RANGITOTO sheep and beef stock manager Rebekah Templeton with pet calf ‘Bubba.'
FRESH back into farming life in 2019 after travelling, Rebekah Templeton wanted an excuse to get off the farm and be social. She stumbled into membership with her nearest Young Farmers club, and last year became chair of the North King Country Young Farmers (NKCYF). Rebekah was reinstated as chair at the last meeting for what will be her last year with the club before she ages out.
THIRD GENERATION She’s the third generation of Templetons to farm the family’s sheep and beef block in Rangitoto, started by her grandfather and now run by her and her brother Troy, with support from their mum Jenni. Rebekah and Troy were both away from Rangitoto in the years leading up to 2019, Rebekah travelling overseas and Troy living in Mt Maunganui. But when their dad Ian became sick they decided it was time to come home. Most of the land was not farmable when their grandfather purchased the block, Rebekah said, but her dad broke it in. Last year the Templetons employed a stock manager, but in the year since Ian’s death last September Rebekah has stepped into the role, with Troy officially in charge of maintenance. “But we work together,” she said. “We’ve learned a lot about how not to do things.” Rebekah’s daily tasks change with the seasons, but with the exception of busy periods like docking, shearing calving and lambing, she tries to keep her work day within the hours of 8am-5pm. “No early mornings, I can’t do early mornings,” she said. “My dad and his generation worked so hard. He worked Christmas day, every single day, there was no summer holiday, but I don’t necessarily think it has to be like that.
WORK LIFE BALANCE “Work-life balance is something I want to try and do.” One of the life activities balancing Rebekah’s time at work is young farmers and all of the extras associated with it. The NKCYF club has members based in areas from National Park in the south to about Te Kūiti in the north, Rebekah said. “You get to meet a lot of people from quite a big area and everyone is doing things differently. “You have everything from dairy farmers, sheep and beef farmers, one who works on diggers, and contractors.” The club’s committee organises activities based on who makes up its membership. A lot are based around training and skills days, including tractor training, feed management, fertilisers and on-farm days, Rebekah said. “At our meetings we talk about if anyone wants to learn and do something, then we try to make that happen.
ALL WELCOME “Anyone is welcome. I guess you have to be in some form of farming, but anything agri-business, agricultural, horticultural, forestry work, it’s pretty wide I’d say, and we’re a small club so we’re pretty open.” Rebekah said every month the club hosts dog training days in Taumarunui, which members and non-members alike can attend. She described the days as relaxed with advice given by an experienced dog trialist. “It’s like you’re taking your dog to see a friend who happens to know a lot about training dogs. “If you haven’t done too much dog training it’s probably pretty good because he puts you at ease.” Not all events are educational though, with some like the ski trip based purely on having fun. Rebekah said the club has been skiing two years in a row now, with the highlight being snowed in last year. “The weekend we planned it for, National Park had a massive dump and we got snowed in. “We only got one day snowboarding but it was amazing for bonding time and it was a good time to get off the farm and do something different.” To help the group subsidise events and trips for its members, Rebekah said they get together and fundraise. “We do a lot of fundraising, mainly picking up hay for people. “Anyone who needs hay picked up, we can do that.” Once a month the group meets to catch up on what has happened in past months and what is planned for the future. Meetings alternate between Taumarunui and Piopio, with December’s being held at 7.30pm tonight at the Fat Owl in Piopio. “It’s just a good time to leave the farm, have a drink and talk to other people,” Rebekah said. Another opportunity for Rebekah to get off the farm comes in the form of 4×4 trials. TAKING IT ON The first people in her family to take on the sport were her parents. “Mum had always made sure Dad had some kind of hobby so they had a reason to get off the farm,” Rebekah said. First it was scuba diving, but after a stroke meant Ian couldn’t participate anymore, Rebekah said he began “hoarding” Suzukis. “I have no idea how she knew about 4×4 trials but [Mum] told him he wasn’t allowed to buy any more unless he bought a competition one.” Rebekah thought she was about 12-years-old when her parents bought a standard Suzuki and started competing with Ian in the driver’s seat and Jenni as co-driver. “As soon as I got my license I started co-driving for other people and then when I was maybe 19, I got my own truck and started competing in it. “Then when dad could no longer drive I got into the driver’s seat, and mum was the co-driver.” Rebekah started in a stock model Suzuki Vitara with a roll cage but has since upgraded to a custom truck. She said although there was a competitive nature to the sport, and she placed third in the national competition last year, she was focused on doing her personal best. “For years I have been the only female driver, so all I’m trying to do is beat the guys.”
