One of the big issues in the food & fibre sector is about having the right workforce in the right places.

Attracting more workers to rural areas - and for those employees to come to work already trained in both technical and personal skills - is ideal. But some farmers in Wairarapa say they struggle to attract and retain the next generation of staff despite the fact that training opportunities exist.

This article published in the Wairarapa Rural Outlook in September 2025 goes on to talk about how Farmer Time for Schools is the perfect example of both how to build a future rural workforce as well as how to foster collaboration between farmers and students.

Farmer Time for Schools proudly announces the successful completion of its second year, connecting New Zealand school students and teachers with farmers nationwide.

Student participation increased by eight percent from 2022, to nearly 1100 students. Despite challenges in 2023, including adverse weather and the impact of Covid19 and teacher strikes, Farmer Time for Schools persevered, introducing more young New Zealanders to rural life and the farmers behind our food.

Farmer Time, an education programme that connects New Zealand school students (Years 1 – 8) and their teachers with farmers and growers across the country, proudly announces a highly successful completion of its first year. Over 1000 students participated in the initiative during 2022, with the programme receiving an enormous amount of positive feedback from participants.

Marie Burke has a dream to see Farmer Time as a regular part of children’s education across the land and she is constantly moving closer to making that a reality.

She’s thriving as the national coordinator for the programme that connects farmers with year 1-8 students, bringing everyday farming to life for youngsters who may have never gone rural.

Every couple of weeks Ashburton dairy farmer Stacey Stewart uses her phone to video what is happening on the farm and sends it to a small urban primary school in Wainuiomata where students are transfixed by life on the dairy farm.

Students from Pukeatua Primary School have watched the cows being milked, hooves being trimmed, straw bales being stacked, the maize harvest and even a cow being calved. Down the track, Stacey will have the phone out to video artificial insemination as well.