Confidence to lead was focus of HortNZ leadership programme

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) Leadership scholar Taurion Colquhoun says the learnings from the programme have been “eye opening” for him and he’s already putting them into action.

“I was inspired by the course,” says Taurion, the growing supervisor for strawberries for Kaipaki Berries in Ohaupo, Waikato. “It motivated me to get better and do better for the business. You get great content out of it that you can take that back to your workplace.”

Taurion says the importance of values was one of the many learnings that resonated with him.

“I came back and introduced the idea of developing company values and the response was positive. We are in the process of doing that now.

“Also, the importance of reflection, because it really helps you to digest the information you need to. Since the course, I have been reflecting at the beginning and end of every week and I find that really helpful.

“Trust building was another aspect. That is so important. From building trust with suppliers and customers to collaboration with others in the industry. If we want to help the sector, we need to work together and trust one another.”

Taurion and his fellow cohort undertook the programme in two phases over nine weeks between August and October.  This included five days in Auckland in August and a further three days in Wellington during October.

The programme focuses on building an increased confidence to take the lead and influence into the future and a greater understanding of what leadership is really all about.

It supports development of ‘ready to use’ leadership and business skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving and a wider perspective around how to address industry issues now and into the future.

Participants work to develop a personal plan for how they intend to go forward in their leadership career.

Taurion grew up in Hawke’s Bay and was introduced to a career in horticulture through holiday work while studying for a Bachelor of Management Studies at the University of Waikato.

“It started in 2019 with general kiwifruit work during the summer break. I found I really enjoyed the work and environment. Then in 2021, during another university break, I took the opportunity to pick berries and really enjoyed that too.

“I have worked my way up from picker to harvest supervisor, dispatch supervisor and now growing supervisor. I have found there are so many opportunities in the industry and I have seized them with both hands.”

He says that, as someone who is naturally an introvert, the programme offered the opportunity to develop his social skills through networking with like-minded peers.

“I applied for the programme because I was at a point where I had gained skills and done well on the job but I felt I needed a push to improve my social skills and jump start my leadership skills. I wanted to learn how others lead in the sector and to learn from them about the experiences and processes they went through.

“It was a mixed aged cohort, and at 23, I was on the younger side so I was very grateful for the opportunity. I have only been in the sector for three or four years and it has been a great opportunity for me to self-develop and expand my horizons. Being selected also gave me confidence and has been a big motivating factor for me this season.”

He says the networking aspect was of huge importance.

“Especially for people like me who don’t meet a lot of people in the industry outside of strawberry growing. I really appreciated being able to network with others, such as potato growers and pip fruit growers and learn about some of their processes, from health and safety to pest control and labour.

“The programme content was really good. I enjoyed the delivery in terms of the fact we have horticulture and we have leadership but looking at that in terms of how they intertwine.

“There was some eye opening content that exposed me to aspects of the industry I had not thought about before, such as the governance side. I enjoyed learning about that and its importance to the sector.

“I found it inspirational and helpful hearing from guest speakers about their experiences in the industry, from management through crisis such as the Hawke’s Bay floods or around supply chain issues. The theory around leadership also put a lot of things into perspective for me.

“The speakers really engaged with us. You could tell they were interested in what we had to say and in answering our questions.”

Taurion also sees gaining the ability to identify and develop talent as an important aspect of the programme.

“I think that is really crucial – both through HortNZ identifying and nurturing talent through the programme and through people who have participated in it going on to identify, secure, encourage and retain talented people for the sector themselves.”

He says talent acquisition is currently the major challenge facing the industry.

“It is important to create pathways like this to provide opportunities for horticulturalists.

“As it stands now, we are not attracting the talent that we could. There is a lot of potential in the industry but people don’t know about it.

“We live in a volatile complex world and the industry needs adaptable and resilient leaders to step into and step up in the industry. That will enable us to respond to crisis, like flooding or climate change, make rapid change and deal with the stress that comes with that.

“A lot of people in the sector are working in businesses they have built over decades. They have accumulated vast knowledge and I have found people very willing to pass that knowledge on.

“I have benefitted from a lot of mentoring and been given opportunities and responsibility. There is a willingness to take a step back and let the younger generation lead.”

Taurion says his focus now is on building his reputation as a strawberry grower and developing networks to encourage fellow berry growers to collaborate on issues and opportunities in the market.

“I want to have a successful career in this industry and be able to look back on it and be proud of what I have achieved.”