Massey Young Farmers

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University offers around 120 clubs across its three campuses. And Massey’s Young Farmers Clubs is one of many groups available for students to join at the University’s Palmerston North campus. 

Massey Young Farmers is connected to the national body (Young Farmers NZ) and at Massey University, it organises a wide variety of activities on campus and off campus, with a focus on upskilling members and social connection.

With 150 members, the club is integral to campus life and a mainstay of Young Farmers’ national club network.

Massey Young Farmers president Patrick Coogan is from a beef farm just out of Taihape, in his last year of an agribusiness degree. He has been a member since he arrived at Massey and now leads a committee of around 15 people. The average age of members is around 18 to 24, with an upper age limit of 35. The club’s a great introduction into university life and a taste of a world away from friends and family back home, he says.

“It's definitely a change coming to uni. For me, going into halls was a really good opportunity to get to know people and I also joined Young Farmers straight away when I came up here. And having that connection of a rural background really helps with a sense of belonging or home in another way.

You meet so many different people through Young Farmers, through being on the committee, but also all of our members, like when we have our events: our bus trips and skills days - you strike up a conversation and away you go. And then you might bump into them at the library and the relationship builds off that.”

He says they’re pretty lucky to have a well-established calendar, as the club has been around and active for so long, “But we definitely review our events and I guess the turnout determines whether you decide you're going to run them again or not.”

Young Farmers clubs are obliged to host inter-club activities and Massey has a stellar event, the annual Ag Ball, invariably the biggest ball on campus, selling up to 300 tickets. There’s also a bus trip to look forward to. “We just hire a couple of buses and go to a few different country pubs. It’s quite cool.”

There are a variety of students involved in Massey Young Farmers. Bella Wyllie is from a farm at Swannanoa in North Canterbury and in her fourth year of study. She particularly enjoys the Lincoln Exchange, where in August or September each year, students from each university visits the other for a few days of debate, sports competition, and the like. Bella says it’s a great way to connect with people you might not otherwise meet. And, she adds, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of friendly competition? It’s also a good learning ground for those who might be interested in moving on to competing in the Young Farmer of the Year Competition.

Briar Duncan is from a farm in Central Otago, and in her third year at Massey. She began by heading along to and really enjoying the social events run by Young Farmers, such as the mystery bus trip and the Annual Ball. She has since become a member of the committee, as the new members liaison.

James Guerin grew up on a sheep and beef farm in South Canterbury and appreciates the skills days, as it enables him to head off campus and often gives him the opportunity to learn something new. While he’s a third year veterinary science student, he says there is a wide variety of students from different areas of study who join the club – from aviation and business, to nursing.

Massey clubs have to be self-sustaining but Massey’s Student Union has a club support system across its three New Zealand campuses, offering budgeting and administration advice – and funding for some events.

Patrick says, “It’s like glue, whatever your background or academic path. Everyone’s doing quite different degrees and from different backgrounds, so it's quite refreshing so the events are something different away from your academic degree with a bit of fun.”