How to attract farm workers to your farm

10 October 2023

Agriculture is the backbone of the New Zealand economy and farmers are great at innovation, but it can be a challenge to find workers for your farm. Not only do you have the regular challenges every business faces, but there are unique challenges such as the work being seasonal or short-term. There’s also the rural location – a challenge for workers to stay connected with their friends and family – whether in-person or digitally. 


So what can you do to make your farm more attractive to work at? And to ensure you’re attracting the right person for the job? Here are some things to consider. 


1. People like working with good equipment 

We’ve all had to ‘make-do’ at some point in our lives, but when it comes to a job, using equipment that breaks down frequently or is more labour intensive – doesn’t make that job attractive. New gear doesn’t break, it’s easier to use and people like working with good tools that make getting the job done easier and quicker. If it’s a choice between working with older equipment or newer equipment – you know which choice you’d make, so give yourself and your farm the edge.   


2. People like utilising technology 

There are a multitude of options to make farming easier – how many have you adopted? Workers are more likely to work for a farm or employer that’s embracing technology and making use of the tools available to them. However, make sure what you choose to implement actually works for your farm – there can be too much of a good thing! 


The other consideration is the internet connection – how fast and reliable is it? It’s important to have a good, reliable internet connection for your house and office, but make sure it’s also available in your farm workers’ accommodation and working area. They’ll appreciate being able to stay easily connected with their family and friends. 


3. People like a work-life balance 

The importance of a work-life balance isn’t a new concept and since the pandemic it’s become more important than ever. Bear in mind that your workers are looking for opportunities where they can have a work-life balance, so find out what they’re interested in and how you can support that. It can be a minimal investment but with great rewards of happy workers. It could be something as simple as an afternoon off, or staff discounts. Consider also what they’re goals and aspirations are within work and how you can help them learn more to enable them to reach their goal. 

 

4. People aren’t machines (or commodities) 

In recent years there’s been a rise in awareness of the impact farming can have on mental health. This applies not only to the farmers themselves but their workers. Most people are hard-working but what happens when they work too hard? Or are starting to burn themselves out? What systems do you have in place to check in on your workers? How can they raise concerns about systems or fellow workers or how things are done? Do you have tools in place to help identify when a worker is struggling (especially if they’re a new worker)? Be open and honest about the tougher aspects of the job and the processes you have in place for the stressful times. 

 

5. Little changes can have a big impact 

It only takes a little more effort for your farm to become more attractive to workers. Understanding what they’re after and how you can make you changes pays off in the long run. It also allows you have to learn more about your staff and what motivates them which means they’ll feel more ‘at home’ working for you – which is a win-win for all involved. 


The art of delegation

11 August 2025
How often do you get to the end of a working day and wonder where the time went? Perhaps you never got to item 3 (or even item 1!!) on your to-do list. How can you solve this problem without working longer hours? The answer is very simple, but the art in the solution is where the gold is. The answer to free up time is to delegate more – either to existing team members, new people you recruit, or externally to outside contractors. However, if delegation were that easy, everyone would be doing it now, right? So, what is the art of delegation? We say art, because delegation is not an exact science; different approaches are needed depending on who the ‘delegate’ is. Time and effort are required to effectively pass on tasks to others. Often, the time the delegator needs to put in initially is greater than if they did the work themselves – that’s why so many people don’t delegate. The view that ‘it’s quicker for you to do it yourself’ holds you trapped and unable to be more productive and effective yourself. It also stops others from developing better ways to do things than you already know, i.e. if you teach them your way, then they can master that AND add their own value – two minds being better than one. Here are some essential principles to apply to help you to delegate (as opposed to abdicate!): Delegation Assess the task, issue to the right person and support - helps build trust and respect Be specific and crystal clear for greater communication Request they repeat back instructions, so you know you were understood, enabling higher productivity Set a time frame and request clarification that the task has been achieved, ensuring jobs are completed on time and are profitable Both parties to review - opens the door for future work Abdication Issue tasks to anyone and forget about it - shows distrust and a lack of respect Giving unclear and little information results in poor communication Don’t ask if you were understood - results in low productivity Don’t set a time frame – it can mean jobs are delayed and over budget Different expectations can result in disgruntled clients No review results in no future work Delegation is a skill to be learned; applying these principles consistently will ensure long-term success. “No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit” – Andrew Carnagie Action list: Which tasks am I currently doing that I could delegate to others? What can I do with the time I free up? Who are the best people for me to delegate these to? (Make sure they want to do these as part of their career development). What is the best way to document what is expected and how it should be done? What support and review process is needed to ensure success?

Work vehicles? Stay on top of tax with logbooks

11 August 2025
Logbooks are useful records of business expenses relating to work vehicles and this is important when calculating what tax deductions you can claim. Depending on your business entity type, different tax rules apply when you use motor vehicles to earn income, and you might use a logbook to track expenses in different ways. Sole traders and partnerships can claim income tax deductions for motor vehicle expenses if the vehicle is used to help earn income for the business. If you don’t use the vehicle exclusively for business, you can’t claim 100% of vehicle expenses. You need to work out the business use of the motor vehicle to calculate what deduction you can claim. You can do this either by using a logbook to track actual costs or using a logbook over a test period to establish the average business usage. Companies are a bit different. Where company vehicles are used partly to earn income and partly for private use, vehicle costs associated with private use are liable for FBT. Companies can use logbooks to keep track of work-related costs and show either that the vehicles are work-related vehicles which don’t attract FBT where used for work purposes only, or that FBT is accounted for correctly where there is some private use of other vehicles. The logbook becomes a record of work-related use and of private use subject to FBT. Where a company restricts private use of the vehicle, a logbook is used as evidence that employees have complied with the restriction. Whatever type of business structure you have, we can advise you on keeping good records and understanding what you can claim.

Changes to KiwiSaver: How to get your business ready

11 August 2025
Major changes to KiwiSaver were announced in Budget 2025. The KiwiSaver voluntary savings scheme is aimed at helping New Zealand workers save for retirement or buy a first house. But with the rising cost of living, action was needed to make KiwiSaver fit for purpose and more fiscally sustainable as a savings scheme. How will these changes affect your employees and your small business? Let’s take a look at the details of these KiwiSaver changes. Changes affecting your employees First off, let’s outline how the initial changes announced in Budget 2025 will affect your employees and other Kiwi workers: Since 1 July 2025: Younger workers will qualify for government contributions: People aged 16 and 17 will qualify for government contributions, so long as they meet other eligibility requirements. Prior to 1 July 2025, members must be 18 or older to qualify. Government contributions to halve: The government KiwiSaver contribution will halve, reducing the maximum government contribution from $521.43 to $260.72 each year. High earners to lose government contributions: People who earn more than $180,000 of taxable income in a year will no longer qualify for government contributions. No change to 2025 government contributions: There’ll be no change to government contributions for the year ending 30 June 2025. These will be paid in July and August at the current government contribution rate. Changes affecting your small business Next, let’s lay out the KiwiSaver changes that will directly affect your business: From 1 April 2026: Employer contributions will rise to 3.5%: From April 2026, the default KiwiSaver contribution rates for both employers and employees will rise to 3.5% – up from 3%. Employees can choose to remain contributing at 3%: Employees who are members of the KiwiSaver scheme will be able keep their contributions at the current rate. They can apply for a temporary rate reduction from 1 February 2026, if they want to continue contributing at 3% from 1 April 2026. Employers can match the rate reduction: As an employer, you’ll be able to match your employee’s temporary rate reduction. Once your employee moves to a higher contribution rate, you’ll need to increase your employer contributions to the default 3.5% rate. Inland Revenue will notify you of this change. Younger workers will qualify for KiwiSaver contributions: People aged 16 and 17 will qualify for employer contributions. If they contribute to KiwiSaver from their wages, you will need to start making employer contributions. From 1 April 2028, the default contribution rates for employers and employees will rise again to 4% (up from 3.5%). Getting ready for the KiwiSaver changes These amendments to KiwiSaver could have a significant impact for your small business. Increased employer contributions will increase your payroll costs and stretch your cashflow, as will making contributions for younger workers in the 16 to 17-year-old age bracket. You'll also need to update your payroll software and processes, to ensure you’re making the correct contributions for the right people, at the right rates. 
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