English farm machinery operators help with staff shortages in the South

Hunt Agriculture owner Alistair Hunt found a tractor operator in the "11th hour". Photo / Supplied

English farm machinery operators are travelling to the South to bridge a "dire" staff shortage, agricultural contractors say.

Hunt Agriculture co-owner Alistair Hunt, of Chatton, north of Gore, said it was hard to find staff.

"It is slim pickings."

Agricultural contractors would be busy up to Christmas, he said.

"Every nice day it's balls to the wall, all hands on deck and go, go, go, go, go."

To prepare for the busy period, he placed an advertisement in July seeking an experienced "iron diseased, diesel addicted" tractor operator.

The advert featured characters and quotes from the American neo-Western television series Yellowstone.

Although the advert went "viral" on social media, it attracted few applicants.

"We were sweating. We weren't getting applicants even though it was shared around the world."

They filled the position "at the 11th hour" with an Englishman on a working holiday visa, but the tractor operator never saw the Yellowstone advert.

He saw another advert the firm had posted on a website targeting backpackers on holiday visas.

They interviewed the Englishman during a video conference and realised they had a friend in common, which "helped seal the deal".

The Englishman starts working for them on October 8.

Hunt knew of four southern agricultural contractors who were offering a reduced service due to staff shortages.

"It's dire."

Excluding himself and his wife, Bernadette, the firm employed four staff - a mix of full-time, part-time and casual.

They increased their wages more than usual this year.

"We've really rolled our sleeves up this year to offset some of the inflationary pressures they're getting and remove any reason they might have to go elsewhere."

Maniototo Contracting owner Ian Hore, of Wedderburn, said he had employed 10 English people, a mix of men and women on working holiday visas, to operate machinery this season.

The new staff started to arrive last week, he said.

"If it wasn't for English people coming into New Zealand we would be up s..t creek and wouldn't be able to function and look after farmers."