Shayden Gardiner

2024 Finalists

Shayden Gardiner

He uri nō Te Tai Hau-ā-Uru. Ko Te Ᾱti Haunui-ā-Pāpārangi, Ngā Rauru me Ngāti Rangi ngā iwi.

Shayden Gardiner, 21, is the Assistant Manager of Ma Taua Dairies, a 354ha (effective) farm of Rylib Group in mid-Canterbury. He feels very fortunate to be in his position to guide a team of three workers and provide support to the Farm Manager, Murray Bowden. At peak they milk 1,120 cows through a newly built 80 bale rotary shed on System 5.

Shayden is a dad to three tamariki, Te Reimana (4), Tāwhirirangi (3) and Maddison (2) and with the unwavering support of his partner Ellie, they are his proudest achievement in life, and who motivate him to be his best. He says he wouldn’t be where he is today without them.

Born in Whanganui and raised living a rural lifestyle, both Shayden’s father and his Koko instilled in him a passion for the whenua, passing down their knowledge being farmers and hunter gatherers themselves. At an early age he decided that school just wasn’t for him, only enjoying sports and playing rugby, but he had his heart set on a career in farming to provide for his whānau, just as his dad and Koko did. He left school at 14 and ended up wool pressing in the shearing sheds and doing seasonal work for his dad on the sheep and beef station where they lived.

In 2019 he moved to Te Wai Pounamu by his partners whānau where they began to build a new life. In 2020 Shayden started at Ma Taua Dairies where he has been for four years now. He started out as a Farm Assistant who was as green as grass when it came to dairy, then two years later worked his way up to his current position as Assistant Manager.

Dairy farming has opened his eyes up to a world of endless possibilities and opportunities. Shayden’s dream is to become a farm owner within the next 15 years where his whānau can reap the benefits of thriving off their own whenua. Alongside his partner, Ellie, they have been working with financial advisors to make this a reality through purchasing investments in property and shares, education – studying at Primary ITO, and career progression.

While he hopes to inspire young Māori just like him that anything in life is possible through hard work and making sacrifices, he would also like to encourage farm managers and owners to believe in rangatahi and to give them a chance as they are in a position to help shape rangatahi into great farmers and future leaders. Shayden is grateful that his manager Murray gave him that opportunity at 16 years old and taught him everything he knows about dairy farming. He thanks Murray for allowing him to make mistakes and learn from them, helping him grow in the industry.

Life off-farm for Shayden is spending lots of quality time with his whānau, exploring more of Te Wai Pounamu. He is actively involved in rugby, playing, and supporting their local club Southern RFC, and he also enjoys everything about mahinga kai such as fishing, diving, and going home to hunt.