The health and safety of our farming community can’t wait till English language abilities are developed, says Lyzanne du Plessis, co-founder of Agri Teach Me in Southland.
Agri Teach Me provides agricultural training using online video content followed by practical on-farm sessions.
Du Plessis and dairy farmer husband and co-founder of Agri Teach Me, Hannes, hosted a Farm Bike Skills day near Lumsden recently aimed at the Nepalese community, who mostly have English as a third language.
Dhurba Joshi, a senior farm assistant at the Southern Dairy Hub, acted as translator for Agri Teach Me.
Joshi said when he met the Du Plessis couple on a tractor training day he talked to them about the Nepalese dairy worker community, who at times struggle with the English language, and how this barrier affected training and advancing in the industry.
“Whenever the community got together I saw this problem,” he said.
Joshi said the couple later approached him to help solve this communication challenge.
“I want to grow in dairy and if I can help solve this problem it’s good for me and it is good for the community”.
Joshi said some rules and regulations on, in this case, safety and road rules, are completely different in New Zealand, and if this is not understood it could have serious consequences.
Besides physical riding, the bike safety day addressed compliance topics that are crucial so workers can fulfill their obligations on farm, he said.
Du Plessis said the practical course is ideal for farm workers who need safe-riding skills and knowledge about their farm bikes that will keep them safe.
The four-hour training covered health and safety, active riding techniques, maneuvering a quad or two-wheeler over various terrain, riding to different conditions, basic maintenance checks and fixes
Participants received a summary letter that can be added to their employer’s Health & Safety register.
