DairyNZ has come up with a new long-term plan to address the critical shortage of workers on dairy farms and ensure the success of the sector's future.
It's called the "Great Futures in Dairying Plan" and will set out how the industry can attract,retain and grow its workforce on-farm.
The plan was a collaborative effort between farmers, government and farming sector representatives, DairyNZ's chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said.
"I think it's really exciting," he told The Country Sport Breakfast's Brian Kelly.
The 10-year plan highlighted the challenges the dairy sector faced due to the workforce shortage, while also finding out how to improve staff retention.
The group identified three main problems that underpinned the on-farm workforce shortage; the dairy sector relied heavily on people to operate, it wasn't attracting enough people, and it wasn't keeping enough of the right people with the right skills.
The group also came up with three initiatives to solve these problems – "shape up," "change the job," and "look in new places".
While the initiative titles seemed short and sharp, it was important that the terms used resonated with those in the dairy industry, Mackle said.
"Bear in mind a lot of this language came from farmers – it's not just DairyNZ sitting in a room and dreaming it up."
"Shape up" meant ensuring dairy was an attractive option in an increasingly competitive labour market, Mackle said.
Initiatives included an induction for new dairy staff at a national level and developing a clear learning path to senior roles, he said.
"[It's about] really getting our act together on how we [get people] on board and retain them - because the turnover after the first year is disappointing."
"Change the job" looked at how to improve the roles offered in the workplace, by embracing new technology and strategies to improve work-life balance, Mackle said.
He was keen to see more automation on-farm.
DairyNZ chief executive, Dr Tim Mackle. Photo / Supplied
"I'd really love to see us go hard at that one and work out how we can not only save time and labour-use efficiency but actually make it a much better workplace for people and an interesting one too."
Finally "look in new places" was all about getting creative when trying to find people for the sector.
The migrant workforce brought "a lot of diversity" to the sector and Mackle was keen for dairy to replicate this with new Kiwi staff members.
