4
December 2015
CANTERBURY FARMING
A different Style of farming
by Ann Morgan
manager at Kintore Nick Hoogeveen is the general sts of 450 hectares and Farm Ltd in Carew which consi 30 per cent share in a 310 is home to two dairy units, a rt block and a 70 hectare hectare specialist dairy suppo re since 2005. run off block. He has been the ms photos courtesy of kintore far
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hey run 1540 Friesian cross cows which are milked in two rotary cowsheds — a 50 and a 60 bale. Nick is a shareholder with three partners in the business. Kintore employs nine full time plus seasonal staff across the properties. “I grew up on dairy farms. When I left school I did a trade certificate in dairy farming then went to Lincoln University to study for a Rural Valuation degree and post graduate diploma in Human Resources and Information Technology,” said Nick who met his wife Demelza whilst studying at Lincoln.
They have been married for 11 years and have three daughters. “My family moved from Cambridge in the Waikato to Southland in 1992 when I was at school as the opportunities and land prices were better down there.” He said he tried other occupations but returned to farming. “I enjoy the work, my days are challenging and varied. I could be doing a budget proposal or meeting with staff in the morning and installing moisture sensors or heading to MacKenzie Country to look at bulls in the afternoon.
“People are a ver y impor tant par t of our business,” said Nick. “Our company slogan is ‘Powered by People’, the business is based on relationships from the board to staff, suppliers and rural professionals. “Over the years we have invested time and money to provide the tools to help people within the business grow and develop in their lives. Using leadership coaches is an important part of this and we use Coach Approach Ltd who have been an integral part of our system to mentor and develop our team. I highly recommend farmers use a
People are a very important part of Kintore farm who have the company slogan ‘Powered by People’
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