Dairy farmer looks

South African couple Johan and Theona Blom have just celebrated 10 years in New Zealand in their bid to realise their farm ownership dream.

‘‘The question was, ‘Where can we build our own future?’ New Zealand offered a unique opportunity via sharemilking to get to farm ownership and that was a huge attraction,’’ says Theona.

While they had access to family land in South Africa, it was too small to be economic and they did not have the capital to buy more land.

Since arriving in New Zealand, the Bloms have worked their way up the dairy ladder from herd manager roles to sharemilker to an equity partnership in central Canterbury milking 900 cows. ‘‘Everything you strive for does take a bit of effort.’’

Dairying was new to both. In South Africa, Johan had worked as a dry stock farmer and pastoral consultant and Theona as a corporate accountant. ‘‘There was even a time earlier when we said we would never be dairy farmers.’’

Starting in the North Island, they were quick to take up opportunities, moving from herd manager roles at Tokoroa and Cambridge, to three seasons as 50-50 sharemilkers at Reporoa. While sharemilking 275 cows at Ngakuru, near Rotorua in 2015, the Bloms won the Central Plateau share farmer of the year award, going on to be runners-up in the national competition.

Finding it difficult to get into bigger sharemilking roles in the North Island, the Bloms made the move south to Canterbury two years ago.

They are now equity partners