Growing through Primary ITO

Upon leaving Palmerston North Boys High School, Sam went into full-time farm work on a sheep and beef farm and quickly discovered that the apprenticeship-style model of learning suited both his practical mindset and career ambitions.

“In my last year at school I was doing about two days a week in school and the rest of it was out, either on a dairy farm or a sheep and beef farm,” explains Sam.

Sam initially began with the Primary ITO Trades Academy in 2024, gaining valuable entry level knowledge, skills and work experience on farm which resulted in him achieving the New Zealand Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (Level 2).

The pull of dairy farming, with its clear career progression pathway, pivoted Sam to move south. After moving to Canterbury to work for Sharemilkers and equity partners, Ralph and Fleur Tompsett, Sam enrolled in the New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture – Dairy (Level 3) through Primary ITO in late 2025. Now working through Level 3, Sam has covered milk quality, effluent and shed operations and finds real value in immediately applying theory on farm.

“Having topics I’ve learned in the textbook or in a class and being able to use that as part of the decisions I make on the farm has been pretty good for building skills.”

Farm manager, Kathyrn Hutchings, sees Sam’s training as a win-win for both the employee and the business.

“What Sam is learning is opening up discussions for us and it’s keeping me accountable for the decisions that I’m making because Sam’s quizzing me on them.”  – Kathryn Hutchings, Canterbury

“I personally love it. I really like bringing the younger ones through,” she says. “Primary ITO is one of those really good tools that we can use to help them gain theory as well as wider knowledge.”

For Kathyrn, the training also deepens their on-farm conversations.

“What Sam is learning is opening up discussions for us and it’s keeping me accountable for the decisions that I’m making because Sam’s quizzing me on them.”

Ralph, former Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year, believes Primary ITO also plays a critical role in their ongoing professional development.

“It’s a really valuable way of broadening our horizons too, Sam is looking beyond just our farm system and keeping our ideas fresh through what he is seeing on other farms through his learning,” says Ralph.

For Sam, Primary ITO’s combination of structured learning, supportive mentoring and on-farm application is laying the foundation for his long-term future in dairy.

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