Ready to jump in 

After three years at Lincoln University completing a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture, and two years in Blenheim establishing himself as a livestock representative in the PGG Wrightson trainee programme, Hamish Holst is heading to Wairoa and ready for his first role as a fully-fledged livestock representative.

“My training has been a bit different. Rather than spending time in the saleyards waiting to take over someone else’s client list, I’ve already had some of my own clients from the get-go. I’ve done two or three days per week by myself, and the rest of the time learning from the others in our team in Blenheim.”

Hamish grew up at South Head peninsula on Kaipara Harbour near Helensville, where his parents have a small beef farm and an agricultural contracting business. He went through boarding school in Auckland, with a small farm attached to the school, and always knew he wanted to work in agriculture.

“Agriculture, and the community around it, is the foundation of our economy. I enjoy feeling you are part of something bigger than yourself. Even if farming is difficult at the moment, overall the industry is a positive place to work, knowing you are contributing to society. Then there are the people you meet and the places you go. Being able to go up every valley, even when you didn’t know half of those places even existed, is a real privilege, and always a thrill,” he says.

With his training behind him, Hamish is ready to jump into his first job.

“I feel I’m now well prepared. Being in Blenheim was an ideal opportunity. Because it’s not a big trading region, you have to open your mind to different ways of farming. Even though they are relatively similar farms, everyone has their own way to do it. Learning there are different ways to help people make money has been a big lesson for me. 

“Young people coming into the industry always need to earn respect. As a 23-year-old, I’m now heading to some large-scale farms with serious quantities of capital. In that situation you must have the confidence to sell yourself, understanding there are different ways to make money. For young guys like me, who haven’t earned their stripes yet, you need to build up as much knowledge as you can and understand how to maximise opportunities for individual farmers. To make it work is a big responsibility.

“When it comes off though, there is plenty of excitement, which is what I most enjoy about the job: when you feel you’ve made an impact for your client. When you sell some stock for them, the satisfaction of putting something together, working on it, then it comes off. I’ve been doing that in Blenheim, though on a smaller scale. When you do it right, there is just as much excitement selling 10 cows as selling 100,” he says.

Training in Blenheim, Hamish was part of a small team, with two other agents, Peter Barnes and Chaz Woodhouse, in the office, plus Ross Sutherland in Kaikoura.

“From the start, I felt like I was truly a team member. I was given the opportunity to go on jobs by myself, taking on more responsibility than if I was in a larger centre. Having been part of a small team, I feel well equipped to go into an area, take it on confidently and understand the role. It’s not just how to draft stock. I’ve been able to learn the art of putting deals together, the personal side of it.” 

Outside work, Hamish likes to spend time on the golf course.

“I’m out there once or twice a week, usually playing club days and a bit of twilight golf, mostly fairly social. In the new job new colleague Mason Birrell is the president of the Wairoa golf club, so he’s already signed me up!”