procedures.

• Assist on the production line when required to support the wider team.

About You

We’re looking for someone practical, reliable and mechanically minded. You will need to be confident working with machinery and able to troubleshoot problems quickly in a busy production environment.

You will ideally have:

• Strong mechanical skills and experience repairing machinery.

• Experience with machine setup, changeovers and breakdowns.

• Experience in food manufacturing, FMCG, packaging or a similar production environment.

• Good fault-finding and problem-solving ability.

• The ability to work calmly under pressure when machinery breaks down.

• A practical, hands-on approach and willingness to get involved.

• Good communication skills and the ability to work with production teams.

• A strong focus on Health & Safety and Food Safety.

Electrical skills would be an advantage, including experience with sensors, switches, motors, panels, automation or basic electrical fault finding.

Experience with PLC-controlled equipment or automated production lines would also be an advantage, but is not essential.

Why Join Us

This is a great opportunity to join a growing food manufacturing business where your work will make a real difference to production reliability and factory performance.

You’ll be part of an existing maintenance team, working across a variety of machinery and processes, supporting a busy production team and helping keep our factory running safely and efficiently.

If you’re a hands-on maintenance person who enjoys fixing machines, solving breakdowns and keeping production moving, we’d like to hear from you.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a short cover letter answering the following:

1. What is your expected hourly rate or salary (NZD)?

2. Can you start earlier, finish later or cover an afternoon or night shift if required? Please mention any restrictions.

3. Tell us about a real shift at work that didn't go to plan, when several things needed your attention. What happened, what were you doing at the time, what did you prioritise? Why?

We're interested in your actual experience. Short, specific answers are preferred over general descriptions.

Applications without a CV and a cover letter addressing these questions will not be considered.