With residential campuses and fully operational farms in Masterton and Telford, along with with non-residential campuses in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Southland, Taratahi Institute of Agriculture is New Zealand’s largest provider of vocational training in agriculture.
The name ‘Taratahi’ by itself is instantly recognisable. Synonymous with delivering competent and confi dent young men and women to the New Zealand agricultural industry; prepared for the realities of farm life and ready to hit the ground running.
Originally established in the Wairarapa in 1919 to provide returned servicemen training in agriculture, Taratahi’s focus has long since shifted to preparing young people and career changers for futures in agriculture —be it dairy, beef and sheep, deer, equine and, more latterly, apiculture.
Last year Taratahi took stewardship of Balclutha based agri-training centre Telford, merging operations, and increasing its educational reach.
Students and tutors outside of the Wairarapa have access to over 100 farms around the country, enabling them the same opportunitues as those on the residential campus, completing the same course and programme.
Taratahi Wairarapa operates a 224ha dairy platform 10 minutes south of Masterton, with its northern boundary on the Waingawa River, which irrigates about 180ha of the platform.
Dairy unit manager/tutor Nigel King says the farm sits on quite heavy clay based soils that can get very wet during winter and spring so have to be carefully managed.
The cows are wintered on reasonably stony land on an adjoining neighbours property. Nigel says this year 22ha of kale have been bought from the neighbour and the cows will be wintered on that, providing a further educational opportunity for Taratahi students.
550 kiwi cross cows are milked through a 46-aside herringbone shed, a ‘milking 101’ operation that helps to embed the core practical skills and knowledge required by industry.
Nigel says as well as providing a training environment, the dairy unit is a commercial operation supplying Fonterra, encompassing all the typical facets of dairy farm life.
Taratahi’s year-long NZQA level three course is a combination of hands-on farm learning, technical learning and classroom based theoretical learning.
Levels 4 & 5 can also be taken stretching the course to 2 and a half years culminating in a Massey Diploma in Agriculture. “There’s a diverse range of people coming here with about a 60/40 male/female split,” says Nigel.
“Most of the students are school leavers. We do have career changers who may have tried a few other things and think dairy farming might be for them. There are always some students who fi nd farming is not for them and leave throughout the year but our success rate is very high.”
Students are split into three groups working and learning in 14-day rotations over the 40-week course One group will be immersed in practical farm work from 5.30am to 5.00pm—milking cows, feeding out, bringing cows in and shifting cows while exposed to 11-days on/3-days off roster to provide a taste of real life.
Another group will learn about agri-chemicals, chainsaw safety, machinery, agri-vehicles, while another group will be in the classroom learning the theory to support the practical work.
“My guys arrive at the beginning of the year and I sit them down and say I don’t care if you have milked a cow before or what your technical skills are like; that’s what we are here for,” says Nigel.
“What I need you to turn up with is a good attitude and a willingness to learn and turn up when you are supposed to. Because reliability and a good attitude is what an employer is looking for.”
Nigel says the ultimate affirmation of the quality Taratahi’s graduates is the number of local and not so local farmers contacting the Centre towards the end of the year when they know the students are about to graduate.
“The timing of that is interesting. Come the end of December most of a farmer’s hard work is done. Calving is done, mating is done, calves are reared and gone and there’s no need for additional staff. Farmers are prepared to employ someone from Taratahi there and then to ensure they have them on board for the following season.”
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Taratahi students hit the ground running
