Case Studies

Amy Watts, Veterinarian

Amy might spend her days working with animals but, as she puts it, her job is really about working with farmers. And it was those relationships forged with farmers throughout Central Otago that ''makes'' her job as a vet.

A large animal vet, predominantly working with sheep, beef and deer, Watts said it was the relationships — and learning from each other — that made it a rewarding career.

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Jana Cornes, Veterinarian

Jana is an MPI vet, working in Southland with the Verification Services team at a meat works. Originally from South Africa, she's been working as a vet for 11 years and joined MPI in 2015.

As the vet on site at the freezing works, she ensures that all stock transported to the works are fit for transport – healthy, good body condition, and have no evidence of obvious disease or defects. Animal welfare is just as important in this industry as it is in general practice – maybe even more so.

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William Halliday, Veterinarian

William is an MPI vet based in Gisborne. He is employed at a meat works but is also an on-farm verifier. His job involves monitoring and managing animal welfare, plant inspection, and certification for export. He's also a specialist on-farm verifier, meaning that he visits farms and audits their residue recording systems, traceability, and animal welfare.

It's all focused around helping maintain New Zealand's reputation for producing world-class animal products under very stringent animal welfare requirements.

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Athol New, Farm Manager

Athol, a former Kamo High School, Whangarei, student had no farming background. He was encouraged by his high school agriculture teacher to study agricultural commerce at Lincoln University.

He now oversees three farm managers plus coordinates and implements the business plan across two dairies milking up to 3000 cows and young stock for the entire Rakaia Island business at Woodstock.

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Hayley Hoogendyk, Farm Manager

Hayley grew up as a city girl but ended up choosing a rural career. After completing a business degree at Massey University, she got a job managing events at the university for almost two years.

After going milking with a friend one day, she liked it so much she applied for a milking job. The manager offered her a full-time job and she jumped at it, right in the middle of calving. She loved it and has never left.

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Christopher Poole, Contract Milker

Christopher has a Bachelor of AgriScience from Massey University and currently milks 750 crossbred cows on a 202ha effective milking platform. “In addition to milking, we do the majority of our cropping work, planting, spraying and mowing in-house, and rear 400-600 beef calves each year for additional income.”

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Harepaora Ngaheu, Contract Milker

Harepaora was 21 years old when he first put cups on cows and it changed his life forever. Harepaora says he did not make the most of school and drifted through his late teenage years. Then, at 21-years-old while attending an industry training course in Bay of Plenty, he got in the dairy shed.

Harepaora loves farming because he gets to work outdoors with animals and on the land. After starting as a Farm Assistant, Harepaora broadened his experience by working on different farms as a Farm Manager then Contract Milker.

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Callum Bisley, Farm Assistant

Callum is proud to be following in his father’s footsteps - studying agriculture at Telford. "To achieve my ultimate career goal of farm ownership, I realised that I needed more theoretical knowledge about agriculture. I am committed to my study and have enjoyed my time at Telford."

Callum is currently working as a Farm Assistant on a 400 cow dairy farm near Stratford for his father. He is looking forward to his 2IC position

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Claire Douglas, Herd Manager

Claire says that while she did not grow up on a farm, this did not stop her passion and interest in a dairy sector career. “Studying Agriculture at Pukekohe High School increased my interest in a career in the agriculture. It gave me the motivation to attend Taratahi Agricultural Training centre to further develop practical skills and knowledge.”

After completing the Level 4 Certificate in Agriculture, Claire started a fulltime career in dairying. She worked two seasons on-farm putting her knowledge and skills into practice and continued to develop teamwork skills.

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Jordan Biddle, Stock Manager

When Jordan was at school he had little inkling that he'd make farming his career choice. But that all changed after starting work part time on farms when he was just fifteen, doing odd jobs such as fencing. The breakthrough came two years later when he was offered a permanent role at Waitaha Station in northern Hawke’s Bay.

His career got a boost after receiving the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award (sheep and beef).

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Harriet Gardner, Shepherd

Several generations of Harriet's family have farmed their Waimate property, and since 1982 they have carefully breed a unique flock of sheep featuring only black, brown and grey-coloured animals whose wool is now exported all over the world.

Harriet’s official title on the farm is ‘shepherd’ – a position which she says actually means “the person who does most jobs”.

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Melissa Stephen, Genetic Evaluation Developer

Melissa's job is to translate complex ideas and data into information that is quick for farmers to understand and use to make decisions about their herd. Studying at Lincoln University, Melissa wanted to be a rural banker but became more and more interested in animal science, so started taking animal science papers.

“I find genetics really interesting. It’s an exciting field to be part of and is moving forward at a million miles per hour!”

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Richard George, Forage Plant Breeder

Richard studied a bachelor of agri-science at Lincoln University, which served as an ideal platform to not only learn about but experience the magnitude of career opportunities available in the agricultural sector.

After graduation and a few years of seed industry experience, Richard specialised further by undertaking a PhD to ‘future proof’ himself in a science-orientated industry that is constantly evolving. His role involves a diversity of jobs, ranging from operating farm machinery, right through to planning and carrying out genetic experiments.

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Mark Gasquoine, Sustainable Agricultural Advisor

Mark grew up on a dairy farm which fuelled his enthusiasm for a career in agriculture and for farming in a way that would leave the land in a better state for the future.

In his current role at Waikato Regional Council, Mark works with farmers to ensure they are applying environmental best practice and operating within certain requirements. He regularly engages with farmers, rural professionals and other groups to ensure industry-wide collaboration – giving him plenty of opportunities to get out of the office and onto farms!

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Caleb Highman, Catchment Engagement Leader

Caleb wasn’t sure what to study or exactly what he wanted to do after high school. His high school careers advisor pointed him in the direction of science, a career in which he could enjoy the outdoors and science. “I’ve always loved science. I find it fascinating; science explains the world around me and I’ve always been curious about that.”

Caleb studied at The University of Waikato. “I was initially enrolled in earth science, but qualified with a Bachelor of Science, completing a double major in Biology and Chemistry.”

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Laura Buckthought, Sustainable Agricultural Advisor

Laura's pathway was an interesting one. After graduating from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Science, she worked as an environmental consultant for two years. “During this time I realised my true interest was scientific research, so I undertook a PhD in soil science which got me back to my passion for applied research.”

Laura’s love of research helped land her ideal job, a scientist position within Auckland Council’s Research and Evaluation Unit.

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Rosana Palliser, Business Analyst

Rosana grew up on a family farm and was involved from an early age. Her interest in the farm and strong broad subjects that she took at school in science and maths lead her to study at Massey University. After university Rosana joined the Fonterra Graduate programme where she has thrived on the variety of the work. The graduate programme involved rotating around different departments to give varied work experience.

She currently works as a Business Analyst at Farm Source. “I am really enjoying my role, where I combine farm support, financial tools and the advice farmers need to grow profitably."

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Ryan Lett, Area Manager and Product Specialist

Ryan grew up in Carterton, a town boy with a really strong interest in the land and animals." After completing his Bachelor of Commerce/Agriculture degree majoring in Farm Management and Rural Valuation at Lincoln University, Ryan went dairy farming for a year while his partner completed her degree.

"I am not just a salesperson. I am also an adviser and I work with farmers to build better herds through knowing their herds’ needs, through visiting them regularly and developing trust."

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Ryan Cosgrove, Wool Exporter

You don't need to have grown up on a farm. So long as someone is passionate about working with wool and has cross-creditable skills, there's a place for them.

I loved handling wool in my holiday job - day in and day out. But I knew that trading wool was what I really wanted to do one day. Wool has always seemed like an obvious solution. Its many benefits are well known, it's well researched, it's got a strong story already. I remember thinking during my holiday job "Every alternative fibre is just an imitation of the real thing. How could I NOT be successful at selling wool?"

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Luke Williams, Harvesting Coordinator

I didn't think I'd be in my current role until my 30s or 40s, but I'm 25 and have reached my goal already.

I can still remember my first day planting trees in the hills of South Canterbury: the clear crisp winter’s day with a view over the ocean is something I will never forget. Then watching a harvesting crew fell trees in the distance was enough to give me an adrenalin rush and make me think “I want to do that one day!” A careers advisor at school talked me through the options to grow in the forestry sector once I had completed Year 13. That was really helpful and I have followed that plan to get to where I am now.

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Stacey Belton, Agricultural Consultant

Stacey grew up on a dairy farm in the Waikato which developed her passion for agriculture. After three years of studying at Lincoln University, Stacey enjoyed farm the management papers the most.

She now works for a large consulting firm. “I work with some intelligent, experienced people, and participate in some big projects.”

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Matthew Benton, Farm Consultant

Matthew grew up on a family operated dairy farm which stimulated his interest in farming. This grew after he enjoyed working on farms in Waikato and North Canterbury during school and university holidays. “Farm work gave me the opportunity to experience different systems and gain skills and knowledge about the day-to-day management of dairy farming.”

His current role consists of completing on-farm visits, talking with farmers about everything from the operational ‘cows and grass’ side, right through to the strategic direction of the business.

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Samantha Robinson, National Fodder Beet Technical Specialist

Throughout school, Samantha loved the sciences and growing up on a dairy farm was interested in what made pastures and crops grow.

Sam suggests high school students, “Go out for a day with people in the industry that interests you to get the best insight into whether the job is for you or not.”

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Laura Keenan, Agronomist

It’s hugely satisfying and has exceeded my expectations of how rewarding a job can be.

I have a huge amount of flexibility and diversity every day. It’s a very autonomous role which means I need to be very proactive. It’s all about people, communication and networking. I spend 80% of my time in the field with farmers: talking about their various farm systems, staff and animals. Even though science is what I’ve studied, my job is all about people – understanding them and their farm and then helping farmers choose the right seed, plant, grass or crop that’s right for their environment and business. I spend 20% of my time in the office: planning, professional development and administration. It’s the perfect mix for me.

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Clare Buchanan, Farm Environmental Consultant

I know I’m working in a space where I can have the most impact…spending time with farmers and supporting the environment at the same time

I always intended to study environmental science. I didn’t specialise in agriculture but I’ve been passionate about nature, animals and biology since I was a child, and then my high school teachers furthered that passion and helped me solidify my degree choice. I can’t imagine studying anything else because I’m so interested in the environment. I was accepted by my first choice for study: the School of Environmental Science at McGill University in Montreal. Moving to New Zealand where agriculture is such a big part of the economy and because it has a big ecological footprint, only fuelled my passion. I know I’m working in a space where I can have the most impact.

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Jemima Snook, Graduate Accountant

Jemima completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) at Lincoln University.

She's now enjoying being part of the graduate accounting programme at BDO in Christchurch, where she prepares accounts for farming clients.

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Charlotte Irving, Agriculture and Resources Economist

Charlotte completed her Bachelor of Environmental Management and Planning, Bachelor of Commerce with First Class Honours at Lincoln University. She now assists farmers achieve a viable balance between profitability and environment sustainability. On a day-to-day basis, this includes assisting with farm financial budgets, preparing evidence for regional council hearings, overseeing budgeting and farm environmental plans.

Esraa El Shall, Ice Cream Innovation Manager

Esraa had always been into science but when she started studying for a Bachelor of Medical Lab Science she found it a bit boring.

"I remembered a food technology day we had at school and how interesting it was. Food is everywhere around us and there’s a lot of science that comes with it, so I decided to change my studies".

"I worked on the Kapiti Feijoa and Pear sorbet, which tastes amazing, and people love it, but every time I look at the green ripple through it I think why didn’t I make it a different colour green."

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Tessa Schmidt, Environmental Change Specialist

Tessa is an interpreter of government and council policies for farmers, helping them translate the rules into appropriate on-farm practices.

Part of her job is working with catchment groups in the Southland region, with the help of DairyNZ, NZ Landcare Trust, Beef + Lamb NZ, and regional council Environment Southland. Part of her role also involves helping find speakers for the catchment groups, organising events, and helping out with their projects.

Tessa went to James Hargest High School in Invercargill but didn’t know what she wanted to do afterwards except that it had to be something to do with agriculture. She had heard Lincoln was a small, friendly university so the decision was made. “I did the AgSci course, which is pretty broad, and in my second year I took a paper about farm environment plans and I loved it. I’d found my passion.”

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Eilish Duthie, Contract Milker

I love working with animals and I’m a hands-on learner so my apprenticeship in dairy was a natural fit.

I realised that learning in a classroom wasn’t for me - I couldn’t sit still for long enough! I grew up on a dairy farm and enjoyed my part-time job as a relief milker while studying nursing. When I worked full-time as a farm assistant, I decided to pursue an apprenticeship in dairy.

I love the variety on different days and through the seasons. In spring I spend more time in the calf shed, while in summer I spend more time around the farm. Growing up on my family’s farm, I had a passion for animal health and always enjoyed helping out. I wouldn’t go back to nursing!

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