Southland aquaculture - more than a job

Being a Bluffie or an Islander means being a part of something.

“This is a beautiful community. It’s a close community. We all have each other’s back and that’s something we can all be proud of,” explains Sanford processing supervisor Kara Foai.
“We all stick together and if anyone’s in trouble, they would all come as a team and help off their own backs. You don’t have to ask.”

That goes for the local aquaculture industry too A new MPI study on ‘The Social and Community Effects of Aquaculture’ in Southland has shown that workers from within the aquaculture industry punch well above their weight when it comes to volunteering for vital community services on Stewart Island and Bluff. While the industry provides 23 jobs on Stewart Island, 75% of the workers volunteer their time to work in community organisations like the local fire service or the community centre.

“It’s about giving back really and being a responsible member of my community,” explained salmon farmer Matt Hare who is also a volunteer fire fighter.

It’s a similar story in Bluff where the 77 people employed in processing farmed seafood for Sanford are over represented in civic service. While accounting for about 5 per cent of the local population, aquaculture workers make up about 20 per cent of local fire service volunteers, 16 per cent of Coastguard volunteers and 7 per cent of Ambulance volunteers. Remarkably, Sanford supports their staff to deliver these critical services by allowing them to attend emergency call outs and training days without docking pay.

“There’s four of us in the factory that also volunteer with the fire brigade. I’ve been doing it for 19 years and if the whistle goes off, I’m allowed to leave, no questions asked,” said factory processing manager Seth Ramsay. It’s about supporting the community that supports you, said Sanford Bluff processing manager Warren Crighton.
“We have a huge responsibility for the community, not just to provide employment, but to look after the people.
“Our values focus on integrity and caring and part of that is recognising that the people who work for us are our greatest asset,” Warren said.
“The reason why we support staff and a host of other things, is because we feel very strongly that we are part of the community and being part of a community is contributing to the wellbeing of it.”

As well as backing staff, Sanford also make a range of direct contributions to support community projects like significant financial support for the local Kiwi Can programme, providing access to facilities, printing a community newsletter and even donating an old salmon farm to serve as the permanent pontoon for the Coastguard. The research was commissioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries as part of an on-going effort to better understand the wider impacts of the sector.

“Although it is clear that aquaculture provides employment, MPI wants to better understand the impact on the wider supply chain, what corporate responsibility looks like in the aquaculture industry and what the social effects of aquaculture employment has on local communities,” said MPI director of aquaculture, growth and innovation Kathy Mansell.
“The results of this report are extremely encouraging by clearly illustrating the very positive social impact that the aquaculture industry is having on these communities.”

The research, which included interviews with 66 local businesses and 130 staff, also showed the industry had a positive influence on workers with an increase in self respect, an increase in income compared to previous jobs and a range of new skills.

“We are very proud to be making such a positive contribution in Southland. When the Ministry invited us to be part of this study we saw it as an opportunity to get an independent measure of the community’s acceptance of Sanford’s Bluff and Stewart Island businesses,” said Sanford chief operating officer Greg Johansson.
“Beyond the jobs and money injected into the Southland economy, we are proud our staff are able to help maintain vital social services. Having our staff work with organisations like these and being able to make a direct contribution to school programmes is a really satisfying way to help these communities.”

But perhaps the clearest conclusion is that aquaculture is a valued and essential part of the fabric of the Stewart Island and Bluff communities.

“I think of Sanford as a family,” said Kara. “Sanford has been great for our community. More than just having jobs, I don’t know we’re we’d be without Sanford.”