Learning together supports Waimakariri dairy business

Waimakariri contract milkers Kirstie and Wayne Pritchard wouldn’t be without the support and opportunities that Primary ITO | Te Pūkenga offers to their business.

The couple have been contract milking at Swannanoa for five years, milking up to 1050 cows on 360 hectares of irrigated land.

They have integrated Primary ITO learning programmes into their farm operation to progress their team and currently have three staff learning towards qualifications at various levels.

“We think it is really vital that they enrol in learning because we want them to develop and go further in the industry,” says Kirstie.

Over the years they have seen many of their team members progress to roles of more responsibility from starting out as relief milkers or assistants to getting fulltime work, becoming farm managers, and running their own businesses.

Kirstie says their three current learners are at different stages and have varying needs and the flexibility that Primary ITO offers supports this.

Training Advisers are in regular contact with learners to support their progress and meet with employers and learners at least four times a year to set a training plan.

Wayne says having staff learn on the job allows him to delegate detailed tasks and manage the team. The support of Training Adviser Sacha Storer also eases his workload.

A former dairy farm owner, manager, and teacher, Sacha loves combining her passions to help others. “Seeing learners expand their knowledge and progress in the industry is very satisfying.”

Learners attend classes once every month to six weeks and attend study days and nights. Learners who require additional support have access to a learning support team and mentors.

Wayne says the learning supports the whole farm operation because everyone is motivated to progress together, and he credits the farm’s high staff retention rate with the team having the opportunity to learn and gain qualifications.