| 107 RURAL SERVICES » Harliwich Contracting Ltd From silage to seeding, Harliwich delivers Russell Fredric From silage and baleage through to cultivation, seeding and engineering, Harliwich Contracting has spent more than three decades building a business that supports farms and rural communities throughout West Otago and beyond. Based in Heriot, the family-owned business offers a broad range of agricultural contracting services including silage, baleage, haymaking, cultivation, seeding, effluent and muck spreading, supported by an extensive fleet of modern machinery. The business was established more than 30 years ago by Lindsay Harliwich, who has gradually stepped back from day-to-day operations while continuing to own the company. Today, directors Dazz Wilkes and her husband Luke Cubitt oversee the business, with Luke coordinating field operations while Dazz manages the administration and overall running of the company. Warren Harliwich, Lindsay’s son runs the day to operations of the company’s lease farm. Equipment includes two JCB 435 stacking machines, McHale Fusion and conventional round balers, Pottinger loader wagons, reversible conventional ploughs, airseeder and roller drills, direct drills, six and eight-row precision drills, 3.5 metre and 5 metre Alpego power harrows, two and four-rotor swathers, and both John Deere and Claas harvesters. Harliwich Contracting employs about 14 staff through winter, with additional seasonal operators joining the team as workloads increase. Alongside its contracting division, the business also provides general engineering services, maintaining and repairing everything from agricultural machinery to customer equipment. Long-serving engineer Tony ‘Smudge’ Davidson has been with the company for about 25 years and remains a key part of the workshop. “He fixes everything anyone brings in. It could be a wheelbarrow to a chopper. He’s very smart and very irreplaceable. Smudge is quite an asset for the company,” Dazz says. Operating from Heriot places the business in the heart of a diverse farming region. “We live and work in a beautiful part of the country. The terrain is varied; we operate on the flat just as much as we operate on steeper hill country.” While weather always influences workloads, Dazz says the past contracting season was solid despite wider economic pressures. “Farmers are getting good money for their product at the moment. They need to get their contractProud to Support Harliwich Contracting Ltd Supporting local expertise. Supporting our community. southlandfarmmachinery www.sfml.co.nz INVERCARGILL 03 215 9132 | GORE 03 208 8203 22 Roxburgh Street, Heriot, 2 RD Tapanui Ph/Fax: (03) 204 2029 office@harliwichcontracting.com ing done; it’s really whether the weather plays ball and the grass grows.” Finding experienced operators continues to be one of the business’s biggest challenges. The specialised nature of the work means Harliwich Contracting often needs skilled people capable of working safely in demanding terrain, with overseas recruitment sometimes necessary to fill those roles. “We hire as many Kiwis as we can because it’s easier for us, but we need people with experience. Most of the really skilled operators already have jobs. It’s not getting the staff; it’s getting them here that’s the struggle.” Community involvement is equally important to the business. Harliwich Contracting supports a wide range of local organisations, schools, and sports clubs, with the family’s involvement in the local rugby club reflecting the close relationships built over many years. “We’re a very small community here. Most of our clients’ kids go to school together, or we play rugby together. We know each other, and I think that’s a big part of it.” Operating from Heriot places the business in the heart of a diverse farming region.
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