Opinion: Heading to NZ? Remember – shy bairns get nowt
Kate Tomlinson © Kate Tomlinson There is a particular time of year in New Zealand when new lives begin. Just as calves fall to the ground at the end of July, so do those arriving from the UK and Ireland.
Those who have just finished university or seek a new adventure head in droves to airports for a flight to NZ.
They come to work on dairy farms, for contractors or to go shearing or rousing. Perhaps to a beef and sheep property, or for the cherries or horticultural industry.
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For those of you readying yourself for the agricultural adventure of a lifetime on the other side of the world, you may be packing a suitcase, thinking: “What have I forgotten? What do I need when I arrive?”
Don’t worry, the NZ-based agony aunt you never knew you needed is here to help!
I asked people who left the UK and now live here the question: “What one piece of advice would you give someone coming to work here for the first time?”
You might assume the answer is the obvious stuff: sort your visa, open a bank account when you land, and don’t just buy the first dodgy car you see on Facebook Marketplace. It isn’t.
What my experts repeated again and again was this: If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Or as my dad says: “Shy bairns get nowt.”
Let me explain. When I was seven years old, I really wanted a lemonade. My dad turned to me and said: “Well, Kate, go to the bar and ask for one. Shy bairns get nowt.”
As my knees knocked together and my heart pounded in my chest, I was too scared to walk to the bar. Guess what? I didn’t get the lemonade.
Now apply this concept to New Zealand. You can choose to survive on your trip here, or you can choose to thrive. Every one of the people I spoke to agreed that if you want to get the most out of your time here, you should actively seek out opportunities.
Or, if they present themselves, say yes. If you’re not sure, that’s even more reason to say yes.
Think about the fact that agriculture beats at the heart of the country. What do you want to know? Who might be able to teach you more?
What’s the worst-case scenario if you message a top stud breeder you’ve heard of and get ghosted? Nobody knows you – you have nothing to lose.
Outside of work, go to Young Farmers, join your local rugby club, and go along to curling, even if you don’t know what curling is. Don’t just go once, or twice – but five times. That’s the magic number to start making connections.
Who you speak to also matters. It might be easy to stay in the group you’ve arrived with, shying away from others, but you’re not a shy bairn.
So you’re going to chat with the Kiwis you meet with curiosity and enthusiasm. What sounds like rejection therapy is actually the opposite.
It is the deliberate practice of putting yourself forward, again and again, until the fear of a “no” loosens its grip on you.
So, on your trip to NZ, push your boundaries, push yourself, and you will find you stop noticing the doors that don’t open – you only notice the ones that do.