Jayden Hutchinson

Recently have been in between jobs after heading to Australia for a couple months at the start of the year and the opportunity arose to help out a friend with the ever-growing need of firewood. With winter around the corner and the fact that he is busy with his construction company it was a no brainer to give a hand. During this role I have operated a 20tonne digger as well as a smaller 2.5tonne digger to assist the intensive firewood operation. Splitting wood and maintaining the numerous diesel motors, I have also been lucky enough to be on the frontline delivering the wood to numerous people around Manuwatu, building and maintaining relationships of happy customers and dry firewood.

During this time I worked casual full time to help during the busy season at the end of the year until me and my partner left for a working holiday in Australia.

Whilst working here I helped to achieve daily tasks that ranged from shifting cattle in break fenced areas to mustering ewes and lambs for docking and weaning as well as farm and water related maintenance.

Since beginning my work life journey at the end of 2017 after leaving Napier Boys High School I have had the pleasure to work on 12 different farms. This wide range of experience allowed me to learn many intensive agriculture production systems under experienced management that helped grow my work ethic and knowledge of the industry. Also allowed me to fine tune and decipher the knowledge passed down to then help me move my way up the ranks and begin to put my own management practices into place and be able to witness production increases.

During almost three years of working on Senlac station I rose up the ranks within the first year, starting out as block manager. Throughout my time here I was involved and co-ordinated a majority of day to day jobs and set short term goals with the oversight of the manager/owner. On the farm I managed roughly 1400acres of land that home to deer, sheep and beef. Responsibilities that followed managing this area included, but not limited to, stock rotations, pasture and feed intake management, tractor work/maintenance, digger work/maintenance, fencing repairs, reticulated and pumped water systems, velveting deer, animal health requirements and other farm related activities. Also during my time here I had the pleasure of training and expanding the knowledge of two shepherds who helped me with day to day tasks. The shepherds also helped me to better my people skills and taught me how to manage staff to improve productivity on the farm by identifying weaknesses and turning them into strengths under proper guidance and instruction to minimise accidents and enforce proper implementation of the tasks carried out.