The campaign is focused on supporting the sector’s goal to attract more New Zealanders to the industry, as part of working toward resolving long-term workforce challenges.
DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says the sector had a great story to tell, including the lifestyle and opportunities, and the campaign provided the chance to showcase the sector.
“We want to attract more Kiwi workers to the sector, where we provide personal and career growth, a lifestyle and a great community,” Mackle said.
The GoDairy programme has a history of recruiting and supporting people into dairy careers, for more than 10 years.
The relaunched campaign is one component of the long-term GoDairy programme and is designed to encourage people to consider a career in dairy and learn about the range of options on offer.
It aims to create awareness of job opportunities in the dairy sector, including the skills people learn, the benefits of working in dairy, and what living and working in a rural community is like.
Information on the range of career options is available on the redesigned GoDairy website.
“We are concerned about the current situation where many dairy farmers are struggling to employ the staff they need on-farm,” he said.
DairyNZ estimates the current labour shortage for the dairy sector is between 2000 and 4000 people this year.
These numbers are from a combination of data, including job listings and a recent DairyNZ workforce needs survey.
The relaunched GoDairy campaign will not have the Farm Ready Training courses offered in 2020. Last year, DairyNZ’s Farm Ready Training programme involved delivering training courses to convert newly unemployed into a dairy career.
The new campaign instead aims to create awareness of the job opportunities in dairy and is targeted at attracting young people to the sector.
Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre continues to rollout Farm Ready Training for anyone interested in the on-farm training programme.
“This initiative will work towards resolving our long-term workforce challenges, by continuing to attract and employ capable New Zealanders who want to work in dairy,” he said.
“We also offer among the best wages in the agriculture sector, with entry positions starting from $48,000 per year, while farm managers can earn upwards of $78,000 per year.
“We want new employees to be happy, fulfilled and learn new skills in their jobs, and for farm bosses to have great talent working for them.”
