James Burrows

Having grown up involved in dairy farming, James is really motivated to support dairy farmers to succeed as part of his DairyNZ role, bringing practical skills and understanding into the mix as well.

“Being part of the farming community, working with dairy businesses, and having farmed on my family’s fourth-generation dairy farm in Culverden for eight years, I know how vital it is to have good support networks and industry connections,” explains James.

“It puts me in a great position to provide effective support for dairy farmers where needed and my background and experience drives my commitment to that.”

These days, James lives in Central Otago with his wife (Alyse) and two young children (Indi and Beau), but previously he’d spent three years with DairyNZ in the South Waikato district as a consulting officer.

“I’m still actively involved with the farming operation at home, as I can’t quite remove myself from the business just yet,” says James. “Other activities I enjoy include spending time outdoors with my young family here, and through the summer months, I’m a keen polo player for the Amuri Polo Club.”

James sees his role as a DairyNZ regional area manager as a key connection between the wider dairy farming community and the large undertakings going on behind the scenes at DairyNZ.

“Often, we’re so focused on successfully running our own farming businesses, we lose track of what’s happening in the sector,” says James. “So, being that link point for farmers is key to sharing and transferring knowledge, information, and growing capability.”

Having good relationships with other rural professionals makes a difference too, says James. “Due to the scale of the dairy sector, we can’t get around every single dairy farmer, so having that additional support from others in the industry is really important: it enables us to work together to help dairy farmers succeed.”

• Find out more about DairyNZ’s other Lower South Island regional team members.
• Check out our nationwide regional teams.