Tuesday, 31 May 2022 14:55

Opportunities galore

Written by  Staff Reporters
Peter O’Connor loves being outdoor with animals. Peter O’Connor loves being outdoor with animals.

Dairy Trainee of the Year Peter O'Connor is both honoured and surprised with his win.

"There were a large number of entries across New Zealand and when I signed up I did not expect to be the national winner.

"There were a range of skills all the trainee finalists brought to the awards and I was lucky enough to be the one that came out on top fr the challenges we were judged on," he told Dairy News.

He is currently 2IC on Leighton and Michelle Pye's 242ha, 900-cow Mayfield property and will progress to a new role managing a 400-cow farm near Lauriston in the 2022-23 season.

For other Kiwis looking to dairying as a career, O'Connor says there are so many opportunities waiting to be taken and the outdoor lifestyle is great.

"I love aways being outdoors and with animals, every day is different and there's always something new to learn or and improve on the farm.

"Lots of great employers are out there who will help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to move up positions and the dairy industry has a great pathway to go from just starting out on-farm to owning your own business and potentially your own farm."

O'Connor says his employers Steve and Rosie Ketter have always answered any questions he had.

They have given him more responsibility as his knowledge and experience has grown.

"They have involved me in discussions with the farm consultant and other professionals who come on farm.

"Being exposed to that side of the farming business as well as the day-to-day tasks has been great.

"The high standards we work to ensure I do jobs properly and learn the correct way things should be done, which not only helped me in the competition but will also set my standards high in years to come."

More like this

Awards to boost farm ownership goals

Two new Awards have been developed for the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) programme that will help some farmers on their journey to farm ownership.

Workers a big part of the farming business

"We couldn't do this without our team. They are integral to everything." That's the first thing that Te Awamutu dairy farmers Jayson and Stacey Thompson have to say about their team.

Featured

Dr Mike Joy says sorry, escapes censure

Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.

People-first philosophy pays off

The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.

Farmer anger over Joy's social media post

A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter