Given dairy earns New Zealand $26 billion a year in exports, it baffles Bex Green why farmers have to jump through so many hoops to secure suitable staff.
“It’s well-proven that, in many rural areas, there aren’t enough willing and suitable Kiwis to fill dairy farm roles. That’s not going to change in the foreseeable future.
“But farmers desperate to plug workforce gaps have to grapple with unnecessary costs, delays and bureaucracy to bring in migrant workers,” says Green, Federated Farmers North Canterbury senior vice-president and dairy chair.
“Lengthy vacancies are taking a huge toll on farmers’ mental health, team rosters and production efficiency.”
Green, who farms in Culverden, was recently named Federated Farmers’ Dairy Advocate of the Year for speaking out on these sorts of issues.
She says Federated Farmers was grateful when Immigration Minister Erica Stanford made urgent changes to immigration rules to help relieve pressure on dairy farmers this calving season.
“We welcomed those concessions, but the reality is they’re band aids when the whole system needs surgery,” Green says.
“We can’t stumble along season by season with this uncertainty over our workforce.
“Our sector is looking for long-term, practical solutions.”
Still unexplained, Green says, is the “gobsmacking” hike in Immigration New Zealand’s fee for an Accredited Employer Work Visa, from $750 to $1560.
Green is now on the Federated Farmers national dairy executive and says getting in the room with officials to thrash out practical, stable migrant worker policy settings is a top priority.
“That includes ditching the onerous requirement that a dairy worker from overseas, who may have little or no farm experience, must be paid the median wage.”
Green’s work fighting for farmers is what earned her the Advocate of the Year award, says Richard McIntyre, Federated Farmers national dairy chair.
“Bex is one of those people who actually gets stuff done.
“She sees the challenges farmers are facing and she feeds those concerns up to us in the dairy executive so we can advocate strongly with decision-makers.
“She’s incredibly good at speaking up for farmers around her – both in her district and wider – on immigration and other issues like challenges around non-replacement calves.”
McIntyre says Green isn’t someone to appear a lot in the media, but her work behind the scenes is exemplary.
“She’s a real dairy leader and she’s going to go a long way in Feds.”
Green and husband Blair contract milk 1000 cows and own 10% of the herd.
As essentially first-generation farmers, without family land to fall back on, the couple hope to move from contract milking to sharemilking or an equity arrangement.
“I’ve found in Canterbury that there’s a lot more corporate farms, and you’ve got to forge the right relationship with the right farmer to help you progress,” Green says.
“The key is a relationship that benefits both parties. That’s the way to move forward.”
Aside from her focus on farmer advocacy, Green’s a big believer in having interests off the farm.
“I think it makes you a better partner and parent.”
In recent years, since she and Blair moved from Cheviot to Culverden, one of her main off-farm activities has been road cycling.
“I came under the wing of a multi-sport trainer and progressed from regarding bunch riding as a scary thing, to absolutely loving it.”
In February this year her team competed in the iconic Coast to Coast and won their open mixed category. Blair kayaked, a fellow farmer completed the run over the mountain range, and Green cycled 140km.
She says she felt part of the Federated Farmers “family” more or less as soon as she joined five years ago.
She’d met Tyler and Wayne Langford through the Dairy Women’s Network and put her hand up for a seat on the North Canterbury executive when there was a vacancy.
Green is relishing the networking and support Federated Farmers offers, and the opportunities to get stuck into relevant issues.
“It takes you outside of your farm and business to do something for your community and wider district.
“You’ve got to have a strong voice and I certainly don’t mind using mine to help fellow farmers.”
Federated Farmers, New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation, has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ, the country’s leading rural publisher, to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed, united and stronger voice. Federated Farmers news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online.
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