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2023 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year Chihiro Hanyuda.
What began as a work experience while at university changed Bay of Plenty farm manager Chihiro Hanyuda's life.
The 27-year old Japanese-born is in her third season farming and is now farm manager for Peter Overdevest and Tania Akehurst on their 148ha Galatea farm, milking 379 cows.
Earlier this month, she was rewarded for her great start in dairying when she scooped the 2023 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year title. The win came with $7,795 in prizes plus three merit awards.
Hanyuda says she didn't know anything about the industry until work experience on a dairy farm while studying for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Animal Science, minor in Ecology.
"I got hooked in - the lifestyle, the job and the cows. Every morning I wake up feeling excited to go to work."
She told Dairy News that her motivation to grow as a dairy farmer is helping her advance.
"I kept asking myself if I could keep learning where I was. When the answer was no, I looked for another job to expand my opportunities for the future," she says.
Future farming goals include farm ownership and showcasing New Zealand farming to Japan.
"I want to show how great the farming life here is to Japanese people.
"I'm proud of myself for climbing the ladder relatively fast for someone who came to New Zealand alone just a few years ago and didn't know anything about farming.
"There have been obstacles for me to overcome and I'm sure there will be many more, but I'm glad I've never given up and kept trying and holding on to every opportunity."
Hanyuda is passionate about new technologies and innovative ways of farming.
"I always think about how to farm more easily and improve production at the same time.
"While regulations and the climate are changing, our farming system needs to be adaptable to all sorts of possible scenarios."
She would love to be involved in decision-making for environmental regulations and laws.
"I would love to assist farmers and government officials to understand each other's point of view."
Uneducated comments on social media frustrate Hanyuda, who would like to see farmers educate themselves more on the environment.
"I see these comments and I get a feeling that most haven't even read the regulations or understand them properly.
"Instead of blindly disagreeing, we should broaden our knowledge and think how we can individually improve the situation."
She also believes farmers need to admit that they affect the environment in one way or another.
"Then, each one of us needs to think about how we can minimise the risk of altering the environment for the future.
"For example, some farmers focus on reducing their herd sizes but improve the genetics in their herd to maintain their productions.
"Some people may try different pastures, like plantain, to reduce nitrate oxide release into the atmosphere.
"Some may build compost barns to reduce nitrate leaching into the ground and to the waterway."
The former chair of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and farmer, Doug Leeder, says rural communities' biggest fear right now is the lack of long-term certainty over environmental regulations.
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