With no responsibilities tying him down, Christopher Gerard Vila made a spontaneous decision nearly 17 years ago to move to New Zealand.
Visiting his sister and brother-in-law, who had relocated from the Philippines to Reporoa to work on a dairy farm, Vila loved the place so much, he decided to make the move himself.
“The visa process wasn’t easy but I persevered and worked my way from 12-month working visas to residency and finally to citizenship,” Vila said.
“I do appreciate the struggle migrants go through to get a visa, I was very lucky.”
Back home he had worked for an international swine and poultry feed company after finishing university. He had studied a Bachelor of Animal Husbandry as well as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine but the temptation to move to New Zealand to give farming a go was too great.
An agency helped get him started, finding a farm assistant role in Mamaku near Rotorua. After calving he moved to Maxwell Farms in Reporoa where his sister and brother-in-law were.
After two seasons he moved to a 2IC role in Atiamuri between Taupō and Tokoroa.
“I love learning as much as I can, I truly believe farming is more about attitude than skill.
“You’ve got to have patience, and willingness to learn and be willing to do a lot of hard work, it’s not easy but it is rewarding.”
His veterinary knowledge has come in handy dealing with animals, but in order to have his qualification recognised here he would have to go through a tedious and expensive registration process.
He had minimal experience with agriculture before coming to NZ, although back home his family raised pigs.
“We had about nine sows we would breed from, and then raise the piglets to fatten. It is a lot different to dairy farming,” Vila said.
The first time he went home after moving to NZ, he met his wife, Jonah, through a family friend. She initially came to NZ on a visitor visa to see if it could work and once she got things in order she moved over permanently 13 years ago. They got married in Rotorua and now have two children, a daughter Lily, who is six, and a baby boy, Leonzo.
“Jonah complements my farming skills with her knowledge of financials and business stuff,” Vila said.
“We make a great team.”
The couple have been on a farm in Ōhaupō, between Te Awamutu and Hamilton, for 11 years now. It is owned by the JB and BE Turnwald Family Trust and Vila started as a manager for the sharemilker, Mark Turnwald.
Recently, he and Jonah have bought 30% of the sharemilking business with a long-term plan to take over more.
“Mark mainly looks after the tractor work, the dry cows and heifers, and I run the day to day.
“He has been getting me more involved in the business side and I am fortunate to have such great support.”
The farm is 102 hectares, milking 350-360 cows. They also have a lease block nearby where the heifers are run. They operate a System 3 to 4, depending on the season, using in-shed feeding throughout milking, and maize and grass silage in the fringes.
This year they have built a composting barn, which is proving to be a bit of trial and error while determining the best system for the farm.
“We looked at a lot of composting barns before committing to building one, and there was mixed feedback but a lot of people loved them.
“Our farm soil type is peat so it gets really wet and the farm didn’t have a stand-off pad, so rather than sacrificing a paddock we built the barn.
“It’s for animal wellbeing and the long term sustainability of the farm”
Vila plans to use it on hot days and cold winter days to shelter the herd and he is hoping he will get more out of them.
The shed is a 28-a-side herringbone with automatic cup removers and there are two team members alongside Vila working on the farm.
He has just completed his Level 5 Diploma in AgriBusiness Management through Primary ITO, which he is excited about.
“The study was great, it taught me a lot about the business side of farming.”
And in 2021 he entered the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, winning both the Waikato regional and National title for the Manager category. He said it was an overwhelming experience. He had no idea how well he would do and now he looks forward to entering the share farmer category in the future.
Off farm, he plays basketball at the Waikato Filipino Association and he is an active member of the Freemasons NZ under Waipa Lodge 119 in Te Awamutu. They do a lot of charity work, much like Lions clubs.
“I am very thankful I was able to move to New Zealand, we have set up a great life here and we are loving it.
“I enjoy farming, it’s a great life for me and my family, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
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