6 | Finding staff when farmers need them Rocky Cormack and Janelle Daviso set up The Gofer in 2021, providing relief staff to farming businesses. The Gofer T T Russell Fredric REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The owners of thriving Southland business The Gofer are “are absolutely over the moon” to have been a finalist in the 2025 Datagrid Southland Business Excellence Awards. The brainchild of Rocky Cormack and Janelle Davison, who started it in June 2021, the company provides relief staff to farming businesses. The couple still work hands-on as relievers themselves, alongside overseeing the day-to-day operations but have added layers of structure and systems to manage growth, ensuring their clients receive a high level of service and support. The Gofer qualified as a finalist in the Small Business of the Year Award and the Primary Industry Excellence Award and while it was not ultimately a category winner, Rocky and Janelle were very successful in creating some strong connections with other Southland business owners. “This recognition means the world to us; we’ve poured our hearts into The Gofer and to be named finalists was just amazing,” Janelle says. “We are beyond proud of the business we’ve built, the journey we’ve taken, and the incredible support we’ve received from our clients, families and especially our team along the way.” They regarded entering the awards as a good way of benchmarking the business, meeting like-minded people and to gain greater exposure for the business. It was also a big goal when they first started out. The seed for the business was sown when they saw the need for farmers to be able to more easily find relief workers while working among these roles themselves, and with wordof-mouth referrals generating on-going work, The Gofer brand was born. “We did the first year ourselves and then we got to the stage where the work became too much so we employed our first staff member.” The Gofer has a team of relief staff which fluctuates between university holidays, staff members availability and seasons. Managing the business’ growth, cashflow and forecasting have been a key challenge. However, with the advice of an excellent accountant and installing accounting and payroll systems, this has clarified the business’ direction. By employing key staff to manage operations, recruiting, social media, marketing, administration, payroll and accounts, The Gofer is well-structured to provide a high level of service and to accommodate further growth. Becoming members of the Southland Business Chamber, and the opportunities this has provided to network, extend professional development and gain confidence has been extremely helpful not just to Rocky and Janelle but to their team as well. The couple describe the business today as thriving, with high demand for relief milkers, calf rearers and general farm labour. In addition to providing labour, The Gofer has available a 2.5 tonne digger, two augers, a skid steer and a root rake, with a variety of attachments for specific tasks. The Gofer aims to make the process simple and painless for farmers who quickly need to fill a labour gap. “They don’t have to worry about a thing. We sort payroll, ACC, do the interviewing. They just have to ring us and then we do everything.” Rocky and Janelle count themselves incredibly fortunate to have a collaboration with a local dairy farmer “out of the goodness of their heart” who sees the benefit and potential of The Gofer, to have one of their staff full-time working and training new recruits for relief milking on what is effectively a training farm. The Gofer provides staff with health and safety training and a mental health first aid course to enable situational awareness, as well as self-awareness, regular team meetings and one-on- one meetings. For prospective employees, work does not require formal study, provides immediate income, the opportunity to meet new people, the potential for long term employment and for career progression. Heavy Equipment Forestry / Agriculture TicketedWelding Transport 14 Lindsay Street, Winton 9720, New Zealand Ph: 03 236 0132, Mob: 027 444 1351 or 027 742 1557 www.bulleidengineering.co.nz YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL ENGINEERING PROJECTS WHETHER BIG OR SMALL Steven McDowall P 03 236 8065 E workshopwinton@xtra.co.nz A 290 Great North Rd, Winton
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