Recent addition from Takaka to Mid and South Canterbury, stopping in Chile on the way.

Originally out of Golden Bay, Simon Harwood recently joined PGG Wrightson as a dairy livestock representative, taking in a seven-year spell in Chile along the way.

Most recently working in a similar role for another livestock company, now focused on clients in Mid and South Canterbury, Simon took the opportunity to shift his service to the PGG Wrightson brand in early October because of the people.

“Some of their recent recruitment, bringing a couple of younger dairy agents onto the company’s books, people I could fit in with, I was interested in working with them, and when the chance came up to join the team, I was keen.”

Growing up on a Takaka family farm, Simon has spent most of his life in and around dairying, which included contract milking and share milking in the early days, leading to a big change in 2007, when he was offered a position managing dairy farms in Chile.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to travel, and to look at South America.”

With two young sons, Mackenzie and George, accepting the role of managing farms owned by a New Zealand company on the other side of the Pacific Ocean was challenging, and rewarding.

“It was great fun, and an interesting switch of cultures. Plenty to learn and adapt to. It proved to be a life changing experience,” says Simon.

When he returned to New Zealand in 2014, Simon brought back his second wife Cristina, a Chilean local, and their twin daughters Mandy and Franny. Initially he went shepherding on the Golden Bay family farm, then in 2021, when Cristina, who is a dairy nutritionist, took up a career opportunity in Mid Canterbury and the family moved south, Simon started as a livestock representative.

Simon sees excellent prospects for his clients in a region well sourced for dairy.

“We have three local saleyards handy, and the proximity to processors is a big advantage. Everyone is close to an outlet, whether that’s a saleyard or a processing plant. Compared to Nelson, and even more so the West Coast, where freight can be a major challenge, that is not so much of an issue in this region.”

Simon’s biggest satisfaction in the role is seeing his clients progress.

“Helping people grow in their business gives me a real kick. When you’ve been with them for several years, seeing what they’ve achieved is great. When you work with contract milkers and share milkers, many have young families. Seeing those kids come through pre-school, then into school, knowing you’ve had a small snapshot into their lives and made it easier for them by helping their parents is a fantastic feeling,” he says.

Outside work, aside from volunteering for FENZ, for which he received a gold star last year for 25 years’ service, Simon has a couple of things going on in his life that are a little out of the ordinary.

“We live in Ashburton and have a few hectares. Rather than overnighting cattle in our paddocks, I have a business relationship with local halal butchers. They buy all the old rams out of the yards, and anything that needs shearing, I shear them. When I was around 20, I worked for awhile in Pohangina Valley, Manawatu shepherding, so although I’m self-taught as a shearer, I know how to get the job done. At the weekend, I might have ten rams to shear, or I might have 40. Either way, I have a mobile stand and enjoy getting out there and getting it done. When you’re shearing, there’s no time to think about the mortgage or work. It can be a relaxing activity,” says Simon.

Harking back to 2020, Cristina’s father Alfonso was visiting from Chile.

“Because of the covid lockdown, he was stranded here. Fortunately, we were able to get residency for him and now he lives with us. He’s 86, and we recently found out he’s the oldest Chilean national living in New Zealand. We call him Papi, which is ‘grandfather’ in Spanish. Being deaf and not speaking English makes communication difficult, though he cooks an excellent asado, which is a traditional Chilean barbecue spit roasted sheep.”

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