| 45 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Te Wae Wae Dairies Ltd Andrew overseeing the 583-hectare operation Karen Phelps He’s only a few months into his new role as operations manager at Te Wae Wae Dairies but already Andrew Hazlett has identified and made headway on a number of areas of improvement. The 2024 Dairy Farm Manager of the Year for Otago/Southland has stepped into his new challenge at one of the region’s most substantial dairy operations overseeing the 583-hectare operation that milks around 1,700 cows. “This new role has definitely been an eye opener but I’m absolutely loving it and learning lots,” he says. The scale of the operation is a big step up from his previous role and comprises a 54-bail rotary shed and a 44-aside herringbone shed, each with dedicated managers and support staff. The operation includes an 90-hectare run-off block used for raising young stock and making baleage. Te Wae Wae Dairies is owned by a syndicate but operated by FarmRight, an investment management company specialising exclusively in the agri- business sector. One of Andrew’s immediate priorities has been transforming the health and safety culture across the operation. “We were bottom ranking within FarmRight when I got here and now we’re fourth, but we should be top as this is FarmRight’s biggest farm in one unit so that’s my aim,” explains Andrew. Using the Onside health and safety reporting platform, the farm has digital sign-in systems at entry points using QR codes, monitoring of staff arrival and departure times and systematic recording of all hazards, incidents and health and safety discussions. “It’s been more about getting the team involved in using Onside and making it become second nature,” says Andrew. “It’s also been leading by example. We’re definitely having the right conversations now and are accident free.” Efficiency during calving has been another focus. Andrew Hazlett has identified and made headway in a number of areas. Andrew has restructured the calving setup to reduce staff hours and prevent burnout. New calf feeders have been installed to eliminate unnecessary movement, with each shed now having dedicated feeding systems. The farm managers have also initiated changes to procedures during calving in bad weather to increase survival rates. “The farm managers and staff are separating cows that look like they will calve overnight in bad weather,” explains Andrew. “They are putting the cows near sheltered trees on nice areas and the staff pick up cows four times a day during bad weather rather than two times a day so they go to a shed straight away.” Andrew has also developed alternative markets for Friesian and Hereford calves that would traditionally be sent to bobby trucks. “I’m expecting to sell around 200 on average at $80-100, whereas we’re only getting $28 on the bobby truck,” says Andrew. Staff development has been central to Andrew’s approach. “Training the staff and developing relationships is really important, especially being a new team to me,” he explains. “I’m really enjoying it. There are so many different conversations you have with different team members and I learn a lot from them as well.” Andrew’s ambitions are to continue to advance his career. “I just want to smash this role out of the park and see where it leads. I’d like to eventually have more farms I can oversee and guide. Te Wae Wae Dairies, working closely with FarmRight, is a great company to work for and there’s certainly plenty of room for career growth.” BALING SPECIALISTS 027 222 0991 STOCK / BULK • FERTILISER • GRAVEL CONTRACTING • TRANSPORTING 03 225 5899 Pukemaori 0800 22 5899 admin@kingsrural.co.nz kingsrural.co.nz FERTILISER liquid & solid SPRAYING boom & spot & forestry MUSTERING deer, sheep & cattle BUCKET seeding & fertiliser www.heliops.co.nz Ph: 0800 HELIOPS or 03 225 8275 - anytime
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