Potatoes New Zealand is profiling some of the outstanding young people in the horticulture industry to demonstrate the diverse opportunities and to encourage more people into this great sector.
You could almost say that Tane was raised in a Potato field…. from as early as he can remember Tane was in a tractor, truck or out in a field with his dad somewhere checking conditions or crops.
Born and raised in Franklin and spending his early years in Pukekawa, where he attending Pukekawa Primary School. Tane had an idyllic rural upbringing along with his younger sister. They did all the typical ‘country kid’ things, including calf clubs, motorbikes, and all manner of sports including basketball, where both Tane and his sister got quite serious for a while. They travelled to basketball trainings mornings and evenings most days of the week and they were also regularly travelling for various tournaments.
Tane’s parents decided it was time to move to the big smoke of Pukekohe for his secondary schooling, since he was already spending a great deal of time there. However, he says – genetics caught up with him from his not so tall parents, which limited his basketball journey.
More recently Covid has been a huge disruption for his schooling and most other parts of society. He noticed that his father and many others in the farming/growing sector were busier than ever as they never once stopped, because they still needed to get food to market.
Although there wasn’t any pressure (in fact, Tane says that he was encouraged to do a trade first) coming from his family with such deep roots in the growing industry coupled with his observations during Covid it was only natural that he ended up part of the 3rd generation on the farm. Tane works alongside his Koro (77 years young), who is still very much actively working day to day – if it’s not too wet, then his dad, uncle and cousins work together amongst a few of the local growers in Franklin.
Tane spends any of his free time I has with his dad out on farm. He says that he probably soaked up a lot of knowledge unintentionally from him and as soon as he was able to drive on his own, he was in my element. Starting out driving bin trailers in the summer holidays exposed him to the basics and working with other people of all ages and backgrounds as well as seasonal staff from overseas.
Most people would say he is a quiet laid-back guy who is known by his Ute and that he loves his green tractors. This past year, Tane got back into playing rugby, which was a good way to catch up and connect with his old school mates as well as mix with guys from outside of work.
Currently, Tane is working for ST Growers as one of a small knit team of operators, doing all manner of day-to-day tasks and soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
His future aspirations in the short term are just to continue to grow as he is still in the very early stages of his career. Tane says, “some would say I’m a bit tractor mad”. He also says that the chances to head overseas to experience different cultures within a common industry is something he would really like to do.
Long term, he thinks there are endless opportunities in the industry, and it all depends on where a person’s interests lie – whether you stay hands on working up the leadership roles or head down the technical path, sales, marketing or even getting involved with the governing bodies. Tane finishing comments, “that’s the beauty of this industry, no matter your background or interests, there’s something there for everyone”.