NZ Dairy Summer 2020

22 | nz dairy Proud to support Dairy Holdings Ltd • Concrete • Fertiliser Spreading - Farm Mapping - GPS Tracking - Varible Rate Spreading • Livestock Cartage • Grain Cartage • Shingle Supplies • Daily Freight Leeston: 03 3248 070 Dunsandel: 03 3254 039 reception@ellesmere.co.nz DAIRY PEOPLE » Dairy Holdings: Shaun & Andrea Wise I n their fourth season working as contract milkers for Dairy Holdings Ltd, Shaun and Andrea Wise have enjoyed the benefits of progressive growth along with security within the industry they are both passionate about. Dairy Holdings has extensive dairy farm opera- tions in the South Island, and Shaun and Andrea have been contract milking 590 cows on the company’s 138 hectare Tata Dairy property just out of Temuka since 2017. Shaun and Andrea’s contract with Dairy Holdings necessitated an investment in plant and machinery including a tractor, fuel tanks and mowers. Initially obtaining a bank loan to purchase the farm equip- ment, the debt has since been fully repaid. The couple also brought with them 21 of their own cows leasing them to Dairy Holdings as part of the milking herd. Over the last four seasons Shaun and Andrea have progressively increased their herd, which now stands at 476 milking cows along with young stock, leased back to Dairy Holdings. Next season, Shaun and Andrea will own 100% of the herd and transition to a 50/50 sharemilking agreement with Dairy Holdings. Having worked for a number of farm owners both in the North and South Islands since the begin- ning of the farming career in 2011, the job security provided by Dairy Holdings has been welcomed by Shaun and Andrea. “With the support of Dairy Holdings, Andrea and I can grow at whatever speed we feel comfort- able with,” says Shaun. “We’ve been able to grow our business through progressively increasing our herd ownership and also our equity in plant and machinery. You wouldn’t get that kind of growth in any other industry.” Softly spoken and originally ‘a townie’ from South Africa, Shaun says working in the outdoors had been a passion from a very early age. Initially focused on becoming a vet, when that didn’t work out Shaun turned to accountancy in the hope that it would enable him to buy land. Finding his way to New Zealand in 2008, Shaun continued to work in accountancy for three years till meeting Andrea who hailed from a Northland dairy farming background. But it wasn’t till visiting a friend’s dairy farm in 2010 that Shaun realized farming had always been his dream and he had to do something with his life – and that certainly happened the following year. Enjoying the benefits of progressive growth Richard Loader • to page 24 Shaun and Andrea with one of the two herds at Tata, near Temuka.