Ex-All Black Sam Whitelock Swaps Rugby for Dairy Farming
Returning to the family dairy farm after playing 20 years of professional rugby around the world is no easy task.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker says it is also an important time to reflect on injury prevention and encourage farmers to look after themselves and their team.
"Fieldays is an awesome event and one that our rural communities look forward to every year," says Whitaker.
"We are encouraging farmers to take a moment during the week - where they have some time and space off farm - to reflect on their processes and ensure they are prioritising wellbeing."
"We know that farming is an all-consuming role and that is easier said than done during the busy seasons, but the most valuable asset on the farm is the people and we need to make sure our farmers are going home safe and healthy every day."
Agricultural Injury Statistics Highlight Ongoing Risk
In 2025, ACC accepted 17,057 work-related agricultural claims which came at a cost of $119 million to help people recover.
These injuries resulted in almost 210,000 days of weekly compensation for New Zealanders which came at a cost of $29.8 million.
"We know that when a person sustains an injury, it has a flow on effect to their family, their friends and their workmates so it is always better to prevent the injury happening in the first place," says Whitaker.
Most Common Injury Types and Regions
"Our research shows that most injuries are predictable and therefore preventable and the farming environment is no different."
The leading regions for work-related agricultural claims in 2025 were Waikato (2,715 claims), Canterbury (2,490), Hawke's Bay (1,518) and Southland (1,507).
The age group with the highest number of work-related agricultural claims in 2025 was the 30-34-year-olds (1,933 claims) ahead of the 35-39 age group (1,851).
A total of 64% of injuries were soft-tissue injuries and the parts of the body most impacted were the lower back/spine, finger/thumb or shoulder.
Improving Safety Systems on Farm
"New Zealand farmers are some of the best in the world at what they do - they spend their lives growing our food and milk and helping our economy. But they're not so great at looking after themselves," says Whitaker.
"Farmers can get better at putting in systems to look after the most important asset on the farm, themselves and those who work in the business."
ACC partners with Farmstrong to help prevent injuries in the agricultural sector and the wellbeing organisation will have a stall at Fieldays.
Whitaker encourages all farmers to take the time to engage and think about how they can apply some of the principles from Farmstrong into their operation.
Farmstrong is a nationwide wellbeing programme for the rural community. Their aim is to help New Zealanders to live well to farm well.
Former All Black Sam Whitelock is a Farmstrong ambassador, and he will be at Fieldays.
"To farm well, you need to live well. And that's where the five ways to wellbeing comes in. I've made them part of my life and I encourage you to do the same," says Whitelock.
