May 23, 2016
West Coaster Raharuhi picks up young farmer title
A West Coast farmer who prides himself on developing staff has been named the 2016 Ahuwhenua Young Maori dairy farmer of the year.
Jack Raharuhi from Ngati Kahu says as a teenager he got into the wrong crowd and dropped out of school at 15.
What saved him was getting a job on Bassett farm, a 450 hectare dairy unit near Westport which he now manages for Landcorp.
After four years of work he enrolled with the primary sector industry training organisation, and now has qualifications in dairy farming, production management, milk quality and leadership skills.
The 24-year-old says he encourages his five staff to seek further training and certification so they can advance in the industry.
The other two finalists were Lincoln University agriculture student Ash-Leigh Campbell from Lincoln and Harepaora Ngaheu from Te Teko, who is about to take on a new dairy farm manager role in Ruatoki, south of Whakatane.
The Ahuwhenua Trophy for Maori farming excellence was won by another South Island entrant, the Proprietors of Raiakia Incorporation near Ashburton.
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