increase font size
Federated Farmers Dairy chair Chris Lewis and farm worker Cheyanne Wilson at the launch.
A dairy sector made up of good bosses would make us unstoppable, says Federated Farmers Dairy chairman Chris Lewis.
Good bosses would attract workers to dairy farms. “Therefore, the recruitment process would be more competitive and the calibre of those you employed would increase,” he says.
“Your staff would solve more problems, find more opportunities therefore you and your farm business would be more successful.”
Speaking at the launch of the Good Boss campaign in Wellington last month, he urged all farmers to be great bosses.
He admitted that in the dairy sector, everyone isn’t a good boss.
Some people are letting the side down.
“Because when someone has an experience of a bad boss in dairy they talk about it to their mates. And their mates then think twice about working in dairy.
“And then they all tell their families it isn’t a good idea to work in dairy. And so it goes on.”
Lewis noted that the opposite is also true.
People with good bosses talk about them: their families and mates think that sounds pretty good and are likely to give dairying a try.
“If they then experience a good boss then that positive story is reinforced and more people are keen to promote dairy, work in dairy.”
Lewis says the Good Boss campaign is about farmers leading farmers: employee farmers telling employer farmers what they want in a boss.
“It is about employer farmers remembering what made their best boss a good boss. And it is about us listening to all farmers about why and how that good boss is a good boss and sharing it with other farmers until we are all good bosses.”
Lewis acknowledged that the sector is facing staff shortages.
“We are short staffed. Many of you live and feel the impacts of this every day. Without our 4000 odd (highly valued) migrant workers on temporary work visas we would be stuffed, cows would not be being milked.
“There are of course a number of reasons we can’t find enough capable employees – socio ecomomic policy, urban migration, generational expectations etc. Some of these things are outside our control. But the thing that is inside our control that would make a difference? Being a good boss.”
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers arable chair, Bevan Lill, said Beef + Lamb NZ data indicated that for the last six years, the average arable return on investment was about 0.8% while inflation ran about 4% - so the average arable farm was going backwards at about 3% a year.
Pāmu has released its FY26 Integrated Annual Report, reporting a Net Operating Profit of $113 million, more than double the $49 million recorded in FY25.
Meat Industry Association data, released alongside the Red Meat Sector conference in Wellington, shows export value climbing across the US, China, UK and Canada.
Applications are set to open for the 2027 Zanda McDonald Award, a trans-Tasman award recognised for identifying and fast-tracking talented young leaders in agriculture and agribusiness.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.
