First Nat Com of the year

Yep it rolls around thrice times a year and the dates seem to get closer and closer together.

Basically we get together the seven Young Farmers Regional Chairs and 

a few of the Vice-Chairs so that they can tell us, 

the National Organisation what’s going on out there in the nether regions of Nu Zild.

Plus we help them develop their understanding of what the National organisation is up to, 

have reporting from committees and 

throw in a high profile speaker and a smidge of leadership training – 

this is mostly done by osmosis.

This Nat Coms speaker was the Honourable Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries and 

the general consensus was that Nathan is pretty damn cool and, 

thank goodness there is someone nearer our age and is calm, cool and collected.  

Plus he tweets his own tweets.

This Nat Com was really positive.  

Run by our Young Farmers Board members, 

Cam Lewis took the helm to guide us through the agenda effectively and efficiently.  

We try to make the agenda manageable so a bunch of farmers can sit for two days

in an enclosed environment.  

Though we do make sure there are windows. 

This Nat Com was held at Cam’s family asparagus farm near Levin.  

The farm was a great location, Levin, however was a cautious ok.  

May have been the train tracks that were about 10 meters from our motel rooms.

At the end of the day, Nat Com is the engine of New Zealand Young Farmers.  

The discussions that start in the meeting room continue 

as the friendships continue after the Nat Com guys go back to their home Regions.  

Still winter in Becks

I'm sitting inside near the sun

but actually within reach of the heat of a heater
reflecting on another successful Nat Com.

It's been a National Committee meeting weekend

and this time we brought the Young Farmer leadership

to Becks in Central Otago.

You remember Becks?

That's were Ben and Nessie live.

Yup the place with two pubs

and four Hore houses.

Nessie's is one of the Hore houses.

Ah makes me laugh every time.

Both pubs are called the

White Horse Hotel

not after the whiskey though but

because for a long time

the Upper Manuherikia Valley was known for 

the high number of white horses that lived there.

The pub above is the original pub and for a long time

it was just the stone building

then the wooden building was rolled across the road on logs.

When it was across the road it was the community hall.

I love knowing this stuff.

Anyway back to Nat Com.

Every year twice a year we bring together our Board

and our Regional Chairs and some vice chairs

together for a two day meeting.

There they discuss and decide a bunch of things for the organisation

like their opinion on any new branding,

timing of Grand Final and conference,

how to engage more with members,

can we really be bothered having an exchange programme.

While my job is to implement what is decided

it is the role of Nat Com to give me direction.

It's like having 20 bosses who are all care

and little responsibility.

This is what our really great bunch of Young Farmer leaders

look like in the freezing cold on the top of the Blackstone Hills

in Central Otago.

Ah the serenrity.

One of the great things about having Nat Com in a rural setting

was that everyone gets to go on a farm tour.

Ben and Nessie have a 10,000 acre high country station.

That means it's a livestock farm pretty dry, rocky, mountainous land.

Ever since Ben and Ness put in a centre pivot two years ago

they have had really good rainfall so

at the moment the Valley is quite green and grass is plentiful.

They have 10,000 merino sheep and a hundred or so cattle.

In the States this would make them ranchers.

In New Zealand they are farmers.

They grow wool for Icebreaker and meat for Silver Fern Farms.

They feed and clothe the world.

Big job that.

Speaking of big jobs,

we met perhaps New Zealand's busiest man

David MacLeod.

We invited him because of his position as a Fonterra Director

and he came an inspired all of us

with his down to earth, good natured, opportunity knocks

story of building from starting his own electrical business

to being a director on NZ largest company and

maybe the world's largest milk supplier.

He has a heap of roles along the way not in the least

Chair of the Taranaki Regional Council,

director of Parininihi ki Waitotara

and is a National Council member of Local Government NZ.

Not bad for a Maori boy from the 'Naki

(his words).

David made his journey from High School to Fonterra sound a bit like luck

but his underlying message was one of thinking strategically,

making the most of your opportunities and not waiting for them to come to you.

But most of all family first.

In a couple of days of really good speakers*,

he was the highlight.

After all the talking and watching the closing in weather,

we finished our meeting,

headed back to Nessie's houses,

got dressed up in our warmest gear,

jumped in utes and disappeared for a high country station farm tour.

This may surprise some but not others,

the young women (they are under 30) on our Nat Com team

are all hands on farmers.

Ness runs the Blackstone Hills Station with her husband Ben,

Keri dairy farms, running one of two farms with her husband Hamish,

Lisa is currently at Lincoln Uni studying Ag Sciences but was a shepherd,

Ruth is 2IC on a dairy farm near Dannevirke.

Dunno why it would surprise people but it does.

Above Ness is explaining the lay of the land,

with a bit of showcasing her working dogs in the yards,

and a good dose of micron and fibre talk with a hand from Scotty the stock agent.

After a day long meeting

(farmers find is exhausting sitting still and listening for hours)

and a rugged, bumpy but relaxed farm tour

we all headed to the shearing shed for a two tooth merino on a spit

(cause only townies like lamb)

and a slap up BBQ dinner,

with a few beers and cake,

as showcased by my lovely assistant Ruth.

(whats the Dairy for Life jacket doing in a shearing shed?!?!)

Visiting Ben and Nessie is one of my favourite things to do.

Like many high country farmers, they love to having people stay

and nothing is a problem as long as the animals come first.

They were wonderful hosts and I can't wait to visit again.

P.S. Even if I did get a speeding ticket on my way home.

*I'll post about Big Wig Day speakers tomorrow.