GrowingNZ Teachers' Day Out 2020

activities
teachers' day out
2020
2019
2018

From wood processing to innovative dairy farms to aquaculture ventures, our GrowingNZ Teachers' Day Out in 2020 provides the opportunity to explore the diverse range of career opportunities and pathways in our innovative food & fibre sectors. GrowingNZ Teachers’ Days Out will be hosted in seven regions across the country.

Manawatū-Whanganui

Grassmere Dairy / Rural Innovation Lab
Dairying for the future

Pāmu Cheltenham Downs
Sheep & beef farming

Ernslaw One, Santoft Forest
High-tech forestry

Taranaki

Rukumoana Farms
Sheep & beef farming for the environment

Dairy Trust Taranaki
Dairy research

Taranakipine
High-tech wood processing

Canterbury

Mt Alford Station
Regenerative sheep & beef farming

Midland Seeds
Arable cropping research

Pencarrow Dairy
Dairy farming for the environment

Hawke's Bay

Pan Pac
High-tech wood processing

Maraetara Farm
Sheep & beef farming for the environment

New Zealand Wool Scouring
High-tech wool cleaning

New Zealand Wool Testing Authority
Wool certification

Southland

Grant Brothers Partnership
Award-winning sheep & beef

Zonnevelds Farms
Regenerative dairying

Drysdale Hydroponics
Diversification in horticulture

Bay of Plenty

Scion
Forestry research

Holdem Dairy
Innovation in dairy

Highland Station
Sheep & beef for the environment

Northland

Waikopani Holdings
Farming diversification

Northland Marine Research Center
Aquaculture research

Lynwood Avocado Nursery
Avocado propagation

Grassmere Dairy / Rural Innovation Lab

Ex-corporate high flyers, Mat and Jana Hocken, are using their skills and passion for innovation and technology to transform how they (and others!) do dairy farming. Collaborating with like-minded farmers, scientists and researchers, they're tackling the challenges to the food & fibre sector - getting the most from their land and their people.

Pāmu Cheltenham Downs

Cheltenham Downs is operated as part of Pāmu, the brand name for Landcorp Farming Limited - a State-Owned Enterprise with a nationwide portfolio of farms that produce milk, beef, lamb, wool, venison, wood and more. Pāmu Cheltenham Downs have been recognised in recent regional environmental awards, and work closely with young people to build the workforce of tomorrow.

Ernslaw One, Santoft Forest

Harvesting began in Santoft forest in 1988 and is carried out by one full-time ground-based crew. Production thinning is also undertaken in these forests.

Rukumoana Farms

The Brown family run sheep & beef across the three properties that make up Rukumoana Farms. With a vision to improve their environmental footprint while producing quality stock, they’re looking to science and innovation to make the most of their land.

Dairy Trust Taranaki

Dairy Trust Taranaki have a vision to deliver relevant, innovative, world-class research, demonstration and extension to the dairy farmers of Taranaki and New Zealand. They use science and research to tackle real-world problems facing dairy farmers in the region - from feed supplementation to stocking rates to calving times - with an eye on environmental impacts and adapting to climate change effects.

Taranakipine

Established in 1984 and currently employing 175 people, Taranakipine is a large timber remanufacturer specialising in engineered wood products supplying both a domestic and international market. They have a keen interest in showcasing the training pathway opportunities for young people in wood processing.

Mt Alford Station

Mt Alford Station is a 2,291 hectare cattle and sheep breeding and finishing venture, operating on four distinctly different classes of land. All but 75 hectares has been purchased over the past 5 years and either completely or currently being re-developed. More than 350 hectares of indigenous vegetation and wetlands have been fenced off permanently from livestock and over 100 hectares of exotic forestry planted. The visit will centre on the latest property addition of 476 hectares of flat land which is set to have re-development completed in early 2021. It will finish Angus steers and Perendale lambs from the adjoining breeding unit, along with bought-in Friesian bulls.

Midland Seeds

Through innovation and a dedication to producing complementary products, Midlands has become a global leader in high value seed production, a leading producer and exporter of high-quality food ingredients, honeys and nutritional oils and a fundamental force in research and development. From the company's beginning, one of their main priorities has been a focus on research to help secure the futures of both the company and their farmer clientele. As a result, they now have extensive research and development programmes to support and encourage the development of the New Zealand and Australian Arable sectors.

Pencarrow Dairy Farm

Tricia and Andy Macfarlane are the owners of Pencarrow Dairy Farm, which recently won multiple awards in the 2019 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. They have a strong commitment to preserving their land, with native shelter belts, plantings and an efficient irrigation system.

Pan Pac

Pan Pac Forest Products has been growing, processing and delivering quality radiata products to international markets for over 45 years. As one of the largest employers in the Hawke's Bay it makes a significant contribution to the community. Pan Pac also is a major supporter of local initiatives, donating over $3million towards charities, schools and environmental causes since 1992.

Maraetara Farm

Philip Holt grew up always wanting to be a farmer and after spending five years at Napier Boys’ High School was told by a very senior teacher on leaving that he had wasted five years at secondary school because he was to go farming. That comment stuck, and ever since he has been determined to show how important it is to be well educated to farm successfully.

"Here I am, 50 years after leaving school still wanting to get out of bed each day to farm."

Over the years his passion for the environment has grown and it is very enjoyable to see the positive effects this has made to the landscape and biodiversity. It has been an added bonus meeting so many interested people who now visit the farm.

New Zealand Wool Scours

New Zealand Wool Scours are a commission woolscour, and the last woolscour in New Zealand. They prioritize sustainability and are currently progressing a number of initiatives to conserve energy and lessen any environmental impact.

New Zealand Wool Testing Authority

The New Zealand Wool Testing Authority (NZWTA) conduct a range of sampling, testing and certification services for the wool industry, as well as other testing for the textile industry.

Grant Brothers Partnership

Cameron and Robert Grant are fourth generation sheep & beef farmers based near Gore. Spanning across four properties, the brothers run a very successful, large-scale operation. They have been recognized in previous environmental awards and in 2017, were the recipients of the Wools of New Zealand Grower of the Year award.

Zonnevelds Farms

Tony and Denise Zonneveld are the owners and operators of a 55-hectare dairy farm in Edendale, Southland. Currently milking 150 A2 protein-proven cows and with a vision for the future, the Zonneveld's have a strong focus on environmental sustainability and biological farming practices.

Drysdale Hydroponics

Angela Beazer and Craig Macalister are the operators of Drysdale Hydroponics, producing lettuce and a range of salad greens for supermarkets and cafés in the Southland region. They recently received Provincial Growth Funding, allowing them to diversify their business to grow a wider range of crops including capsicums, tomatoes, strawberries, and micro greens.

Scion

Scion is a Crown Research Institute that specialises in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product, wood-derived materials, and other biomaterial sectors. The 10-hectare nursery in Rotorua has shade houses, controlled climate propagation facilities, commercial bare-root operations and a large purpose-built container-growing operation which can on-grow 700,000 seedlings a year.

Holdem Dairy

Steve and Paula Holdem are dairy farmers at Mamaku, near Rotorua, who are tackling the Rotorua Lake catchment plan around nitrogen leaching head on. Using technology and science effectivley, they're able to monitor what is coming off the land, and modify the inputs (plants and animals) - creating a farm that works with their environment.

Highland Station

Highland Station, a 1240ha hill-country farm, has been in the Ford family since the 1930s. Sitting in the Lake Tarawera and Rotokakahi catchment means creating farm management practices to match the capabilities and catchment of the land - practices which were recognised when John and Catherine Ford were awarded the overall Ballance Farm Environment Award in 2015. Using their understanding of the land (e.g. water tables, nutrient capacity) as well as managing and developing their employees, they're getting the best out of their environment and their people.

Waikopani Holdings

Greig and Rachel Alexander are located in the Mangakahia Valley 50km northwest of Whangarei. Their farming operation, Waikopani Holdings comprises of a mixture of Dairy, Beef and Forestry. This diversity allows them to farm to the strengths of the land and their people through innovation, solid management practices and a willingness to think outside the square. Rachel and Greig have built a very sustainable farming business that they are proud of!

Lynwood Avocado Nursery

Lynwood Avocado Nursery is the largest propagator of Avocado Seedlings in New Zealand, growing trees, not fruit. In 2020 they released a new scholarship, encouraging young people from Northland to consider studying for a career in horticulture.

NIWA Aquaculture Park

NIWA is supporting the advancement of New Zealand's growing aquaculture sector through the development of high value products of verifiable quality and sustainability. The team at The Northland Marine Research Center has expertise in systems design, environmental interations, new species development, disease identification, prevention and treatment, handling and harvesting, nutrition, reproduction and physiology.

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