| 11 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Anthony Kiff Award-winning farmers Anthony and Danelle Kiff. Aerial view of shed and feed pads. Anthony with daughter Shila (12), Ahlia (9) and Zavier (7) with a calf. Farm Academy project a goal for couple Richard Loader Anthony Kiff was raised by his grandparents in Reporoa, where his grandfather had a contracting business carting hay. Anthony left school just short of his 15th birthday to work for a local sawmill where he stayed for six years. Over time he noticed that many of his mates who had gone dairy farming were buying flash cars, and then houses. “That’s when I started working for Allan Wills who was President of the Federated Farmers and had a dairy farm. I was with him for three and half years and he was a big influence on my farming career.” Today, Anthony is a past winner of the Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year, and Runner-up in the 2019 Share Farmer of the Year award, again for the Central Plateau — both wonderful achievements for the boy who left school at 14, and could easily have headed down a very different path. As always, it is the patient guidance and care of those around us that make the difference in our lives, and that is something that Anthony has never forgotten. Anthony and his wife Danelle are now in their fifth season contract milking for Ngati Tahu Tauhara North No2 Trust on its 235 hectare dairy unit called Tokoroa Farm. Not surprisingly, the farm bounds the township of Tokoroa. Blessed with rolling to steep land, the farm sits more or less in the middle of the regional divide between Waikato and Central Districts. Tokoroa Farm is a charitable trust and Anthony says if he is ever feeling a bit down, all he has to do is remember that his farming efforts are making a difference to his iwi Ngati Tahu and Ngati Whoa, through the support provided to them by the Trust. When asked why he does what he does, Anthony says it is about being outside, being with the animals and the interaction with the people on the farm. “Watching people grow is perhaps my biggest passion. One of my goals was for a 2IC on the previous farm I was on to win the same Central Plateau Farm Manager of the Year award that I won, and also to see that person go contract milking. Both of those things happened and now two others on that farm have also got contract milking jobs.” Looking back at the opportunities and support he has been provided during his early years Anthony says he and Danelle have a goal to establish a Farm Academy on the Tokoroa dairy unit, aimed at young people between fourteen and eighteen years of age. “At this stage the idea is to have three to four students from the iwi. The objective is not necessarily to make them dairy farmers but to teach them responsibility and routines, and preparing them for going onto a farm if they decide to follow that path. It’s about giving them goals and ambitions and teaching them to dream. I’m trying to get another farm contract within the Trust so that I can fund the academy project myself, instead of depending on work and income for funding.” Looking to the future, Anthony and Danelle have invested in two beach front sections in Mahia, Hawke’s Bay, and hope to progressively build their equity with the long term goal of farm ownership. “We already have a new house on one section and on the way to having two two-bedroom cottages on the other section by 2024 ,” says Anthony. • Truck & Trailer • Supply & Spread • Precision Fertiliser • Muck Spreading • Digger Services • Maize Planting • Scoop & Trailer • Silage • Baleage • Cultivation • Direct Drill • Maize Harvesting BYLLIVESTOCK.CO.NZ 0 80 0 827 455 byllivestock "Maximising your return through personal livestock management" Specialising in all classes of livestock Dairy herds | Sheep & Beef | Replacement Stock | Bulls | Valuations Bryce Young 027 496 7411 Chris Smith 027 496 7413 | 06 756 8968 Chris Kyle 027 496 7412 | 07 883 7412 Richard Seavill 021 169 8276 Jason Roberts 027 707 1271 Harrison Levien 027 496 7410 Ph: 07 883 7677 | www.putaruru.laserelectrical.co.nz Laser Electrical Putaruru Proud to be associated with Anthony Ki : Tauhara North Tokoroa Dairy Unit • Effluent & Irrigation Systems • Generators - supply & install • Water usage Monitoring Systems • Milk Monitoring Systems • Commercial & Industrial wiring • For supply & installation of air-conditioning • All general residential electrical wiring & repairs • For all your farming installations & maintenance • Household white ware repairs
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