Farming & Rural
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones visited Telford's Balclutha campus on October 16 and came away impressed by the students and the facilities, saying agricultural training like this is essential to building New Zealand's future primary-sector workforce.
The visit took place while a government-funded $2.3 million campus upgrade is underway. Jones toured the facilities and spent time talking directly with students about their training and future plans.
Telford has operated on its 921-hectare property just outside Balclutha since 1964, evolving from an independent farm training institute into a polytechnic and university division before becoming a faculty of Southern Institute of Technology in 2019.
Jones, who comes from a farming family and rural upbringing, said the visit reinforced why vocational pathways into the primary industries matter.
"Well obviously Telford's been through a hell of an ordeal over the last several years, and it was incredibly reassuring to see how robust it looks and to learn how well it's run. I want to start there."
He said New Zealand needed to place greater value on tertiary pathways outside universities.
"I think that as we move further away from the elitism associated with universities and start to regard a wider range of postsecondary tertiary institutions as legitimate destinations, then obviously the sun's going to shine brighter upon entities like Telford."
He also said the primary sector had not received the profile it deserved when it came to school leavers.
"The important thing I think there has been overlooked is that we probably haven't given a strong enough profile to the primary sector industries and the opportunities for school leavers to earn a good living or indeed become asset owners in that industry."
Telford Campus Manager Allan Roxburgh said Jones made student engagement his priority throughout the visit.
"He was big on student engagement. He just wanted to talk to students, see why they were coming to Telford, where they were coming from, and what they planned to do when they leave Telford."
After touring the campus, Jones and his wife joined students Rosa Jowsey, Olivene de Jong, Brooke Cooper and Nikita Wills for lunch, talking about their experiences at Telford and where their qualifications could take them.
"First, their parents should be intensely proud of them," Jones said.
"I found they were forthcoming. They shared with me that their vocational guidance officer at the school helped them make the choice."
Jones said the students were already thinking clearly about life beyond Telford.
"I felt they were very realistic. They were already getting ready to start sending out letters requesting interviews and whatnot. Very, very personable, but you could see that they understood the industries they were going into and they had no doubt about whether or not that it was the right place for them."
"I found it refreshing actually. They were very engaging. I think they're all quite grounded youngsters."
Jowsey, who is from Raglan, said it was "really lovely" to have the opportunity to meet Jones and talk about where the students had come from and what they hoped to do after completing their studies.
Wills said over lunch they were able to explain more about Telford, what they were studying and some of the practical opportunities they had experienced along the way.
Cooper said the conversation was not political but was instead "more of a genuine chat about who we are, where we've come from and what we hope to do in the future."
De Jong said the highlight was seeing Jones take the time to get to know them and hear their individual stories. "It was a really nice opportunity to share our experiences as Telford students and talk about where our studies might take us next."
The number of young women training for primary-sector careers at Telford also caught Jones's attention.
"And it's great to see so many young ladies being prepared to go into the primary industries. That blew me away."
He said the dairy industry in particular would need to work harder to attract and keep the next generation.
"I think the challenge for the dairy industry is, as more intensification takes place, it's going to get increasingly difficult to prepare the next generation. As there'll be syndicates, a greater degree of syndication, then we're going to need to ensure that we've got as many Kiwis as possible involved in that industry and that they do not take for granted the social licence."
"I think it's a different kettle of fish with sheep and beef. But the growth of dairy in the South Island is going to put pressure, without a doubt, on the labour needs, accommodation needs and impact on environment."
The campus upgrade includes essential renewal and modernisation of facilities, as well as restoration of Telford's historic stone homestead, which is about to begin.
"I'd love to see that historic house restored as a jewel of the campus because it epitomises the original gift and the long-term thinking of the original owners of the place," Jones said.
Southland NZ First candidate Jason Herrick arranged the visit and accompanied Jones to the campus. He said the visit had been specifically encouraged by MP Mark Patterson, who was unable to attend.
"Mark wanted us to make a point of taking [Shane] to Telford and showing him exactly what Telford is, what it's becoming, and the historical nature of it as well," Herrick said.
Herrick, a dairy farmer, said the reaction from the visiting group was striking.
"They were astounded by the level of education given across the board to all the young ones, and the calibre of students that were attending Telford … and the fact they come from all across New Zealand and from all walks of life."
One comment from the group stood out to Herrick: "Why do we not have facilities like this for every industry?... They were amazed by the facility itself and everything it offers."
Roxburgh said the visit gave Telford a chance to show both the investment underway and the contribution its students and graduates make to the primary industries. He said Jones had shown genuine interest throughout.
"He came across really well. He was genuine. He was very personable… He's just the type of guy that you'd sit down and have a beer with at the end of the day."
Roxburgh said Jones was "super impressed" with the campus and asked what he would like to see from the Government. Roxburgh's response: "Well, just remember we are here and we're making a big impact in the primary industry sector."