WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS
Opportunity to improve By Samantha Tennent
A Waikato farmer keen to diversify the farm business has finally found the perfect fit and taken on a new venture.
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Waikato sharemilker Amy Gillies and her husband recently bought Putaruru Hire as a way to diversify their farm business. Since taking over she has modernised the business.
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rom a small dairy farm to a kiwifruit orchard, to a bach and other housing investments, Waikato farmers Amy Gillies and her husband Steve explored them all while working out a reliable way to grow their equity. But it was an advertisement on Trade Me for local business Putaruru Hire that caught their attention. The potential return on investment, along with the potential opportunities and the skillsets and knowledge gaps between them, helped the couple decide it was the right choice for them. “The ultimate goal is to buy a farm, so we were looking for a way to grow our equity,” Amy says. “We wanted to diversify from the farming business to have some protection from the payout fluctuations and find a way to continue utilise our complementary knowledge and skills.” Steve is a mechanic by trade and is great at building and fixing equipment and Amy brings financial and business knowledge from her studies and experience across the agribusiness sector. “I’m always keen to diversify risk and learn about commercial business,” she says. “This business was well-established, had a consistent income and it was in a great location. “And we were buying mostly assets which could be sold if the business doesn’t work, so we knew how much we stood to lose and decided it was worth the risk.” Amy oversees the business, with the existing manager Clint running the day-to-day. She is keen to expand the business to create more turnover and build the team. They have been adding new equipment and are excited about
DAIRY FARMER
July 2021
