How Hine Mullany's love of agriculture led to career in wool industry

Hine Mullany. Photo / Supplied

Hine Mullany (24) was never brought up on a farm but has become one of two wool trainees taken on by PGG Wrightson, ahead of 47 applicants for the 18-month positions.

Raised in Methven, her father was in construction and her mother in education, so it wasn't until she was working as a bartender when the thought of a job in the rural industry came to her.

"I heard a bunch of people at a pub I was working at and it was actually a team from PGG Wrightson and I got talking to one of the livestock reps, asking what they did. That was when I thought this is actually what I want to do."

She made a point of talking to anyone at the bar working in the rural field and eventually enrolled at Lincoln University.

"For me, it's about getting out there and it's a hands-on job. The people in the agriculture industry are 10 out of 10. They are the best and I love being around people who share the same passion as myself."

In her final year towards a bachelor of agriculture degree, she gravitated towards wool.

Her goal was to find a job in either livestock or wool, and she worked on dairy farms as a student.

She loves everything about dairy farming, but her real interest was in wool, and her studies reinforced this.

"Wool has a significant place in New Zealand's future. It's obviously sustainable and it's become a matter of getting the word out there about how versatile this natural product is."

Initially working in the farm machinery business, Mullany counts herself lucky to have landed her dream job in the company's Christchurch office.

In her first few weeks, she's gone out to South Island wool sheds and met many farmers.

Absorbing an "overload" of knowledge has been a challenge she's gratefully taking on and she's keen to learn all she can from wool veterans, some who have been in the business for more than 45 years.

Both trainees will gain experience across all of the company's wool operations and attend its academy.

Mullany would like to eventually become a wool representative or classer, but the thrill of the auction room has caught her imagination and this could be where she eventually ends up.

In her spare time, she goes out on hunting trips with her boyfriend, a first date in minus 10-degree temperatures having failed to deter her.