Dairy farming
Dairy Farming has been part of New Zealand’s proud farming history and gets better all the time, thanks to innovation and technology.
As the world’s biggest exporter of dairy products, New Zealand process 21 billion litres of milk each year. New Zealand’s quality products are in demand thanks to the country's productive land, healthy livestock, and smart, switched-on farmers and other rural professionals.
Job overview
From starting as a farm assistant, through to contract milking, managing or owning/operating a dairy farm, there are on-job qualifications and industry growth opportunities to support a successful life-long career.
Skills and experience
- Physically fit – dairy farm work can be physically demanding
- Confident and caring with animals
- Patient, adaptable, and practical
- Motivated
- Able to follow a routine
- Able to show initiative and make decisions
- Well organised, goal-focused, and able to think ahead
- Able to work well independently and in a team
- Good at communicating.
News from our learners and employers
From her first look in a working dairy shed as a teenager, Laura Murdoch wanted to work with cows, but a wrist condition meant she chose a career in accountancy instead and took up dairying more than a decade later.
Farmers building their skills by studying towards qualifications have shone as winners in the recent 2022 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.
From tractors to quad bikes and everything in between. Get yourself or your team trained with our hugely popular vehicle and machinery micro-credentials in 2022!
With 41 dedicated dairy experts across the motu, Primary ITO’s people are dedicated to getting on every farm – wherever learners need them.