Living and working on a New Zealand dairy farm - Settlement Support

What is it like <strong>working</strong> on a
New Zeal<strong>and</strong> dairy farm?
Milk is big business in New Zeal<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> it is New Zeal<strong>and</strong>’s top
export earner. There are 4.4 million dairy cows in New Zeal<strong>and</strong>:
that is the same as the number of people living in New Zeal<strong>and</strong>.
The average dairy farm has 380 cows, but many farms are a lot
bigger <strong>and</strong> quite a lot of farms now have more than 1,500 cows.
If you are thinking about <strong>working</strong> on a dairy farm, here are some
things you need to know.
You need to be good with animals… <strong>and</strong> more
As well as milking cows, you will have to make hay <strong>and</strong> silage, lay drains, build
<strong>and</strong> mend fences, sow grass <strong>and</strong> crops, fix mechanical equipment, safely
<strong>and</strong> skilfully h<strong>and</strong>le powerful machines, <strong>and</strong> drive motorbikes <strong>and</strong> quad bikes,
do welding <strong>and</strong> engineering, help cows give birth, test soil, <strong>and</strong> much more.
It requires a lot of hard work, skills, intelligence, <strong>and</strong> common sense.
3 | A guide for migrant dairy farm workers