School: Coastal Taranaki School

University: Massey 2015-2017

Current employment: OB Graduate programme Jan-June 2018

Job description: Dairy Farming

OB group is a developing farming corporate business in the Rangitikei district, with a key emphasis on people, innovation and agriculture. The focus is to bring in productive people and get them where they want to be. I was offered the opportunity to join the OB Group graduate program for four months in 2018, before I leave to manage a 450-cow dairy farm in 2018/19 season.

The graduate program is tailored to the individual to help develop skills in areas of their choice. For me it is a unique opportunity to develop management and leadership skills that will benefit my future career in the dairy industry. Working with the on-farm teams at OB group is a great chance to learn from some good farm managers in the industry. The programme offers personal development too, which helps me to better understand how I can capitalise on my strengths and satisfy my values while working towards achieving my career goals.

Comments on the scholarship: The scholarship offered a great opportunity to develop networking skills and integrate with industry professionals, seeking advice and discussing ideas. The guests to DairyNZ dinners were diverse in that they all had different industry experiences, and this meant that everyone had the opportunity to network with someone relevant to their personal career interests.

Future plans: Dairy farm ownership, industry promotion, breeding and genetics.

Scholarship recipient: 1 year