Covid 19 coronavirus: Skilled agricultural drivers hard to find

Omarama's David O'Neill is not sure he can employ a full list of staff for the season. Photo / Prue O'Neill

An Omarama based agricultural contractor has turned away more than 15 applicants for the upcoming season including two pilots, for lack of experience.

David and Prue O'Neill have 16 tractors and 10 trucks driving their business which provides a range of services including cultivation, baling, silage, direct drilling and mulching.

At the height of the season, David O'Neill Contracting employs up to 22 staff members.

This year that might not happen.

Mr O'Neill, who grew up on a farm in the North Island, typically has five or six overseas workers every year.

Four planned to return to New Zealand this season but could not get in due to Covid-19 restrictions.

"To be honest, we are not sure what we are going to do," he said.

"We have had a lot of Kiwis applying but we are struggling to get experienced staff. We are still looking, with only so much time to train workers."

Most applicants were 20-year-olds with close to no experience, or 50 and farmed in their teens.

He wanted to get staff in their late twenties and early thirties who had experience, but there seemed to be few around.

Two pilots had applied for contracting positions wanting to drive tractors but O'Neill did not have time to train them.

"Tractors are almost as high-tech as an aeroplane, but they think they can jump in one and know what they are doing. It takes years of experience."

O'Neill believed Covid-19 hardly affected his business outside of the inability of staff to come in from overseas.

"When New Zealand was in lockdown, it was the best contracting ever. Nobody was on the roads and parts were still available, life was normal."

Oamaru and Timaru were applicant hot spots but O'Neill said after working 16 to 17 hours a day and driving back to their homes, it would not leave much time for sleep.

"We are still looking for a team of staff. If we have to take on those without experience then that is what we will do, but we need those with experience to help."