Settling In

Module Overview

Jayson and Gladys Chavez moved to New Zealand from the Philippines and work as contract milkers in Winton, Southland. They shared their insights on what it takes to create a new life in a new land.

Jayson moved to New Zealand in 2007 as an assistant herd manager. His wife followed him two years later. Since then, their farming career has taken off and they are now into their third year contract milking 900 cows near Winton.

Jayson says his dream was always to work on a dairy farm. “I had the opportunity to come here and now it’s my passion. The industry is booming and it’s really good time to be a farmer.”

Dream job or not, settling into a new job in a new country is a big undertaking.

“The first challenge was the climate,” laughs Jason. “It’s very hot over in the Philippines. When I arrived here, it was winter. Going from hot to cold like that was very hard.”

Language was another barrier at first.

“Even though we understood English, the way Kiwis speak sounds fast to us and the terms people use can be different. We learn American English and here you use British English.”

Jayson’s wife Gladys trained in hotel management but had a background in cattle farming in her family which she is now putting to good use. During busy times, like calving, Gladys helps Jason on farm. For the remainder of the year, she’s helping the boss on day-to-day maintenance on the farm.

The couple are hoping to progress their career in the dairy industry and take a further step up in the years ahead. A recent windstorm gave them a taste of how extreme weather can disrupt even the best-laid plans.

“Trees fell onto the power lines on a neighbouring farm, so we were without power for four days. Luckily, the boss had a generator,” says Gladys.

Life is busy in other ways too. The couple have two children, 9 and 16. They changed from an 8-2 to a 6-2 milking roster last year to spend more time as a family and achieve better work-life balance.

“My eldest, my boy, also helps out as a farmhand. I think he’s going to grow up to be a farmer too,” says Jayson.

Support makes a huge difference

Looking back on their experience of moving to New Zealand, Jayson says the support of others plays a huge role in making it all work.

“We’re lucky that we have a very supportive boss,” he notes. “There’s also a strong Filippino community in Invercargill. After busy times like calving, they organise a basketball league where we can all catch up and get a team together with a group of friends.”

Gladys says her favourite past time is baking and making Filippino bread. She also enjoys playing badminton as a break off farm.

The couple say one of the secrets of keeping well on farm is to “keep calm as much as you can. I think that’s what we learned from our boss. When things don’t go to plan during the day you have to give yourself some breathing space and regain control.”

Adjusting to a new culture takes time says Gladys.

Maintaining connection

“It’s easy to feel isolated and lonely when you first come to another country. I think you’ve just got to keep communicating with local people, because that’s how you can learn not only the skills you need, but you also about the different culture. For example, the people on the neighbouring farm, they’re always advising and helping us.”

Maintaining connection to their own culture is another family priority.

“Maintaining our language is vital for the kids. They are losing our language which means when we go home for vacation, they’re like strangers. That’s why we speak our own language at home.”

“At first, we were worried our kids would struggle with English but because the kids spend so much time at school they actually learnt quickly. That’s why the teachers told us to keep talking your own language at home.”

Their advice for others following in their footsteps?

“Work hard and build a good relationship with your employer and co-workers, if you can, because they are people who can help you to step up.”

Jayson says they’re both keen Farmstrong supporters.

“I think looking after yourself as well as the cows and the pasture is a good thing because farming is a very hard job sometimes. It’s nice to think that something like Farmstrong is checking on others to see if they are emotionally and physically well. That’s got to be good for the farm too, doesn’t it?”

Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps people manage the ups and downs of farming and growing. Last year, 20,000 farmers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme. For free, farmer-to-farmer tools and resources head to www.farmstrong.co.nz.