Bridging the gap with rural New Zealand
OPINION: One thing I keep hearing from rural New Zealanders is the importance of relationships. Strong relationships don’t just happen - they take trust, consistency, and time.
The Tune Up is produced by farm reporting software company Trev. Chief executive Scott Townshend says the podcast series has provided an opportunity for Trev to tap into its network of respected industry leaders, happy to share their knowledge.
"I'm sure everybody will recognise some or even all of the podcast guests. But for many of us, having access or the time off-farm to chat with these people is difficult so it's great to be able to share their wisdom and insights with a wider audience."
The series is hosted by Trev director Will Burrett. He engages with the variety of guests during six episodes spread over the next six weeks.
"As farmers we wear many different hats and are increasingly expected to wear more. We are food producer, people leaders, vets, biologists, soil scientists and electricians. But what's important at the end of the day we are passionate about what we do," he says.
Episode one kicked off last week with a conversation between industry analyst Julia Jones and Marlborough district farmer Murray King, discussing consumers' demand for greater transparency in their food supply chain.
"We have been lucky to engage with people from across the industry spectrum, not only within and beyond the farm gate but also in terms of sheer years of experience," says Townshend.
"We have the likes of DairyNZ chair and respected dairy figure Jim van der Poel talking about how grass will always be king in any Kiwi dairy system, through to farmer and Farm 4 Life entrepreneur Tangaroa Walker."
While largely focused on the dairy sector, the podcast series aims to provide insights that will be useful to farmers from all parts of the industry.
Burrett says the podcast series reinforced to him how fortunate New Zealand farmers are to be in an industry where people are so willing to share their time and knowledge to help the wider community grow.
"For me there have been a lot of pearlers come out of the series," he says.
"To quote Canterbury farmer Cameron Henderson who features on episode four, we want Kiwis to be proud of what we do. We're a big part of New Zealand's economy and a big part of New Zealand's future and we really need to look after our brand just as much as looking after our own businesses."
The Tune Up podcast series is accessible either as a video or audio podcast available from the usual platforms. You can also head to www.mytrev.com to watch and listen.
