Moving Day, popularly known as Gypsy Day, is on June 1 and involves shifting a lot of equipment and stock, although the moving process will go on through the week for many farmers.
Daniel Fleming, who works on a farm in Centre Rd near Dunedin Airport, is shifting just down the road.
He was stepping up from being a farm employee to contract milker and said he had always been fairly confident the move itself would not be hindered. But retailing restrictions in the lead-up had made it difficult for him to buy gear he needed for his new job.
‘‘In my first year, I need to gear-up,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m buying gear without seeing it and I would normally take advantage of clearing sales.’’
New Zealand moved from Alert Level 4 lockdown to Level 3 this week, freeing up some business activity, but measures such as physical distancing requirements remain.
The Government issued guidance last week about Moving Day, allowing it to go ahead with safety precautions designed to stop the Covid-19 virus from spreading.
Contract milkers Dan and Emma Lord and their four children face a large logistical operation, moving from Riverton, near Invercargill, to Riversdale, near Gore.
Their list of equipment included tractors, feedout wagons, motorbikes, feed spreaders and a workshop full of tools.
‘‘She’s a big operation,’’ Mr Lord said.
A dairy herd would arrive from Canterbury.
Mr Lord felt the safety requirements would not be too difficult to meet.
June 1 falling on a public holiday, Queen’s Birthday, would result in a moving company holding goods for a day before delivery, he said.
He had not been too worried about disruptions.
‘‘New Zealand has been a farming country for generations. We get on and do what we need to do.’’
Farm managers Oliver and Lauren Badcock are moving from Clinton to Gore.
‘‘There was a little uncertainty,’’ Mr Badcock said.
‘‘For it to go ahead is a bit of a relief.’’
A Moving Day working group including DairyNZ, Federated Farmers, Fonterra and FMG formed after the lockdown announcement to identify and push for solutions for safely moving people, livestock, machinery and goods amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘‘We are pleased the certainty we sought has been provided and dairy farmers now have reassurance they can move to farms for the new dairy season in a way that also keeps them and the public as safe as possible,’’ DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle said.
Federated Farmers national dairy chairman Chris Lewis said Moving Week was a key part of the life of the dairy sector.
‘‘This is how we enable people to progress their careers and their businesses.
‘‘And it must happen now ... Mother Nature waits for no-one and in July we have new calves coming.’’
- Grant Miller
