Pāmu Provides A Pathway To Ownership For More Kiwi Farmers

Pāmu Farms of New Zealand (Landcorp Farming Limited) has confirmed an exciting proposal that will uplift pathways to farm ownership for more Kiwi farmers. The state-owned farmer is offering various contracts including herd-owning share milking, variable order share milking, and contract milking on four of its 44 dairy farms.

CEO Mark Leslie said: “At Pāmu we’re creating a range of pathways to develop talent for the benefit of New Zealand’s agricultural sector. This new contracting option for dairy teams is a great opportunity for those with ambition in our ranks or those already in the industry who are keen to build equity and progress in their careers.

“Investing in leadership and on-farm training has been underway at Pāmu for some years. This year we’ve launched the Pāmu Apprenticeship Scheme to encourage more young people into farming. The first cohort of nine apprentices begins in January 2025 and is based at Pāmu farm Aratiatia near Taupō. It’s exciting because it’s the first North Island scheme covering dairy, livestock, and machinery. Pāmu also provides a range of scholarships including through the First Foundation and with Massey University we’ve recently established the Dr Warren Parker and Pāmu Agricultural Scholarship. The scholarship supports one third-year student for their final year of agricultural studies.

“What we’ve been missing, and where we’ve not been able to hold on to talent in the past, is with those self-starters who want to build equity and move to farm ownership. This new model for Pāmu will address that while providing more opportunity to grow our talent and benefit the wider agricultural industry,” Mr Leslie said.

Pāmu Chief Operating Officer Will Burrett said the business was delighted to bring two dairy properties located near Taupō, one in Canterbury and one on the South Island’s West Coast to the market for contract, lower order or herd-owning share milking. The farms range from 400 to 1,000 cows.

“This opportunity is designed to enable the next generation of business owners and operators in the dairy sector and is timed with a refresh within the Pāmu operating environment that focuses on high-performing pastoral farming.”

The April 2024 Shareholding Minister’s Letter of Expectations emphasised the need for Pāmu to focus on core business and lift improvement to deliver an appropriate level of commercial return to and represent a value-for-money investment for, the Crown.

The move is expected to free up capital for the state-owned enterprise that has been directed by Government shareholders to put performance at the forefront of its decision-making.

“This hybrid model is one lever of opportunity to drive shareholder value,” Mr Burrett said.

From October Pāmu is looking for high performers that understand pasture-based dairy farming at scale.

“For those who have an appetite for continuous improvement and align with our Pāmu values this is an exciting opportunity to grow together within a common industry construct,” Will Burrett said.

Contracts commence from 1 June 2025 for the 2025/2026 season and are being advertised through No8HR.

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