Kurow shearing contractor Willy McSkimming has built The Shearing Board to run staff induction, tally recording and compliance reporting for shearing gangs.

“The amount of time I don’t spend now chasing people, papers, compliance work and stuff like that is amazing, actually,” he says.

“It’s changed our lives, that’s for sure.”

McSkimming is in his 20th year of contracting, most recently working out of Kurow for three seasons after 25 years based in the King Country.

He began planning the app from a hospital bed, while recovering from a knee replacement, not long after PETA campaigns targeting the sector had made headlines.

“MPI especially wanted information, and it wasn’t there,” he says.

“The shearing shed has been the blank spot in the whole traceability phase.

“It stemmed out of that, but developed more into a business management side of things to solve a few headaches that we’ve always had.”

The system now covers staff induction, HR contracts and tally recording, and health and safety and animal welfare compliance. Shearers, pressers and wool handlers log into their own portal to see each job before it starts.

“I push go on my end, and the staff will see the time, the job, where they’re going, what they’re doing, who they’re with, any specs around that woolshed.”

Shearers also see the relevant assurance programme requirements, such as ZQ or NZFAP standards, through the same portal.

When the crew list is published, farmers can see who is coming and what time, and then receive a compliance report once the job is finished.

“They’ll get that as a report at the end of it that they can give to the assurance programmes and tick off the shearing side of things.”

Find more information about The Shearing Board here.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.