Contracting staff worries ease in Southland and Otago

Zone Four councillor for the Rural Contractors New Zealand and contractor Richard Woodhead says many contractors have found staff for the season. Photo / SRL Archives

Employing enough skilled staff was a major worry for many agriculture contractors earlier this year.

However, as companies move into their busy season, many have found enough workers.

D. Thompson Contracting Ltd managing director Daryl Thompson, of Makarewa, said he usually employed up to 25 staff from overseas each year as well as 22 permanent staff.

This year, he has hired about 20 New Zealanders, most of whom required training.

He also managed to get four Irish staff who were in managed isolation for a couple of weeks.

Some New Zealanders who applied for work were unsuitable as they did not have the correct driving licences or failed drug tests.

"Some have never operated machinery like ours before and we can take some of those, but not too many as it becomes risky.

"We can't have a workforce solely of trainees."

However, as the season looked as if it would be a busy one, he was optimistic that as his new workers gained experience, he would have a reliable and skilled workforce.

Rural Contractors New Zealand zone four councillor Richard Woodhead, who is a director of Wanaka Agriculture Contracting, said many of the contractors he had talked to in the region had enough staff.

Many firms, including his, had employed and trained staff from the tourism and aviation sectors.

"We have employed a helicopter pilot and a jet-boat driver who had gone through the Telford training programme, which had also helped.

"We are lucky, as they have experience we can use."

Despite a wet spring, many of the region's contractors were expecting a drier than normal summer, because of La Nina.

Woodhead said the season so far had been challenging because of the wet weather.

He had talked to contractors around Otago last week and had been told that Upper Clutha and other parts of Otago had a wetter, colder spring, and many thought those conditions were becoming the new normal.

"Here in Upper Clutha it was as bad as it was last year."

However, since the soil had dried out, he and other contractors had completed most of the early agricultural work, although some sowing still had to be done.

"The Maniototo got theirs done earlier as it was drier and now they are irrigating."

It was also drier north of Dunedin, up the East Coast and down to Middlemarch, Outram and the hill country.

"It's going to be another interesting season.

"We have had phenomenal growth and the crops are looking pretty good."

That meant they are starting to cut silage and baleage and have plenty of work lined up.

He had been told the influence of the cyclical La Nina current on the upcoming summer meant it was likely the season was going to be warmer, drier and worse than it was three years ago.