When Wicklow man Andrew Stedman and Leitrim man Noel Sibery packed their bags for New Zealand last October, they would never have believed that they would be cutting their trip short in a bid to return to the Emerald Isle.
The two contracting enthusiasts landed in New Zealand in the middle of October 2019 and have been enjoying the Kiwi working life ever since.
Having bagged themselves a job with Riverlea Contractors Ltd, Noel and Andrew had been busy working and travelling until the coronavirus pandemic started.
COVID-19
Noel explained how the pair have found themselves at a loss of around NZ$3,000 after their flight back to Ireland was cancelled two weeks ago. A second flight is now booked to return back to Ireland.
“We are finished work now and we have booked another flight back to Ireland. Andrew plans to return on 13 April and I have a flight booked for the 17th.
“We have heard awful stories of people who have spent five or six thousand dollars on flights only to have them cancelled. All the work was finished, so they had no work and no place to stay.
“We didn’t know what to do because it’s dangerous enough to fly home, but then the work dried up and our boss was telling us he can’t have us in the workshop servicing machinery because it’s not essential work, so we said instead of waiting six or seven weeks until things come right, we may as well just leave now while commercial flights are still going,” Noel told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Luckily, they have found themselves in a better situation than most - they still have accommodation even though their work has finished up this week.
Contracting in New Zealand
Apart from the stress of booking flights home, speaking to the pair it was pretty clear how passionate they are about contracting life in New Zealand.
Andrew comes from a beef and tillage farm in Co Wicklow and has a family contracting business, while Noel is from a sheep farm in Glencar, Co Leitrim, and has worked for a local contractor for the past six seasons.
Riverlea Contractors Ltd are based in Taranaki on New Zealand’s North Island.
The fleet is made-up of 18 New Holland tractors, a harvester, two Fusion balers, two silage wagons and a crew of 15 staff.
Groundwork was the main type of contracting being done when they arrived in October. Andrew was ploughing, while Noel was mainly power-harrowing.
Silage season began in November until Christmas, followed by baling hay. The pair spent the month of February travelling around New Zealand and returned for the maize harvest.
The past couple of weeks have been spent ploughing and finishing up silage.
Typical working day
The contracting duo explained what a typical day looks like.
“We would start around half-six in the morning and we would be going until at least ten o’clock, the odd time you would be out until one or two o’clock.
“It wouldn’t be as hectic as at home because the weather is so good over here.
“There is so much gear and a good crew, the work is done much faster. We are treated very well, the boss would bring you out food if you were working late, he is very decent.”
The difference between New Zealand and Ireland
Would contractors in Ireland consider installing an iPad into every tractor they have? This is one of the biggest differences the pair noticed about contracting in New Zealand.
Noel described the set-up as being extremely professional compared with Ireland.
“Every tractor has an iPad and software called TracMap which provides the driver with a map of the farm you are going to and what job needs to be done on the farm.”
The GPS software allows their boss to see where they are, how fast the tractor is going and how many hectares they have covered.
Extra machinery
Organisation is key for every business. Contractors in New Zealand tend to have more gear than they need due to competition and efficiency of their work - if they don’t get the job done, someone else will.
The pair explained that “contractors out here tend to have a lot more gear than they actually need".
“The contractor we work for wouldn’t do massive number of hectares, but he has to have two of everything because, out here, farmers want you and they want you now, there is no such thing as waiting.
“The work has to be done straight away because there is a lot of competition. There are two big square balers even though one is only really needed. If it was in Ireland you would get away with one, but not over here.
“There is a lot of competition especially in Tarinaki, there is six or seven different contractors around the area.”
Taranaki
Taranaki is a small village based on New Zealand’s North Island and wouldn’t be as populated as other areas.
The lads describe it as a hardcore dairy area, with every single farm being dairy-based - there are milk lorries on the road day and night.
Living arrangements
Thankfully, the pair do not have too far to go to work, as they live on site for $100 a week.
In total, there are 16 people working for Riverlea Contractors - six from overseas, three Scottish and three Irish.
“We all live on-site. We all have our own room and living space, so it’s very handy,” Noel explained.
“The boss man we work for is one of the nicest fellas we have met over here, he treats us like family and has us up for barbecues. We are very lucky, he is looking after us and helping us with flights.”
Returning to Ireland
On their return to Ireland, Andrew hopes to get back into his family contracting business in Tinahely, while Noel hopes to get a job using his degree from Tralee IT.
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