Pāmu dairy farmer Quinn Morgan, recognised as the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer of the Year in 2021, is leaping forward with another win in his field.
Last night, he took home the emerging leader award at the annual Primary Industries New Zealand Awards.
Morgan has been inspiring others, particularly young Māori like himself, to look at a career in the primary industries, as well as giving back to the sector.
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
Morgan previously was in Perth, working at a gym, but decided to build his life here after getting married in 2019.
“When I flew over to New Zealand [in 2020], I was here by myself and my wife and children got stuck in Perth, and I didn’t get to see them for six months and all that was on my mind was stability.
“So, the dairy industry offered me that with the house and the job and obviously being an essential service, so it was a bit of a no-brainer.”
The father of three tells Jesse Mulligan that he had no knowledge about the sector but went in with an open mind and heart to learn it all.
“We’re definitely city slickers and then chucking on a pair of gumboots was a bit change.
“When I first started and went out on a farm and I asked the boss ‘hey mate, do we just go get these cows and bring them in and start milking them?’ and he’s like ‘ nah, nah, nah, they’ve got to have a calf first’, then I was like ‘oh yeah, yeah, all good’.
“And also saw my arch enemy too, on one of my first days, was a trailer attached to the back of a ute and I had to reverse it. So that was a bit of a perspective on how green I was.”
But the transition to farming was “the perfect storm”, he says, having landed in a supportive community and with great employers.
“A couple of values I sort of go by is just being coachable and that was something that obviously played a big part.
“I definitely think I can’t take all the credit because I was followed up by some great people and, luckily, I listened because I got to bear a bit of fruit early on so hats off to them.
“There’s so much great people in that organisation [Pāmu] that you can bounce off and they’re also preparing me for if I did want to venture off on my own, on self-employment, so they’re also helping me with that.”
He believes Pāmu innovates to be the front runners in tackling complex issues, like climate change.
“To be known as a leader, you’ve got to be a student first. And that’s what I think I am, adaptable.
“I love hearing these sorts chats [about sustainability and climate] and being part of the summit and all that sort of stuff, it’s just how do I fit that puzzle and what I can do to push our industry forward?”
Now Morgan wants to give back for all the support he’s received.
“To be named an emerging leader is definitely a responsibility for me.
“I think as I’ve grown in the industry, you start to realise that it becomes less and less about yourself, which is awesome, and it’s more about so my whole thinking now is who’s next?
“So, these awesome leaders that came before me to pull me forward and now it’s my turn to reach back and pull that next leader forward.”
