The Muster- Grant McMaster: Sector Collaborations Are A Good Thing

Disaster looks at a rural amalgamation which has occurred recently and why he thinks it makes sense.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Thanks to Arbi Ruralor. We catch up with Grant Disaster
McMaster farming at Klosper and station on the edges of
Lake Walk at Tippoo. Grant, Good afternoon, House things in
the basin.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good afternoon, Andy, good afternoon. Everybody. Well. Started off bit
of a little bit of drizzle this morning and sort
of warm. But now it's raining again, which the forecast
said it was going to. It's meant to clear about
this afternoon and rain tomorrow and then clear for Thursday,
so and better for the end of the week. So yeah,
it's it's not it's not cold, but yeah, just a

(00:40):
bit more bloody moisture.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
So in general though, it's you're starting to dry out
to what you were.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, yeah, drying out to what we were. But there's certainly,
you know, there's still penny of water around. But you
just told where we are here, where the houses are
on this on this property, the horse paddocks and you
know a bit of common land that we bring one
hundred years over to Lamb each year. So just and
they're in paddocks about seems like a hundred different paddocks,

(01:11):
but it's probably only about five or six. But they're
tricky little buggers to get cheap in and out off.
And so just cruising along the road. A couple of
high school kids that come every year and we just
much around there this morning. Got those done. So that's good.
Drive out of the way. Lambs look all right and
you know, as I say, it cleared up long enough
for us to tell them. But now it's it's raining again.

(01:32):
So just just that sort of spring weather.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
When's main tailing occurry, when's Tabby and the team turning out?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Tubby and the experts arrive the next weekend, the last
weekend of November, not this coming weekend down to way
Cack of this coming weekend they've got the Whitekka golf
cover of their fiftieth ju believe. So I'm going down
to get going down to that to catch up with
a few. Not the wady to play golf there, but
I'm going to go down there and mc thing for

(02:00):
the all those guys and girls down near. They are
good country folks. So looking forward to that.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Absolutely. Congratulations and I kick a golf club. You need
to celebrate these milestones right.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Absolutely, And you know it's you know, great little course
at at way Kaka and Dave Vainly. He was the
he was insticator behind that and he actually I've just
found out that that they he designed the course and
with a bit of help, I guess, and you know, volunteers,
and fifty years later it's, you know, a great course.

(02:29):
I've only to played golf on at once and that's
not saying much. But you know the women's team there,
they hold the Rose Bowl, wasn't it.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
I was just about to say, what's your golfing?

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Prow whist like, uh, well, probably play a bit like
Stephen Hawkins to be fair.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Well what does that even mean, dear, I ask.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, not very good at having it?

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, next question, will leave the golf to the side,
all the best, I take it. This weekend he's got
to be throwing the big Grand was really expected? That
answered that. Look, you want to talk today about Wolves
New Zealand and PGG rights Son. This is a good
news story of collaboration.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah it is. I think it's really a big because
those two companies, like two of New Zealand's leading wall companies,
Wolves of New Zealand PG items exploring ways to consolidate
the aspects of the wall logistics operation and then basically
the moves and response to the art of the capacity
across the New Zealand's wall logistics infrastructure, and that, as
we know, is following the long term decline and wall

(03:33):
volumes which has driven up operating costs. So it's good
to see, you know, to two companies getting together and
they're trying to you know, they're basically both the companies
will continue to independently operate, but they're going to share
the buildings that they have, so basically they're sharing the
aspects of the wall logistics. They're going to the getting

(03:58):
together and taking the lead to to you know, to
deliver the structure change that the industry needs. So you know,
they go on to say, which, you know, farmers are
facing rising costs, and well, we all find farming we're
all facing rising costs. And so the industry and the companies,
you know, they basically got a lot of underutilized infrastructure

(04:22):
that is unsustainable and lots of big buildings that they
either own or have to lease. So they've put their
heads together and they're they're fine tuning that and they're
going to share those those structures and basically just refine
what the spending and you know, I think that's a

(04:43):
I think that's a great a great move, and you know,
you could say it's it's a lot of other industries
could do the same. Look at the meat industry, so
again you know, declining numbers of sheep, obviously declining numbers
of well sheep industry. You know, the infrastructure there and
all the buildings, the plants, and it's sort of it's

(05:03):
not sort of reinventing the wheel, isn't it. You get
back to the old days and you could we could
discuss this and know there'd be rights and wrongs, but
when we had you know, the wall industry is there
one cellar and you just wonder if that had to
carry on where would end up. But I think it's
a step in the right direction. Andy, And as I said,
you know, like you and I spoke before that that

(05:25):
you know, people get the egos aside and for the
well event well and good of the industry, there's a
lot to be gained.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
From particularly like how you said share their share the infrastructure,
no pun and tender. But look, you've been in the
game of wild disaster. You've seen the highs and the
lows of the wall industry are you positive about it
about the five year out look. I mean, we've seen
some games for the sector recently, but is it going
to be a silver bullet somewhere?

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Look, you know you're trying to be optimistic. And I
still love Wall. I love the product. You know, when
I would buy a rams, Wall is a big thing.
And I still enjoy the sharers coming and what have
you and and seeing that product because it's such a
natural you know, it's a beautifully, beautifully natural product. But
you know, my heart of hearts, I you know, I just, yes,

(06:14):
I was a gambling man. I cerently wouldn't put my dollar,
my bottom dollar on the walk getting back to being
you know, half our income. I just you know, there's
lots of there's lots of people out there with lots
of passion doing lots of things. And I guess all
those little things that people do, whether it be cardigans
or matts or various things. For the medical industry, it
all adds up. But you know, it would need to

(06:36):
because it's it's a pretty pretty difficult industry to be in.
And you know, and I remember from the good old
days when warl was worth it, and you know, it
was you know it was half it was half your income.
Well that hasn't Are we going to see those that again?
I don't think I said in my time, but I
hope you know, I hope I'm wrong on that, but

(06:57):
you know, they it's it's just one of those things
that I cannot understand how people don't will was not
is not appreciate more than it is and you know,
because this is the natural value off of But we
hear it all. We've heard it all before. We have
people like me talking and people are a lot more
with a lot more you know, skin in the game.

(07:19):
But it's just a hard one to get across the line.
And I hope, you know, a lot of people are
doing a lot of work, but I hope the hell
it comes about. But yeah, I'm I'm not over confident.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Grant McMaster. We always appreciate your time on the muster
and good luck trying and had a golf ball this weekend.
Sounds like you need it, dear, I ask no.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
I'll be I'll make sure I'll make sure the goal's
over before I arrive. So yeah, people can rest easy there.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Granted is aarsen Vic master thanks to RB Rural Trying
to hold it together. The an apologies there how A
Clark is up next