Upper South Island Deer Specialist Luke Thompson brings some interesting experiences to his new role, which is a big departure for him.

From anchoring the scrum for Japan to buying and selling stock for South Island deer farmers is a giant leap.

Luke and Nerissa Thompson went to Japan in 2004. Luke was 22 and chasing the opportunity to play professional rugby. It went well. After three years in Asia’s premier club competition he was eligible to represent Japan, going on to play 71 tests for his adopted country, including four world cups, featuring when the Brave Blossoms beat the Springboks 34-32 in the 2015 World Cup in England, rugby’s biggest ever upset. Although that was the highlight for the boy from Kaiapoi, beating Ireland and Scotland when Japan hosted the 2019 tournament was also unforgettable.

“Having the whole country behind us was an amazing experience,” says Luke.

Wind back the clock a little further, and out of school Luke spent 12 months in Ireland, then four years studying at Lincoln, during which he played his rugby for the family club, Belfast. Rural life was in the blood, with his father training racehorses and his grandparents owning a sheep, beef and cropping farm in Ashburton.

“During our time in Japan, we always planned to return to New Zealand. For the last ten years, we always said ‘one more year,’ then in 2019, when I was 39, it was time.”

As early as 2012, Luke and Nerissa bought a 140-hectare block in Cust, North Canterbury. Settling in there after their return home, the fact that it was fully deer fenced brought them into contact with then PGG Wrightson Livestock Upper South Island Deer Specialist Ron Schroeder, the legendary ‘Schrodes.’

“After a couple of years, as we got more and more into deer, Schrodes said ‘you should take over my job.’ While I wasn’t that enthusiastic, Ron was, so he went to Nerissa. She was keen for me to have a real job, so we talked about it some more, and it’s been a great decision,” says Luke.

Nerissa was a teacher before they went to Japan, carried on teaching over there, now working at Oxford Area School.

Their children Maya 11, Henry 9, and Ella 7 were all born in Japan, have Japanese passports, and think of themselves as half Japanese, says their father.

Aside from a couple of brief returns to Japan, Luke himself is now well and truly back into New Zealand life. He started in his current role, as Ron Schroeder’s successor, in October last year, working in tandem with his mentor until Ron retired in June.

“In rugby I was lucky to work with and learn from some great leaders and coaches. In a high-performance environment, you must work hard to succeed. You need that mentality. Organisation and detail also play a big part in your success. All those principles cross over into my current role.

“What is different is building the relationships you need to effectively serve your clients. You need to be able to step into their business, to understand what makes it work, and to help and advise them. All of that is different to the social skills you develop in rugby, and not such a direct crossover, though rugby is always a good conversation starter.

“Filling Ron’s shoes is my biggest challenge. I’m grateful to have been able to work alongside him and I’m enjoying re-creating the relationships he had with the people who are now my clients. You can’t do that overnight. You must gain people’s trust. I’m putting in the mahi to show I have the knowledge, creating relationships, and making sure I get the best for the farmers I work with,” says Luke.

With 300 stags of his own, Luke has skin in the game.

“I’ve had help from a neighbour, David Whiteman, who has become a real mentor, alongside Schrodes. Our property is not flat, so therefore it suits deer. Financially, velveting stags are hard to beat on this country. Although the deer game is niche, returns now are promising, and while there are dark spots for sheep and beef farmers, for those with deer, there is a lantern in the darkness,” he says.

Going to some amazing places is part of the role that Luke regards as a privilege.

“I have so much diversity in the country I cover. Although they are all deer farms, they are all different. You go from venison to velvet, with breeding operations like Mount White, huge farms that breed and sell their weaners, compared with finishing operations on the flat, or farms with only stags that buy in replacements. My area is large, and what works on the West Coast is not going to work on the flats of Canterbury, or in Marlborough. There is no one size that fits all, everyone is in a different position doing different things.”

Alongside family life and his stags, Luke still has a little time left for rugby, back at Belfast with a ‘giving back’ philosophy.

“I’ve helped bring some Japanese boys over, to play the club season in New Zealand. After we were looked after so well during our time over there, I’ve tried to give a similar experience to some other young guys, coming here to play footie, helping them to improve as professional players.”

Read about Ron Schroeder's deer career here.