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Herd Manager – Lye Farm (DairyNZ Research Farm)

Permanent - Full Time Herd Manager

Job Description

Farm Source Advertisement: 

Herd Manager – Lye Farm (DairyNZ Research Farm) 

  • Full-time, Permanent 
  • Near Hamilton (Newstead / Ruakura) 
  • Drive-in role – no accommodation 
  • 3-week rotating roster – work every 3rd weekend 

DairyNZ is looking for a capable and motivated Herd Manager to join the team at Lye Farm, our indoor dairy research farm near Hamilton. 

This is a hands-on role where you’ll lead the day-to-day management of a 300-cow herd, while supporting on-farm research that benefits dairy farmers across New Zealand. 

The role includes: 

  • Milking, feeding, animal health, mating, and calving 
  • Maintaining high standards of animal welfare and udder health 
  • Supporting research trials by following farm plans and protocols 
  • Recording and working with herd and performance data 
  • Operating and caring for modern dairy infrastructure 

The farm: 

30-bail rotary with automatic cow ID and in-bail feeding 

Indoor housing and feeding barns 

Onsite laboratory  

If you’re keen on a practical Herd Manager role with variety and meaning — close to Hamilton — we’d love to hear from you. 

Interested? Apply now via our website: link

Farm Size (ha)

115

Peak Herd Size (cows)

300

Hour Type

negotiable

Average Hours Per week

47

Roster

Triple rotation - 7 Days on / 1 day Off - 4 Days on / 2 days Off - 5 Days on / 2 days Off

Remuneration paid by

Hourly / Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Yearly
About DairyNZ
DairyNZ’s research farms are an essential resource for the dairy sector, offering real working farm environments where practical, science‑based trials are carried out. Located in Newstead near Hamilton in the Waikato, these farms are owned and operated by DairyNZ and support research that advances environmental performance, productivity, and animal wellbeing. There are two farms - Scott Farm and Lye Farm. Scott Farm focuses on whole‑farm systems research across 115ha with around 330 cows, helping develop and test new approaches to pasture management and sustainable farm performance. Lye Farm, covering 100ha with about 300 cows, specialises in udder health, intensive indoor nutrition, and methane research, supported by purpose‑built facilities such as animal barns, metabolism stalls, and advanced feeding systems like Calan Gates and RIC bins for precise measurement of individual cow intake and emissions. There is also a runoff block for young stock. Together, these farms enable leading-edge research that supports the future of dairy farming in New Zealand.
Apply Now