Waikato AgriBusiness News May 2023

6 WAIKATO AGRIBUSINESS NEWS, MAY 2023
NZ tour provides
Mongolian herders with
life-changing skills
After three months working in shearing gangs across New
Zealand, four Mongolian sheep herders returned to their
homeland with new knowledge and skills that have the
potential to change their lives and reshape the shearing
scene in their native country.
Mongolian herders Ama, Budee, Khanda and Baaska with Share MongMongolian
herders Ama, Budee, Khanda and Baaska with Mark Barrowcliffe and Paul Brough
The four Mongolians
herders - Budee, Baaska,
Ama and Khanda –
arrived in New Zealand in early
January having done all their
previous shearing using scissors,
a time-consuming practice
which limits the number
of sheep that can be shorn in
a day to about 30. With their
trip wrapped up, each of the
herders is now shearing competently
using an electronic handpiece
and all four have achieved
shearing personal bests of more
than 250 sheep in a day – a
feat which has previously only
been achieved by one other
Mongolian.
The visit to New Zealand
was undertaken as part of the
Share Mongolia programme –
an initiative to introduce modern
shearing techniques and
equipment into Mongolia that
took flight following a chance
encounter between Rabobank
agribusiness manager Paul
Brough and local Mongolian
farmers in 2019.
“While I was trekking
through Mongolia in 2019, I
came across a group of farmers
who were shearing a herd
of about 900 using scissors and
they told me it would take them
about a month to complete the
job,” Brough says.
“This really blew my mind
given how much quicker this
Budee demonstrates how to shear with scissors
can be done with electronic
equipment, and I thought to
myself, there must be something
I can do to help. Once I got
back to New Zealand, I had a
few discussions with some work
colleagues and clients, and we
looked into running some training
that would help develop
Mongolian shearers skills with
modern equipment.”
With additional help from
Zoe Leetch and Enkhnasan
Chuluunbaatar from Golden
Bay, and Roy Fraser from
Colville – who have previously
lived in Mongolia and provided
valuable local insights – the
Share Mongolia initiative was
established in 2020 and an initial
idea hatched to run some
courses with visiting New Zealand
shearers in Mongolia.
“These courses first took
place in 2022 and worked out
pretty well, and then we figured
it might also be of benefit to get
some of the Mongolians over
this way so they could develop
new skills and then take these
back home,” Brough says.
“With funding support from
the Rabobank Community
Fund, we were able to get the
four herders over here and tee
them up with work, lodgings
and shearing gear. And it really
has been quite phenomenal to
see how quickly their shearing
skills have progressed over the
last few months.”
While the Mongolians were
quick to adapt to their new role
as international shearers,
Brough says, there were
some initial challenges given
the language barrier and the
significant differences between
everyday life in New Zealand
and Mongolia.
“They come from a region in
Mongolia that is one of the coldest
places on earth – dropping
to temperatures as low as -60
degrees Celsius in winter – and
is more than 1000 kilometres
from the nearest coastline,” he
says.
“Prior to the tour, none of
the group had been on a plane
or a boat, used modern appliances
like a dishwasher or
washing machine and only one
had ever been in water above
their knees.”
“The first few days here
there was definitely a bit of a
culture shock. But with the help
of an interpreter as well as from
local farmers who gave up their
time to show them around and
get them familiar with New Zealand
woolsheds, they adjusted
pretty rapidly.”
During the trip, the Mongolians
spent time working as part
of shearing gangs in Piopio,
Hawkes Bay and Wairoa.
“The modern shearing gear,
sheep size and wool quantity
on the New Zealand sheep were
very new to these guys, but they
had great support from their
fellow shearers and shed hands
which helped them progress,”
Brough says.
“At the weekends they
entered shearing competitions,
including the recent New Zealand
championships in Te Kuiti
and, towards the last part of the
tour, they achieved some really
impressive results.
“Another highlight of the
trip was their visit to west
Otago in early February where
they participated in Shear 4 A
Cause – an event run to raise
money for a host of rural community-focused
charities. They
also got to experience a number
of activities for the first
time, including riding the luge
in Rotorua and giving surfing
a crack at Raglan as part of
the weekly Surfing for Farmers
programme.”
Brough says he was really
amazed at the Mongolians
resourcefulness and how
incredibly focussed on learning
to shear and making money
they were.
“While here, they saved
every cent they made with two
giving up smoking when they
found out the price of our cigarettes
compared to the price
they pay at home. They didn’t
once complain and only one has
missed a day’s work – due to a
sprained ankle.”
“With their families tucked
up in their Gers (traditional
Mongolian tent) back home in
-40-degree temperatures, it was
pretty clear at times they were
terribly missing them. But they
stuck with it, and they’re very
excited about the opportunities
their new skills will open for
them and their loved ones once
they are back in Mongolia.”
Mobile shearing trailers
Brough says the four herders’
prospects on their return
would be greatly enhanced by
the construction of two mobile
shearing trailers which are currently
being built for them in
Mongolia.
“The Share Mongolia team
are currently undertaking a
fundraising drive to help buy
shearing equipment for these
trailers,” he says.
“We’re hoping to raise
$8,000 for this equipment,
and the plan is to set the four
of them up so they can have
their own business as travelling
shearers.
“Even though the Mongolian
shearing season is relatively
short, they should be able
to work for about 60 days per
year making $100 a day – significantly
more than their previous
best day where they made
just $15.
“And, of course, there is
potential for the farmers to
further share their skills with
local farmers so that they
too can learn to use modern
equipment.”
Brough says the Share Mongolia
programme would continue
to support Mongolian
herders and a number of further
activities were planned for
the coming months.
“In June of this year, a team
of Rabobank clients and staff
will travel to Mongolia to hold
eight more shearing courses
funded by the United Nations,
the NZ Embassy (Beijing) and
the Rabobank Community
Fund.”
“The goal is to train and
equip another 120 herders to
shear using electric machines.
Other goals are to introduce
wool sorting and wool presses to
improve wool quality and transport.
And we’re also planning a
trail to test if electric shearing
machines can be used to shear
camels in the Gobi desert.”
Procuta Associates
Urban + Architecture
FARM MANAGER’S HOUSE, ROTO-O-RANGI
Contact us 07 839 6521
www.pauaarchitects.co.nz