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.
On the GoDairy website there’s a story about Northland man, Sam Moscrip, who wanted to be a dairy farmer for as long as he can remember.
“As a kid you have got a 500-acre playground really...it’s being outside in open spaces, watching the land change through the seasons from calving to summertime to crops getting harvested. Growing up on the farm you learn good work ethics,” he says.
Last year, Sam was named Northland Dairy Manager of the Year. The 22-year-old is herd manager on his parents’ 160ha dairy farm at Hukerenui, where the close-knit community means there is no shortage of advice when needed.
“It is the same across the country, where you form close connections with your fellow farmers, but also those within the community who are not farmers,’ he says.
“It is about appreciating those who helped me get to where I am and giving back to them now.”
It’s with such positive stories that DairyNZ is hoping to rope in 1000 new workers on farms through its GoDairy campaign.
For many people, Covid-19 brought an abrupt end to their careers.
For these people, dairy farming offers a diverse range of roles and great pathways for career progression. With around 12,000 farm businesses employing over 34,000 people on farm there is plenty of opportunity to grow a career. So the message from DairyNZ is, ‘come and join us!’
Although the new campaign is still in its early days, DairyNZ is reporting good interest from people wanting to pursue a dairy farming career.
Like all successful businesses, dairy farming needs good talent. Currently there are 1000 job vacancies on dairy farms nationwide. The industry needs people to do everything from doing the books, to working with machinery, caring for animals, and managing staff. Technology plays a major part in the business too.
GoDairy is garnering interest from people across a range of career backgrounds – from tourism and hospitality to engineering, finance, and truck drivers.
While many people might not be familiar with the day-to-day of dairy farming, most have work and life skills that are readily transferrable.
GoDairy has a crucial role to play. The Government and the sector are giving it a welcome boost to encourage new-found farmers by investing $3.5 million to expand this crucial work during NZ’s economic recovery.
GoDairy is just another example of the NZ agri sector spearheading the country’s journey through the turmoil caused by Covid-19.
