The Country 15/07/26: Lindy Nelson talks to Jamie Mackay

Wairarapa farmer, Safer Farms director, and Farm without Harm ambassador. Today, we look at the fall in farm-related ACC claims and what can be done to reduce them further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Love chatting to this lady because she does a great
job in New Zealand agriculture. Her name is Lindy Nelson.
She's a Safer Farms Director, a Farm Without Harm ambassador
and a Wira Rapper farmer and Ekerdahunah one of my
favorite golf courses in the country. Lindy, I want to
start with the recent flooding because you got hit twice
in the Wira Rapper and I know it was worse

(00:22):
further south and more coastal, but how did you guys
get on in Ekadahuna Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
By the way, Hi Jamie. Relatively unscathed compared to our
friends and colleagues in south Way Rapper. So Paddonbridge get
taken out and of course it's pretty wet now under
fought but a few slips, but nothing like the karnage

(00:48):
that we saw in Southway Rapper and Kaikora and Glenham areas.
So really heart goes out to those folks because that's
a big, big job in front of them.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
You were telling me in the commercial break before going
to air that the bridge goes out every time there's
a flood, basically from slash or whatever. Trees coming down
from upstream.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, it does, and that is a real ongoing problem
for us. You know, it can handle the water volume
that is coming down, but now we're getting either forestry
slash or willow clearance slash that comes down and you
get a couple of those massive logs jammed up on
your bridge with water behind them, and it just you know,

(01:29):
all your timber decking and things just goes.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of farmers can sympathize with
your plight there. You are a bit of a safety
legend there, Lindy. You won the National Safety Leadership Awards.
You won National Leader of the Year, beat off some
of the big corporates for the work you're doing for
safer farms. Well done you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
And you know what, Jamie, that was pretty meaningful to
me because I am not a health and safety expert.
I'm a farmer who recognize that there's a problem that
we need to address, and we need to address for
a lot of the fatalities are serious injuries we're getting
on farm. But also from a consumer perspective, I think
of the story of our harm got out there, it

(02:11):
would not be a good consumer story. So to get
recognized for the work that Safer Farms is doing, and
particularly around the farm without Harm strategy, which is a
whole new approach to how we tackle this farmer led
working with farmers. Yeah, that's pretty chuffed.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well good on you, mind you we are improving. Look
at these stats that someone has given me, the fall
and farm related acc claims twenty five, eight hundred and
twenty twenty. We're down to seventeen thy, three hundred and
twenty twenty five last year and this year up to
June thirties tracking really well as well. So I know
we can always do better, but that's not a bad start.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
And I want to congratulate every single farmer out there
that made different decisions to keep them solves and their
team safe, because it's the little stuff that really adds
up and really counts, and so the credit belongs to
the farmers. And if some of the work that we
are doing is actually really bringing awareness and practical solutions

(03:16):
and putting them in front of farmers, and the great
work our safety champions are doing, which is reframing safety
from what people thought it was policies and compliance and
being told what to do to actually how do we
work together. What are the good stuff out there that's
working so up to the farmers out there have done great,

(03:36):
great work.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
I spoke to one of you, or chatted to one
of your safety champions on yesterday's show, Chloe Butcher Harries.
My goodness, that girl is a live wire. She's just
a breath of fresh air. And you've also got George
Dodson twenty twenty four Young Farmer of the Year as
one of your safety champions, and the pair of them
have a wonderfully high profile, especially on social media.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
They do, and that was what attracted us to Chloe
and George because they just say it how it is
and farmers relate to that. This is relatable farmer voices.
These guys are not health and safety champions. In fact,
they're learning as we go along, and you know, we
are mentoring them and teaching them around some of the
good safety practices, but they're prepared to put it out

(04:22):
there and share their messages and that's getting great uptake.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Hay Lindy Nelson as always great the chat here on
the country and I hope you guys in the wire
are rapper. In fact, the east coast of both islands though,
why the floods can recover as quickly as possible. I
know it's been very challenging on farm.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Thank you Jamie, and thanks for earlier conversation. We I
think you put your hand up to say you'd like
to be one of our safety champions, wouldn't they.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, you don't want a pale style middle age getting
long in the tooth mail, do you? I mean you
want sexy young people like Chloe and George.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Well, the majority of our farming sector are about.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
My closer to my age than their age. Yes, I
could always tell the story about chainsawing and gum boots
and without air muffs and why I'm deaf. Now, I
could do that. I could tell that story for you,
but I'm out of time, out of time for stories.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Thanks for your time, cheers, Thanks Jamie. Bye,