September 2, 2025 • 6 mins
This month’s Farmstrong farmer is a South Auckland dairy and beef farmer and a finalist for the 2024 Dairy Woman of the Year. Today, she shares her emotional story of overcoming adversity.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monthly.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Here on the country we catch up with the farm
strong farmer. They've always got a great story to tell.
Today's guest there's no exception. Her name is Amber Carpenter,
along with a husband, Fraser, the dairy and beef farmers
in South Auckland. Amber, I want to start with your story.
But pre your farming days, you had a career in fashion.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I did, Yes, I used to be a buyer in
the fashion industry before becoming a full time dairy farmer.
I used to do both fashion and part time dairy farming.
I guess when we started sharemiking, so I got the
best of both worlds.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
How did you turn up on the fashion catwalk if
you smelt a wee bit of the dairy shed. I'm
only joking there, Amber, But you obviously were good at
switching between codes.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah I was. I think definitely. The people in my
fashion life didn't quite understand my farming life, so there
was a lot of interesting conversation. But yeah, we lived
and farmed in Auckland, so I was able to have
a corporate career in the city that took overseas and
then on my weekends or whenever I was home, I
was able to hurt phrase on the farm as well,
So yeah, it was definitely a juggle, but that was
(01:07):
also pre kids, so it wasn't too bad.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Tell me about your farming operation with your husband Fraser.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
He's always fifty fifty sharemolkers here and Papa moved south
Auckland Borders North like it. Oh, we're on a three
hundred and twenty hectare farm, two hundred efective hectares. We
milk just under five hundred cows and we split calve
and we've got two beef blocks as well that are
separate from our dairy operation.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I looked up your story on the Farm Strong website
and they have some great stories there, but your one
was quite emotional. Really, you went through hell like a
lot of farmers did in twenty twenty three, but you
went one step further. Tell us about your Annis Horribilus.
Was that what the old Queen said? I think it was.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, it was definitely one for the books and we
laugh about it now, but at the time it was.
It was quite challenging. But I think being able to
use the farm strong five ways well being and really
having a strong farm strong mindset it really did help
us get through. So we started off the year with
a burglary that, yeah, it was quite it was a lot.
(02:12):
They took pretty much everything that wasn't nailed down and
wasn't a big item of furniture, so they took absolutely
everything of of sentimental value, any value. And then just
I think three days after that fact when Gabriel hit
and Auckland floods, and then I think it rained for
the rest of the year, So we're basically underwater for
(02:33):
most of twenty twenty three, which then puts pressure on
the farm having was really intense. Feed was hard to
come by, and we were just in knee deep mud
for I don't even remember how long. It's bit of
a blur, so anything past that, when it starts to rain,
we're quite happy that it wasn't twenty twenty three version Amber.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I'm reading once again from the farm Strong story on
the website, and I encourage everyone to read it. You
talk about the burglary, say they took everything right down
to my shoes, all our computers and hard drives. They
took our wet weather gear, all of our torches, every
piece of warm clothing possible. So when the Auckland floods
hit two days later. We were out moving stock and
(03:15):
T shirts and jandles how sold destroying.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah it was we cut well, yeah, we were. I
think we were laughing at the time, because what else
could you do. Our kids were out and they were cold,
and we're like, look, just run, that's all we can do.
We can just run to get warm. We yeh. We
just had nothing, and because the cyclone and the floods
hit so quickly, we didn't really have a chance to
(03:41):
go out and regroup and get gear and sheets and towels.
Our community rallied around us and dropped us so much
stuff food because I'd taken everything from the freezers and
the fridges. And yeah, the community support was amazing, but
you don't have time to stop. We had to keep going.
(04:02):
The farm is important, our animals well being is most important.
So we just had to get out there and do it.
And we just made a game out of it for
the kids and for us, And yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
You're right, we were emotionally exhausted, physically exhausted. And then
just after that I did my backing.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah, that definitely was one that might have
possibly tipped my husband over the edge a little bit.
He's very, very understanding of most situations. But it was
Easter weekend, wet house team were on leave. I was
meant to be feeding calves and milking. We had really
(04:42):
no support staff and all of a sudden I was bedridden.
I had done my back. I actually couldn't walk for
a good two weeks. Yeah. I don't recommend it at all,
so that resilience and just being able to get through
I felt terrible, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything.
So it was making a plan, regrouping, and just what
(05:03):
do we do and how we how do we get
through this?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And I guess at this time of the very stressful
time on a dairy farm with carving, you won't be
the only one out there who's done their back. And
let's just finish on this one. If you could picture
just one farm strong skill to use on a daily
basis and the carpenter, what would.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It be.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
For me?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It's definitely connection, especially through carving. So during carving it
can be really easy to just kind of put head down,
bum up. But if you're not having that connection on
a regular basis, and it may not be every day,
we prioritize getting out to the rugby club and getting
our kids to the sport and playing our own sport
(05:43):
during carving, because that gives us a connection to the
outside world. When you're having a really bad day, just
sitting down and having a chat to people about maybe
something different or even just Mulley and I thought's been
going on can make everything seem so much better and
can get you you out of whatever kind of maybe
slump you might be in, or give your perspective about
what's going on. The connection for us is really important
(06:05):
during calving. And as much as it is really easy
to just frinds and repeat every day, go home, go
to bed, get up, see calves, milk oows, sometimes it's
not good for the soul as well. You need to
get out and chat to people.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Variety is the spice a lot and B. Carpenter, I've
loved talking to you and I've loved your life story
and I'm glad things have come right for you and Fraser.
Thanks for being the farm strong farmer this month. Great story, awesome,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Good to chat to you.
Monthly.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Here on the country we catch up with the farm
strong farmer. They've always got a great story to tell.
Today's guest there's no exception. Her name is Amber Carpenter,
along with a husband, Fraser, the dairy and beef farmers
in South Auckland. Amber, I want to start with your story.
But pre your farming days, you had a career in fashion.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I did, Yes, I used to be a buyer in
the fashion industry before becoming a full time dairy farmer.
I used to do both fashion and part time dairy farming.
I guess when we started sharemiking, so I got the
best of both worlds.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
How did you turn up on the fashion catwalk if
you smelt a wee bit of the dairy shed. I'm
only joking there, Amber, But you obviously were good at
switching between codes.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah I was. I think definitely. The people in my
fashion life didn't quite understand my farming life, so there
was a lot of interesting conversation. But yeah, we lived
and farmed in Auckland, so I was able to have
a corporate career in the city that took overseas and
then on my weekends or whenever I was home, I
was able to hurt phrase on the farm as well,
So yeah, it was definitely a juggle, but that was
(01:07):
also pre kids, so it wasn't too bad.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Tell me about your farming operation with your husband Fraser.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
He's always fifty fifty sharemolkers here and Papa moved south
Auckland Borders North like it. Oh, we're on a three
hundred and twenty hectare farm, two hundred efective hectares. We
milk just under five hundred cows and we split calve
and we've got two beef blocks as well that are
separate from our dairy operation.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I looked up your story on the Farm Strong website
and they have some great stories there, but your one
was quite emotional. Really, you went through hell like a
lot of farmers did in twenty twenty three, but you
went one step further. Tell us about your Annis Horribilus.
Was that what the old Queen said? I think it was.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, it was definitely one for the books and we
laugh about it now, but at the time it was.
It was quite challenging. But I think being able to
use the farm strong five ways well being and really
having a strong farm strong mindset it really did help
us get through. So we started off the year with
a burglary that, yeah, it was quite it was a lot.
(02:12):
They took pretty much everything that wasn't nailed down and
wasn't a big item of furniture, so they took absolutely
everything of of sentimental value, any value. And then just
I think three days after that fact when Gabriel hit
and Auckland floods, and then I think it rained for
the rest of the year, So we're basically underwater for
(02:33):
most of twenty twenty three, which then puts pressure on
the farm having was really intense. Feed was hard to
come by, and we were just in knee deep mud
for I don't even remember how long. It's bit of
a blur, so anything past that, when it starts to rain,
we're quite happy that it wasn't twenty twenty three version Amber.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I'm reading once again from the farm Strong story on
the website, and I encourage everyone to read it. You
talk about the burglary, say they took everything right down
to my shoes, all our computers and hard drives. They
took our wet weather gear, all of our torches, every
piece of warm clothing possible. So when the Auckland floods
hit two days later. We were out moving stock and
(03:15):
T shirts and jandles how sold destroying.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah it was we cut well, yeah, we were. I
think we were laughing at the time, because what else
could you do. Our kids were out and they were cold,
and we're like, look, just run, that's all we can do.
We can just run to get warm. We yeh. We
just had nothing, and because the cyclone and the floods
hit so quickly, we didn't really have a chance to
(03:41):
go out and regroup and get gear and sheets and towels.
Our community rallied around us and dropped us so much
stuff food because I'd taken everything from the freezers and
the fridges. And yeah, the community support was amazing, but
you don't have time to stop. We had to keep going.
(04:02):
The farm is important, our animals well being is most important.
So we just had to get out there and do it.
And we just made a game out of it for
the kids and for us, And yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
You're right, we were emotionally exhausted, physically exhausted. And then
just after that I did my backing.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah, that definitely was one that might have
possibly tipped my husband over the edge a little bit.
He's very, very understanding of most situations. But it was
Easter weekend, wet house team were on leave. I was
meant to be feeding calves and milking. We had really
(04:42):
no support staff and all of a sudden I was bedridden.
I had done my back. I actually couldn't walk for
a good two weeks. Yeah. I don't recommend it at all,
so that resilience and just being able to get through
I felt terrible, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything.
So it was making a plan, regrouping, and just what
(05:03):
do we do and how we how do we get
through this?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And I guess at this time of the very stressful
time on a dairy farm with carving, you won't be
the only one out there who's done their back. And
let's just finish on this one. If you could picture
just one farm strong skill to use on a daily
basis and the carpenter, what would.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It be.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
For me?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It's definitely connection, especially through carving. So during carving it
can be really easy to just kind of put head down,
bum up. But if you're not having that connection on
a regular basis, and it may not be every day,
we prioritize getting out to the rugby club and getting
our kids to the sport and playing our own sport
(05:43):
during carving, because that gives us a connection to the
outside world. When you're having a really bad day, just
sitting down and having a chat to people about maybe
something different or even just Mulley and I thought's been
going on can make everything seem so much better and
can get you you out of whatever kind of maybe
slump you might be in, or give your perspective about
what's going on. The connection for us is really important
(06:05):
during calving. And as much as it is really easy
to just frinds and repeat every day, go home, go
to bed, get up, see calves, milk oows, sometimes it's
not good for the soul as well. You need to
get out and chat to people.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Variety is the spice a lot and B. Carpenter, I've
loved talking to you and I've loved your life story
and I'm glad things have come right for you and Fraser.
Thanks for being the farm strong farmer this month. Great story, awesome,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Good to chat to you.
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