Ashburton Courier: February 13, 2020

Page 22, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday February 13, 2020
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz
Rural&Lifestyle
Lachie identified as future leader
By ToniWilliams
Lachie Davidson has
travelled to the other side
of the world, been
crowned a world champion
egg thrower and has
just embarkedonacareer
with an internationally
recognised company who
pride themselves asbeing
outside the box thinkers.
The 22­year­old former
Ashburton College head
boy is one of four to gain
a place in the Synlait
Future Leaders Programme.
More than 300
people applied.
It’s a three­year
accelerated development
programme, developed by
Synlait organisational
development manager
Tony Aitken, which will
see him undergo leadership
training ashelearns
different facets of the
company.
It had arigorous application
process involving
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application, multiple
interviews, psychometric
testing and group assessments
including working
on tasks under pressure
while under observation
with other applicants.
But Lachie is no
stranger to pressure.
In 2019 he and fellow
Massey University
student, Ben McColgan,
under the team name
New Zealand Yolk Ferns,
took to the final of the
World Egg Throwing
Championships in
Lincolnshire, England
and won.
They were up against a
Canadian duo and battled
it out in 10­metre increments
trying to throw and
catch the most of three
uncracked eggs in the
longest distance. The win
came down to a final
throw by Lachie, made
from the 60­metre mark
and successfully caught by
McColgan.
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Tuesday, February 25
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Thursday, February 27
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Lachie Davidson
It was an “eggstatic”
victory and when national
media came calling many
egg references came too.
The free trip fitted in
perfectly with the university
break and he got to
travel through Europe
during the three week
period.
Before global success
Lachie was better known
in Mid Canterbury for his
role as head boy at Ashburton
College back in
2015.
He attributes his career
direction as being subliminally
planted during his
final year at high school
during agriculture study
with teacher Stephen Millichamp.
It involved an international
view and looked
into production systems
with adeer focus, which
Mr Millichamp farms.
In 2016 he took agap
year as aLattitude Global
Volunteer, travelling to
Ecuador and then Argentina
working with special
need children and as an
English tutor at a language
school, respectively.
It was something he’d
wanted to do while he was
young and said it helped
him mature and gave him
abetter understanding of
having “street smarts”.
“Nothing too bad happened,”
he says, of the
experience.
Midway through the
year he applied to university.
While the world was his
oyster, he chose Massey
University inPalmerston
North doing aBachelor of
AgriCommerce – International
Agriculture.
By the time Synlait
launched their annual
nationwide recruitment
drive in early 2019,Lachie
had an evenbetter understanding
of his world.
Impressed by the
Synlait view of “doing
things differently” with
environment and sustainability
listed among their
top priorities, heapplied
to the programme.
“I was blown away by
the environmental side of
what the company was
doing…was impressed by
their message.”
Among some of the
initiatives were the
change from coal­fired
boilers to gas and electrical
options,and the set up
of the 15 hectare Whakapuawai
native tree nursery.
It will growuptoone
million trees ayear which
will be given to farm
suppliers, and incorporates
anannual volunteer
planting day for all Synlait
employees to get out on
farm and help plant trees.
In returning to Canterbury,Lachiehas
relocated
to Christchurch and is
living with high school
mates, Matthew Rae,
Jack Fleming, Logan
Coote and Alicia Calles.
His parents, Niki and
Rennie, have also moved
from rural Mid Canterbury
to Little River, at
Banks Peninsula,
although they have kept a
little slice of24hectares,
which is being used for
cropping, along
Greenstreet, just out of
Ashburton.
“It’s made the transition
easier coming back
(to Canterbury),” he said,
of living with his mates.
The programme will
give him insight into all
areas ofthe Synlait operation,
from milk supply to
manufacturing, quality to
business development
and sustainability.
He has started in business
development based
at the Dunsandel site, but
will spend four to six
months in each role,
working shifts where
necessary, alongside others
to learn the process.
“It’s good to have an
understanding and be
able to relate to people on
the floor. It’s a good
foundation,” Mr Aitken
said.
He is also mentored by
a company director to
gain insight into senior
Diamond offered to DairyNZ as prize
Recognising thevalue ofdairy farmershas
seenjewellersMarkand PamelaBeckett
giftarare greendiamond, valuedat
$12,000, as aprize for aDairyNZ organised
nationwide promotion.
TheAuckland­based coupleare showing
their lovefor NewZealand dairy farmers
by giving awaythe two­caratdiamond to
showtheirsupport fordairy farmers and
their appreciation for the workthey do
every day of the year, and in allweather.
Mr Beckett, who is aLondon­trained
jeweller but raised on aMatamata dairy
farm, said ‘‘our lives over the past 40­plus
years haverevolved around precious gems
andwebelieveKiwi dairy farmersare gems
too.”
“We reckon this rare green diamond is
the perfectway to celebrateour dairy
farmers who arecommittedto caring for
ourland and environment, and,webelieve,
just likediamonds, thattheyare here
forever.”
Mr Beckettsaid growing up on the farm
leadership which is a
valuable connection with
avisible presence.
And there was ahigh
likelihood of relocation
to another of Synlait’s
national sites; Auckland,
Pokeno, Palmerston
North or Temuka but
less likely Shanghai in
China. It teaches them
how to relocate.
Mr Aitken said as a
“growing company” the
programme allowed
Synlait to ensure there
were future leaders, with
the necessary knowledge,
to support the
company’s purpose of
‘doing milk differently
for ahealthier world’.
Synlait employs
around 1100 employees;
800 of which work in
various roles, and shifts,
at the Dunsandel plant.
“We recruit for the
programme in late February,
the year prior,
targeting final year
students atkey universities
around the country,
which offer degrees
(with) the best fit to our
business operation.
The three year programme
rotates participants,
such as Lachieand
fellow associates Issy
Davies, Giorgia Miller­
Thevenard and Claire
Ye through avariety of
roles while they receive
leadership training.
‘‘ourfarming families had along­term view
of environmental stewardship –everything
my father didonthe farm was to care for
the landand his animals.
“It’smyopinionthatdairyfarmers are
more environmentallygreenthan most–
certainly greener than many non­farming
people becauseofthe workthey do to
protectthe environment.’’
The competition closes on March10and
the winner announcedbetween March 16
and18.
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