Young leaders busting myths

When young people discover the potato industry, they are often surprised by its incredibly diverse range of challenging and rewarding career pathways. The Potatoes New Zealand Youth Council is doing a great job to land that message and support the next generation to succeed.

Workforce development is a key focus for Potatoes New Zealand. It’s the future of our industry, so I’m really pleased with the important work that the Potatoes New Zealand Youth Council, now in its second year, is doing on behalf of our industry.

The current Youth Council chair is Amber Davy, who is Quality and Field Manager at Eurogrow. The council met in Pukekohe after the Vegetables Big Day Out in March and Amber says they are fully focussed on getting more youth into the industry and retaining those already here.

Career Pathways

The Youth Council has mapped a Career Pathways chart, which is a fantastic tool to visualise options and start conversations with young people interested in the industry.

“We want to curb the misconception that you have to be an agronomist or a tractor driver and those are the only two options,” says Amber. “Before I came to the industry, I just thought a potato was a potato. I didn’t realise how in-depth the industry is.”

We all have our individual routes into the industry, and the Career Pathways chart shows that there is something for everyone. We also use Potatoes New Zealand’s social media channels to share stories about the diversity of the industry, what we do in day-to-day jobs and showing real life examples.

Thanks to the Youth Council we’re getting this message out to young people through high schools and events. Vocational learning providers like Primary ITO have been very supportive.

Importantly, the Career Pathways chart highlights future skills required, for example in applied technology and innovation. For new entrants as well as those already in the industry, upskilling and progression in these areas is critical to our workforce development.

It’s great to see the Youth Council building stronger connections with Massey and Lincoln universities. As Amber says, tertiary education has become a big thing in our industry.

We often hear from young people already in the potato industry who wish to further develop their skills and increase their knowledge through university studies. By investing in their professional development, they are helping to meet the rising demand for professional agronomy and business management.

Potatoes New Zealand strongly supports building this capacity, which is why we offer the Potatoes New Zealand Bursary – encouraging education, leadership and advancement in the potato industry. 

The Potatoes New Zealand Bursary is open and available for a maximum of up to $2,000 per applicant. It supports students with their tuition and living costs, reducing financial stress for students and families, therefore allowing students to focus on their studies.

We are also pleased to offer a scholarship for the Potato Business School in Emmeloord in the Netherlands, arguably the heart of worldwide potato research and innovation. The scholarship is an opportunity to ensure New Zealand’s potato industry leaders are on the cutting edge of all aspects of the farming and sale of potatoes and potato products. 

Take time to connect

The Youth Council is not only about upskilling and career development, it is also about increasing connections. The council is a sounding board for all young people in the potato industry to support and encourage one another.

That’s not always easy, for example in Canterbury where growing operations are spread widely. To help connect young people, the Youth Council is introducing Next Gen Growers groups, rolling out on Facebook in the coming months.

The idea is to organise socialise gatherings and get inspired with a site visits, factory tours or learn about new technology. Once you’ve discovered how amazing the potato industry is, what could be better than hanging out with your peers around the country who share your interest?

Pride in potatoes

Most people in the potato industry are involved in many other aspects of farming too. These farming practices bring different skillsets and experiences to the table, which we can all benefit from in potato production. For example, potatoes in Pukekohe and surrounds are often grown as part of a market garden operation, whereas in Canterbury we see more mixed cropping and arable production.

However, we are all connected by a sense of pride in our dynamic potato industry. To help share that inspiration, the Youth Council has taken a bit of inspiration from Potatoes USA and produced a set of fun stickers for your phones. It’s a great way to spark conversations about why we chose the potato industry (or did it choose us?)

If you’d like to get a set of stickers and get involved with the Next Gen Growers groups, head to the Youth Council section of the Potatoes New Zealand website or get in touch with the Youth Council. Members include: Amber Davy, Molly Green, Bridgett James, Catherine James, Harry Maddox, Samuel Pye, Steven Rink and Jamie Wells