The Westpac Agri Futures Careers Expo is returning to Palmerston North in March with an expanded line-up of attendees that will offer more exciting pathways into rural employment for young New Zealanders.
Hosted in association with Property Brokers and the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Expo provides youth and those interested in a food and fibre career with the chance to explore possible careers and job opportunities throughout the food and fibre industry.
The event is for secondary and area school students from Paraparaumu through to Napier and across to New Plymouth. It’s run as part of the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games in Te Marae o Hine/The Square in Palmerston North, from March 11-13, 2022.
New Zealand Rural Games Trust Chair Margaret Kouvelis MNZM said the event has grown significantly, attracting attention from tertiary providers from across the country as well as more local businesses.
“We have nearly double the number of institutions and businesses registering exhibition sites, including five universities, we’ve decided to house many of them in a 300 square metre marquee, which is proudly sponsored by Massey University.”
Mrs Kouvelis is also excited that primary sector social media influencer Tangaroa Walker, founder of learning platform Farm 4 Life, will be back to talk with rangatahi at the event.
Westpac NZ General Manager of Institutional and Business Banking, Simon Power, says the bank is working together with partners such as the New Zealand Rural Games Trust to encourage more Kiwis to enter the rural workforce.
“Kiwi farmers and growers are playing an important role in shaping New Zealand’s post-COVID-19 economy, which provides a great opportunity for young people in the industry,” Mr Power says.
We need more rangatahi embarking on rural careers to meet the increasing demand for staff across the country. Through Westpac Agri Futures, we’re arming people with knowledge, to better prepare them for the job ahead.”
Westpac Agri Futures will run alongside
The Allflex Clash of the Colleges, in association with Talent Central and InspireNet. A fast-paced, amazing race style competition that sees rangatahi compete in teams of four to be crowned champions! Teams will have two hours to complete 25 hands-on modules covering everything from speed-milking a cow and washing down a plant, to wool classing and body condition scoring, as well as paper-based modules that cover seeds, weeds and pest identification.
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Mens Championship. Twelve timbersport athletes will compete to represent New Zealand at the internationals.
The events are free to attend. My Vaccine Passports will be required for those 12 years old and over.
