A change in career path has proved a winning formula for a farm assistant at Reporoa.

Claire Swindells was named Dairy Trainee of the Year at the Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards.

The 21-year-old also received the Vetora BOP Farming Knowledge Award at the annual awards dinner held at Te Puia in Rotorua.

Originally from South Auckland, Claire turned to farming after realising a desk job was not for her.

She went through St Joseph’s School in Pukekohe and Pukekohe High School, then went on to study economics at Victoria University in Wellington.

After one semester, however, Claire joined her parents, who retired in Taupō.

“It didn’t like studying 40 hours a week and knew that’s what it was going to be like in an office.”

Working in cafes as a teenager, Claire did a stint in the hospitality trade at Taupō before getting her first taste of farming in 2024.

She served a season on the Pinta dairy unit, owned by Government agency Landcorp.

“It was a lot different,” she says of the move from cafes to cows. “It was cool working with animals. It also provided a pathway for me into farming.”

Entry encouraged

At that time, Claire’s Primary ITO (Industry Training Organisation) adviser suggested she enter the Dairy Industry Awards.

While she was not among the winners in 2024, Claire placed third in the trainee category at last year’s Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards.

After a season at Pinta, Claire took on her current role as farm assistant for contract milkers Reece and Alex Pearce on Robin Broderson’s 151ha farm at Reporoa.

The 350-cow operation has split calving and all-rear-round milking in a 25-a-sde herringbone shed.

The owner has another block 15 minutes away, running 300 beef cattle and replacement stock on 200ha, which Claire also helps out on.

As well as supporting the contract milkers in the shed, her other duties as farm assistant include weeding and fencing.

Claire says this placed her in good standing for another crack at the Dairy Industry Awards.

Preparation included going over grazing equations and milk quality assessment, plus tractor and quad bike pre-start checks, along with fencing.

The judging process for the Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards involved a skills day, with practical exercises covering aspects such as analysing herd testing results and how to select 20 cows for culling.

It also looked at the use of penicillin in cow health, the withholding period required and gauging its effectiveness.

Claire had to fill a knapsack and pretend to spray ragwort. This tested her knowledge of protective clothing, chemical mix and equipment maintenance.

A general knowledge quiz followed, where she was asked to identify different varieties of weeds and how to complete a “termination knot” (with insulator) on a post when fencing.

At the end of the day, Claire thought her overall performance was “not bad”.

“I knew there were some things I didn’t get right.”

Top six

She was named in the top six contestants to face an interview with judges the following evening.

This covered plans for her future in farming, personal shortcomings and how/where improvements can be made, along with questions on milk quality, animal health, pasture management and the environment.

“Overall, I thought I had done better than last year,” she says. “After third and second were announced, I thought maybe I had won it.”

With her parents and employers present at the awards dinner, Claire says she was “stoked” with the win.

She goes on to the national final of the Dairy Industry Awards next month in Rotorua.

Going into this, Claire says she will go over her Primary ITO learning material and the feedback from judges at the regional competition.

She says the Dairy Industry Awards are a great learning experience and she also got to meet other trainees, plus share farmer and farmer manager contestants.

“I highly recommend it.”

On June 1, Claire is starting a new job as farm assistant on a smaller property at Atiamuri, milking 250 cows once a day in a 36-a-side herringbone shed.

She says this will be a mostly sole-charge position, with the farm owners helping out during calving.

“It will be a good pathway to farm management,” says Claire.

Long-term, she hopes to attain a 50/50 sharemilking role on a small dairy farm.

“I’d like to do it all myself.”

She also wants to complete her AI (artificial insemination) Tech Certificate and Level 4 and 5 Primary ITO courses, having passed Level 3.

With farming, Claire says she particularly enjoys tractor driving and managing stock health.

“I see myself fitting in the industry as a practical, performance-focused farmer who contributes to efficient farm systems.”

Claire is the current vice-chair of Reporoa Young Farmers Club and enjoys camping in her spare time.