The Country 27/03/25: Myfanwy Alexander talks to Jamie Mackay

We chatted with the event co-chair of the South Island Dairy Event being held in Timaru on April 7-9.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If we chat to some interesting people here on the country,

(00:03):
some of them with very interesting names. But I'll tell
you what, this takes a bit of beating. I love
chatting to her. Mvanwie Alexander. And if you're wondering where
that name came from, Mcvanuie, I think it came from Wales.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
It does. Indeed, Jamie, I've been here seventeen almost eighteen
years now. But yes, still proudly Wels even if it
is a very bad year to be a Welsh rugby.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Supporter, Yes it is. Indeed, you can't buy a break,
can you? For your rugby team? Never mind you for
your sins. Are the co chair of the South Island
Airy Event. We've been talking today about the South Island
Field Days at Kerwe Well we're going to go down
the road, awebit and up the road a wee bit
from you because you're based in North Otago. But it's

(00:44):
Timaru April seven to nine, the South Island Airy Event.
Looking forward to going along a bit of professional development
for me. Why the move from June as it was
last year to April.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, well, Jamie, we just decided it was time to
maybe make a bit of a shit, So we sort
of started to slowly see it downward trend in farmer attendants.
And that's not what this is about. This is not
an event for rural professionals. Great if they want to
come along, but it's all about the farmers. It's farmers
talking to farmers. It's sharing the information and getting better
and incremental gains through knowledge sharing. So basically we worked

(01:21):
out that this time of year that we had wasn't working.
You've got things like new staff coming on farm that
you're training, You've got kas on crop, and we all
know how stress it can be to these kas on crop,
especially if you have a bad weather day and with
a new staff added into that. And then there's also
the fact that people actually might want a holiday and
we break while the cars are dry, Jamien. So yeah,
we decided let's move to April. Let's make this sit

(01:44):
in hopefully a lot better to people's farming calendars and
as a slightly less hectic time of year.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Okay, what's going to tempt the punters along to tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
We've got some awesome speakers, Jamie, just to start off with.
So we have Emma Twig, our amazing Olympic rower opening
the day on the eighth. We've got Cameron Bagriy doing
a fabulous breakfast on the morning of the ninths, and
we have doctor Ellen Ford and Sam Owen talking to
us as well. Doctor Ellen talks a lot about you know,

(02:14):
people and how we can make the most of our
teams and looking outside the box for employment solutions. And
Sam Owen, well you'll know him well, Jamie. He's a
great character, a long history with the Rural Support Trust.
He's a farmer himself and now a teacher at Madamada College. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well he's come from the wrong side of the hemisphere
as well. He's a bit like you.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, absolutely, not a biased peck at all, but yes, no,
Sam's a great fella and he's got a really really
energetic and entertaining talk coming at us.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
The website is obviously what does google South Island Airy event?
You'll get there? How do you register? How much does
it cost you to go along?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah, well there's a whole lot of different options and costs.
Why so head along to the website. The red straight
and link pops up the moment you arrive, so it's
really easy you can't miss it, and then head along
and select what you want to come to and the
cost or go from there. So we've got everything we've got.
Come along to the field day, which is half day
on the seventh of April. We're going to a poor

(03:15):
dam and going to learn a lot about their irrigation
scheme and everything's going there and the challenges and opportunities
coming up for them in the next few years. And
then we're heading to the port. Then we've got day
one of the event proper, so that's on the eighth,
and then we've got a dinner on the evening of
the eighth which will be great fun. Country comes to Towan.
Grab your boots and jeans and you check shirt and

(03:37):
come have a good party. We've got a great band
for that. And then Wednesday the nights as well for
the final day, so there's plenty going on, and then
of course the breakfast with Cambaggery on the morning of
the Wednesday.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah, he's very good. We'll be chatting to him next
week on the Country. You are a north Otago Dearie Farmer.
How's the season treating you well?

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Jamie. I feel a bit guilty saying this, but we're
in a really good years. It just seems to rain
just when we need it and the grass is growing.
But we all know it goes and swings and roundabouts.
From last year was particularly hard up this top end
of the way Taki Valley, so we're very grateful and
not taking it for granted having a nice season this season.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
There we go. My favorite name on the country, Navan
We Alexander, co chair of the South Island Airy Event.
Go online and register. It is happening in Timaru April
seven to nine. I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Thanks Jemie, I'll see you there.