Lower South Island Territory Manager for bidr finds greatest motivation in data and connection

After ten months working for the PGG Wrightson Livestock support team, building rapport with livestock representatives throughout the country, Mya Reid joined bidr in November 2025 as Lower South Island Territory Manager.

It’s a role she thoroughly enjoys.

“Our industry can be so traditional. Encouraging people to embrace new technology, building trust and helping them to understand the value we can bring to their business is an important part of my role, and really motivates me.”

Mya grew up in the Darfield area, Central Canterbury where her parents farm. After finishing school she worked as a shepherd, first on a McKenzie Basin merino stud, then in Wairarapa on a romney stud.

“Although I love working in the rural sector, what I most enjoy is the relationships with the people you meet. Rather than working on a farm, I decided I’d be more fulfilled supporting and providing service to farmers. It’s such a people focused industry, and trust is so important, which is why I decided to shift away from being on farm to more of a service role,” she says.

One big bidr day she particularly enjoyed was in late May at Beresford Simmentals, in the Caitlins, where Mya and Sam Murphy set up and ran one of the first sales using the new bidr helmsman system.

“The auction ran on a timer for half an hour, then extended if anyone had made a bid in the last two minutes. It was busy. Plenty of people were present and bidding, and we were responsible for entering all bids from the floor, while people elsewhere in the country were doing it remotely, making their own bids.”

On the day 36.5 per cent of bidding was from online buyers, and seven of the 16 Beresford Simmental bulls offered sold online to five different buyers throughout the country.

“Seeing genuine competition with the new format, having people nationwide join the sale, and being able to run it successfully for a vendor who was open to the opportunity of trying the new system was rewarding and exciting,” she says.

As well as her livestock support role, an earlier Hawke’s Bay-based genetics stint, examining mothering ability in maternal and terminal flocks and deer herds, plus helping manage a progeny test that assessed meat quality, gave Mya insight into the importance of data to make informed decisions. It’s a trend she sees continuing in livestock.

“Technology will continue to play a bigger role, and I’m sure we’ll see increasing use of online selling. While relationships will always remain important, data and decision making, based on technology, will keep growing and become more sophisticated for farmers.”

She’s surprised how fast farmers have embraced the opportunity to buy and sell online.

“Once you get buy in from agents, vendors and buyers, with the convenience of the platform they quickly become strong advocates.”

Which isn’t to say she sees the industry shifting to fully online.

“Farmers need the opportunity to get off farm and connect with other people. There’s always a buzz to attending a sale, and farmers aren’t going to give up that kind of human connection. As a vendor though, when your sale is also able to reach the whole country online, that’s the best of both worlds,” she says.

Connection with the rural community is also important to Mya outside working hours.

“I’ve always had horses in my life, and for a while in England I worked in the polo world. At that point I decided that horses were better for me as a hobby than a career.”

Now she is a regular in the showjumping arena at A&P shows in the summer and hunting events during autumn and winter, along with her horse Jamie Fox, who has been with Mya for approximately a year.

“Meeting people through these events is what makes competing so much fun. I’ve had lots of different horses through my life. They’ve all taught me something different,” says Mya.

Links to: 
https://bidr.co.nz

Photo credit: Southern Rural Life