Tough job
OPINION: The Hound reckons school teachers like nothing better than to complain constantly about how tough things are for them and that their generous holidays are all spent ‘marking school work and preparing for next term ahead’.
THE DAIRY industry is being urged to think about how better to attract and retain the right people.
DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says the big question is ‘how are we going to compete in the contest for talent with the Western world?’
“Before the global economy recovers – and it will eventually – we need to be thinking about how that pressure might intensify and how we get ahead of the game now.”
He said this last month at the launch of a centre for excellence for agricultural science and business at St Paul’s College, Hamilton. The college has had 48 students trial a pilot curriculum this year with another 85 signed up for next year. Seven other schools are involved and will offer the new subject in 2016.
A $2 million partnership with DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and others, is helping pay for the curriculum.
Mackle emphasised the enormous scale of change needed in dairy to meet land and water challenges.
“To get ahead of the game… and move away from reactive mode, we need to move fast and on time. [If we don’t] we will undermine our efforts to climb the value add ladder with our dairy products.
“It will take a substantial number of quality people to deliver the change; skilled farmers and their advisors are at the core.
“This is about jobs for scientists, economists, environmental experts, marketers, communicators, business advisors, strategists, trade experts, geneticists, animal health experts, technology and computer scientists…. We need you all in our industry.”
DairyNZ, MPI and BLNZ are writing a ‘people power report’ to set out where we need to be and how to work together. We need educators now to help us build the workforce for the future, says Mackle.
The St Paul’s programme will develop curricula for senior secondary schools to get facilitate the best and brightest into research and professional careers in the primary sector.
Mackle says the programme is “a centre of excellence. And that’s not an aspiration, it’s a mission to be the best we can as an industry, a sector and a country exporting food.”
He says DairyNZ is delighted to be supporting the centre. “We all need to work together on this.”
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy launched the programme.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.