66 | Russell Fredric Georgie Sinclair has found her place in dairying by combining a passion for working with livestock, a willingness to keep learning and the confidence to take on management responsibilities early in her career. Georgie, 24, is farm manager on Nick and Deanna Ensor’s 170-hectare dairy farm at Hurunui, milking 580 KiwiCross cows. After just one season in the role, she is overseeing the day-to-day running of the property, supported by two staff members, while continuing to build on a career that began only five years ago. Her pathway into the industry was far from conventional. After completing a year of tourism study and working in hospitality, Georgie decided she wanted a change and accepted a farm assistant position on a 1,600-cow dairy farm at Culverden. “I grew up on a little lifestyle block, so I was pretty fresh to farming. I learned a lot there; everything from milking cows through to all the basics. It gave me a really good foundation and made me realise it was probably what I wanted to do.” Three years as a farm assistant on farms in Geraldine and Timaru followed before a move to the West Coast. A year later, the opportunity to step into farm management at Hurunui became available. Working outdoors and with livestock is a big drawcard. “I really enjoy the milking side of things and seeing the cows every day. Being up close to them in the shed and checking on them is something I genuinely enjoy.” The Hurunui farm operates a 44-aside herringbone dairy and has adopted Halter virtual fencing technology, now into its third calving season. The system has become a valuable management tool, particularly for monitoring the farm remotely and making day-to-day decisions using real-time data. “It’s pretty beneficial how much information you can pull out of it. The virtual fencing is pretty crazy, and from a management point of view it’s really RURAL PEOPLE » Nick Ensor and Georgie Sinclair Found her passion Georgie was runner-up in the 2025 West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year competition. cool being able to go off-farm and still keep an eye on everything.” Alongside milk harvesting, the farm also carries all of its young stock, creating a varied workload throughout the year. Georgie enjoys the challenge of supervising staff and helping others develop their own skills. “It’s quite rewarding teaching people and seeing them come to you asking how to do things. Sometimes it can be challenging, but I really enjoy helping people learn.” The property borders the Hurunui River along much of one boundary, with extensive protection work already completed to safeguard waterways. Last season also presented production challenges after a wet spring restricted pasture growth, requiring the herd to remain on once-a-day milking for longer than usual before returning to the farm’s 10 milkings in seven days milking regime. Georgie was runner-up in the 2025 West Coast/ Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year competition after entering the Dairy Industry Awards only three months into her previous management role. The experience broadened her industry network and reinforced her passion for dairying. “It was an awesome experience. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, especially after only being on the farm for a short time. It opened a lot of doors, I met people I never would have otherwise, and I think it showed future employers how passionate I was about the industry. “I’d say it definitely helped me get this role.” This year she was regional manager on the committee for the Canterbury and North Otago 2026 Dairy Industry Awards. • Proud to support Nick Ensor and Georgie Sinclair • LIVESTOCK CARTAGE • GENERAL FREIGHT • BULK & FERTILISER 99 Ward Rd, Cheviot 7310 03 319 8644 | 0276 776 787 “I really enjoy the milking side of things and seeing the cows every day. Being up close to them in the shed and checking on them is something I genuinely enjoy.”
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