The Real World

Leader of the pack!

Shaun Gardner is one focused guy. Not only has he won Central Plateau Trainee of the Year, he’s also the leader of the Rotorua Young Farmers Club and a lower-order sharemilker in Reporoa. All this at only 20 years old!

Shaun decided to reform the Rotorua Young Farmers Club to give something back to the community. At the moment his club has 16 members aged between 15 and 31 and are always on the lookout for more new members.

So what’s the Young Farmers Club all about?

“It’s $70 to join for the year. You can enter competitions, get discounts on sponsors’ products and you’re eligible to apply for certain scholarships. At certain times of year, we have training days.” 

And then there’s heaps of fun stuff to do as well. 

“We organise events and get together once a month. At the end of this month we’re holding a raft race to raise money for our club.” 

As club leader, Shaun organises everything. That’s on top of his usual 60+ hour working week. Phew! 

For someone so focused, you’d think Shaun always knew he was going to be a dairy farmer. But he was actually more interested in sheep and beef.  

“Throughout school I told my friends they’d never catch me in a dairy shed. Then I did relief milking and I ended up getting a job offered to me. I took it because you can progress faster and get better pay.”

It seems Shaun is definitely making the most of the opportunities available. And he also has some sound advice for working your way up in the farming industry. 

“Set personal goals and an overall goal for where you want to be in 10 years. Write them down and stick to them. Apply yourself 110%." 

“Word of mouth is huge. I’ve worked hard for years to get a good name and it’s paying off now. Get involved with clubs and stuff in the community and you’ll get jobs offered to you.”