Dairy New Zealand is warning the agricultural sector is in dire need of workers, and if we don't do something to plug the gap there’s no way we'll meet our target of doubling our primary exports by 2025.
Agriculture is an industry where jobs go begging, and the next generation of workers are in short supply.
"I think farmers need to pull up their socks a wee bit," says dairy farmer David Fullerton.
By 2025 it is estimated there could be a shortfall of 8000 workers – so why isn't agriculture attracting young workers?
"Each individual farmer has to build up a reputation of being fair and that’s time off, remuneration, housing, the whole works," says Mr Fullerton.
Now, St Paul’s Collegiate is also recognising it needs to play a part if things are to change.
"The current agriculture courses go up to the farm gate – we are focusing on beyond the farm gate," says the school’s assistant headmaster Peter Hampton.
The Hamilton school has become the first school to offer an NCEA agribusiness course and is changing the perception of agriculture.
Dairy New Zealand says part of the problem is that people have an incomplete knowledge of the agricultural sector, and don't realise that it can be academic as well as trade-based.
Graduates of the course will go into industries like agricultural banking, research and consulting, fields where workers are desperately needed.
"We can introduce as many technologies as we like, but if we haven't got skilled people to drive those technologies we're not going to get there," says Mark Paine, strategy and investment leader at Dairy New Zealand.
That would mean we won't reach our target of doubling primary exports by 2025.
