It's The Margins That Matter
OPINION: It appears to be difficult for people who haven’t tried to run a business to understand the difference between assets and cash.
Levi McNae was a year 12 student at Hurunui College in Hawarden, North Canterbury, when he decided to enrol in the NextGen Dairy Farmers - a NZQA-accredited programme launched in 2024 by Dairy Training Limited (DTL), a subsidiary of DairyNZ.
The programme provides 16-to-20-year-olds with a pathway to a career in the dairy industry, while also looking to address the shortage of home-grown talent in the sector.
From Student to Full-Time Dairy Assistant
"I had no background in dairy, or farming for that matter," McNae says.
"I just wanted to do something meaningful and so I signed up."
Following a three-week pre-employment training, McNae started his training at Kohakaumu - a 900-cow Ngāi Tahu dairy farm where he is now working full time as a farm assistant.
McNae says he wants to become a 2IC (Second-in-Charge) in a year's time and is working towards eventual farm ownership - a dream he says isn't too distant.
Dairy Industry Offering Strong Career Opportunities
Head of Dairy Training Limited Hamish Hodgson says the student's testimony shows that the programme is working as intended.
"This programme is free for students, they have full-time employment while they train. They are earning NZQA micro credential qualifications on the job, and they get accommodation on farm. Some are even able to put half their income into their KiwiSaver accounts with the goal of buying a house at 22," he says.
Hodgson says the industry offers great opportunities to those who are prepared to take them.
"The added benefit of this programme is that students are fast tracked through strong support systems, pastoral care, learning advisors, and great host farmers."
Pilot Programme Shows Strong Results
An evaluation report of the pilot programme published in July 2025, comparing NextGen students to a typical new employee after six months, rated the students higher on all key competency areas, namely technical competency, work attitude and reliability, communication and teamwork, and wellbeing practice.
"We had 100% placement for the four students in our pilot and some of our host farmers have already expressed interest in participating again next year," Hamish says.
Host Farmer Backs Initiative
McNae's host farmer Jacob Damsteegt says hiring him at the end of the training was a no-brainer.
"Levi's full of energy and he's got the same awesome attitude we do.
"This programme is about Kiwis helping Kiwis. We hear a lot about how our people don't like doing the hard yards, but a lot of young people just need a chance," he says.
Damsteegt also says the support from DTL's learning advisors was key to the programme's success.
"If they weren't guiding the studednts and it was all left just to the farm owner, it just wouldn't work," he says.
Applications for the next intake of the NextGen Dairy Farmers programme are now open, closing on May 31. The programme iks seeking 16-to-20-year-olds interested in pursuing a career in dairy farming.
