Herd Manager or Senior Dairy Assistant - HFG

We are seeking a Herd Manager for one of our farms. The farm milks 950 cows through a 60 bale rotary shed with ACR's. As part of a teams of 4, you will assist with daily operational activities. the farm has Halter, allowing for herd management and break feeding to be automated.  Carrying reels and standards are basically a thing of the past. 

Hopkins Farming Groups strategy is to ‘Grow Talented Dairy Farmers.’  Our strategic pillars that underpin and support this are

Our People – Talented and Safe People (Proud to work for Hopkins)

Our Planet – Farms and Animals to be Proud of (We Care)

Our Profit – A High Performing Business (Achieving Top 20% Profitability)

As Herd Manager you will join HFG, encompassing 8 dairy farms and 2 dry stock farms in the wider Manawatu Region, working to bring our strategy to life.

We are currently seeking candidates who have a passion for the dairy industry. Someone who takes pride in their work, has a passion for farming, is keen to learn and upskill, and all-round great attitude.  Chasing quality milk production from pasture, summer crop chicory is used and supplement over the feedpad through a mixer wagon sets a great base. We are seeking someone with a minimum of 3 years experience.

The primary role for our applicant will be to assist with daily operational activities of the farm and herds, to achieve productivity targets.

• Assist with and ensuring own health and safety is always keep to a high standard and reporting of any issues, near misses or incidents, looking out for others.
• Be actively involved with allocating feed to stock, reporting residuals and keeping cows fully fed.
• Participate in milking, help with animal health through identification, treating and recording of mastitis, lameness, and any other health issues.  Our team is proud of our animals and we are targeting to improve our SCC to below 150.
• Load and feed out various supplements using our mixer wagons and feedpads.

We provide a safe workplace, and the successful applicant will be required to pass a drug and alcohol test and a criminal background check. You must have the legal right to work in New Zealand to be considered for this role.

A 3 bedroom house is available on farm.  The farm is located 8 minutes North of Apiti (  40 minutes from Feilding) in the Manawatu,

Include a brief cover letter along with your CV and upload them here:

Applications close on 12 July 2025

Position start date: 21 July 2025 or by arrangement.

This position is available to NZ citizens or those holding NZ resident Visa's. Unfortunately, applications will not be accepted from other visa holders.