Aaron Stafford

Opportunity. That’s what energises Aaron in his role: having the chance to blend his commercial, technical and people skills, to make a difference for farmers and DairyNZ’s regional teams.

“The dairy sector’s always felt like home for me,” says Aaron. “It’s been part of my upbringing and influenced past roles. Now, I’m accountable for the design and execution of DairyNZ’s farmer-facing events. Here, the rubber hits the road; taking best practice, new research outcomes, and policy change to farmers, so they can adapt to different drivers facing their farming businesses.”

Outside of work, Aaron and wife Kirsty enjoy supporting their teenagers Hannah and Liam at weekend sport (volleyball, netball, cricket and basketball). Aaron keeps fit by mountain biking on roads and trails, and he’s a keen surfer too.

So, it’s no surprise that Aaron’s also riding a work wave focused on team collaboration and maximising each person’s individual strengths. “Many of our team members have been, are, or will be involved in dairy farming themselves too, so they have strong farm-systems understanding and an affinity with farmers’ needs.”

Aaron says DairyNZ has a unique role to play in providing farmers with support and involvement, while acting as an industry-good, independent voice for them. “By leveraging expertise across our business, and with external partners, we can also assist and help farmers with their decision-making.”

One thing farmers dislike is duplication, adds Aaron.

“Farmers have a lot of people up their driveways giving them advice. Using a partnership approach, we can align and collaborate with others in the sector and efficiently share consistent messages to farmers on strategically important topics."

“Ultimately, my team members and I love connecting with farmers and facilitating farmer-to-farmer shared learning experiences. I’m also big on keeping things simple and focusing on outcomes and results.”

• Check out our nationwide regional teams.