1
INSIDE
Vol 23 No 45 | November 17, 2025
View online at farmersweekly.co.nz
$4.95 Incl GST
Ag beckons as cities bleed jobs Gerhard Uys
NEWS
T
Employment
HE current economic downturn is an opportunity for agriculture to draw in skilled labour, experts say. The founder of industry training organisation Agricademy, Alister Shennan, told Farmers Weekly this opportunity should be used as it might not come around again soon. Data from StatsNZ shows the Quarterly Unemployment rate was 5.3% for the September 2025 quarter, a nine-year high, with 160,000 people registered as unemployed during that period. In May, RNZ reported that by the end of 2024 more than 9000 public sector jobs had been cut by the coalition government. Shennan said such high numbers mean tech-savvy workers are now looking for work – workers who would be highly sought after to fill positions in the industry. Industry bodies should join to promote agriculture, particularly as a home for young families, and as an industry where wealth creation is still a possibility, he said. Shennan referenced the Jobbortunities initiative, a programme by Clutha District Council that aims to fill hundreds of job vacancies in the region. City dwellers who moved to the
Clutha region found “the job’s good, the community is great, and the cost of housing low”, he said. The chief economist at Simplicity, Shamubeel Eaqub, told Farmers Weekly that data shows there is currently an urban slump, but that regional economies are growing. The amount of responsibility workers have in the agriculture sector is increasing, with more cows and hectares to manage per person. This provides an opportunity to draw tech-savvy, well-rounded and younger people to ag, Eaqub said. To draw more people into agriculture, the partners of new workers also need sustainable work, he said. There is a lot of turnover in the industry, which is disruptive for both workers and for businesses, but many seasonal jobs could be adjusted so that they are permanent, giving people a reason to stay in the industry, he said. Eaqub also cited the Clutha example, saying workers drawn to Balclutha found much lower median house prices than in cities, and that there are wide-ranging job opportunities, for categories from labourer to food scientist. Regional economies would be invigorated if skilled labourers were retained, he said. Reefton dairy farmer Caleb Continued page 3
Going once, going twice … Lead auctioneer Chris McBride, Carrfields regional livestock manager, looks for bids during last week’s on-farm sale at Tautane Station in Hawke’s Bay. Ten thousand lambs, 800 annual draft ewes and 200 R2 heifers and steers were offered for sale, with strong interest from buyers around the country. Photo: Abbe Hoare
NEWS 9
NZ Merino woven into UK firm’s fabric John Smedley Ltd technical director Tim Clark says the core of the UK company’s knitwear business is Merino wool sourced by the New Zealand Merino Company from 28 South Island properties.
MEETING THE MARKET 10 NZ dairy export access to India remains unclear.
Fonterra boss upbeat despite GDT wobbles.
Play a straight bat in the tech age, says Phil Weir.
NEWS 3
NEWS 5
OPINION 13
Change it up to the triple drench with five essential minerals. It’s time to rethink drenching. Change it up to Troika®, the mineralised triple drench for lambs that supports lamb survival, growth rates and immune function.
Talk to your vet about adding Troika to your strategic worm control programme or visit ChangeItUp.nz
Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 963 847; www.zoetis.co.nz. Troika is a registered trademark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A10598. ZOET24123_TROIKA_FWSOLUS