Business Rural North Spring 2021

48 | RURAL PEOPLE » Tahi Ngatahi: Mark Barrowcliffe Some of the videos raise awareness by showing what can happen when things go wrong, for example when working with a wool press. Videos raise awareness of shed hazards • from page 46 King Brown Shearing is proud to be working with Tahi Ngatahi by providing a professional service to the agricultural industry. We provide service to farmers in the Central Plateau and surrounding area. 21 Bell Road Taumarunui • P: 0278967614 • E: kingbrownshearing@outlook.co.nz Duran & Ramone Smith - 0220820259 “BASED IN GISBORNE, NZ. PROVIDING QUALITY SHEEP SHEARING & WOOL HANDLING SERVICES AROUND THE EAST COAST REGION FOR OVER 30 YEARS..” Smith Shearing Gisborne smithshearinggisborne@gmail.com With Tahi Ngatahi we are Creating Safer Work Places. can easily be watched again to get up to speed if not. The feedback is that everyone watching is getting some good information regardless of how long they’ve been in the industry. “The usual reaction from the old-hands is that they wished it had been around when they started rather than just being chucked into the workplace and learning as you go,” says Mark. “You’re still learning as you go definitely but you’ve had your awareness level raised first.” Some of the videos raise awareness by show- ing what can happen when things go wrong, for example when you’re working with a wool press. “You can get seriously hurt if you’re not using a press brake on the handle to slow it down,” says Mark. “People don’t realize how quick the handle goes around and what can happen if it catches you. We staged that happening so the video shows that and the young pressers learn why it’s important to take the steps to make sure that doesn’t happen to them.” Taking the videos on-line with a simple log-in was a cost-effective, easy way to make sure they’re easy to access by what is a naturally transient work force. It seemed like an obvious way to get the information across to a generation rarely seen without a phone close by, but there’s also some next-level stuff of interest to all. “Things like mental well-being, and healthy eating and how dehydration can affect your top two inches,” says Mark. “We’ve taught people how to shear wool, and move sheep and press wool for a long time but it’s really only lately that we’ve started to move into adding another layer onto the teaching.” Mark can remember when he started shearing as an 18 year-old, which helps him to be mindful of the people who are their target market. “We’re all the same when we’re young - we’re six foot tall and bullet-proof, so it’s just getting those little bits of knowledge out there that we can. Some guys will sit down and read the whole encyclopaedia, others won’t even read the cover, but hopefully these little bite-sized videos will rest somewhere in their brains, and the more they can use it the better.” SHEEP & COW SCANNING • CALF DISBUDDING SERVICES Call/Text Jack 027 963 4570 or Jerome 027 246 2669