News

Displaying filtered articles

Group shot v2 resized (1)
Oamaru dairy processing company upskills staff with Primary ITO

8 April 2026

From Oamaru to customers across New Zealand and offshore, Milligans Food Group manufactures a wide range of dairy and non-dairy products with skilled staff trained through Primary ITO.

Whakatohea Mussels Image
Learner Success at Whakatōhea Mussels (Ōpōtiki) Limited

30 March 2026

Congratulations to Piripi Kahotea-Rangikotua (Half Shell & Meat Production Manager) and Wharengaro Tapara-Kurei (Quality Assurance Manager) at Open Ocean Whakatōhea Mussels, for completing the full Seafood Processing training and qualification pathway.

Jayden Lum 2 (1)
Pest training underpins conservation effort on Banks Peninsula

19 March 2026

Native birdsong echoing through regenerated bush and thriving ecosystems across Banks Peninsula is the aim of a local conservation trust, with the support of Primary ITO training.

Sarah Moorhouse - Earthworks
Building a career in landscape construction

2 March 2026

Primary ITO qualified landscaper Sarah Moorhouse loves working with the team at New Concept Landscaping to create attractive outdoor spaces that clients delight in.

Sheep, Beef
Shaping the future of work-based learning

19 February 2026

Industry employers have an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of work-based learning in the food and fibre industry over the next few months.

Ben Carter profile shot
Growing knowledge for a future in pork production

15 January 2026

North Otago pig farmer Ben Carter is one of the first graduates to complete the refreshed Primary ITO Pork Production training programme.

Dom Steenstra
Dom signs off after fifty-year career in horticulture

2 December 2025

After fifty years in horticulture and vocational education, Primary ITO Training Adviser Dom ‘the dominator’ Steenstra is retiring on 5 December to pursue retirement, or possibly a new career pathway.

Picture13
Gateway students kick-start their farming careers in Northland

26 November 2025

In a small rural community in North Hokianga, school students are learning practical skills and gaining valuable farming experience through the Primary ITO Gateway programme.

Cairnbrae Team reduced size
Growing the next generation of skills on Canterbury farm

19 November 2025

On the rolling Canterbury plains near Methven, the third and fourth generation of the Molloy family are working the land and growing the knowledge of their dairy farm staff with Primary ITO.

YHOTY25 winner Jake Linklater scaled e1762465239773 800x500 (002)
Young Horticulturalist competition celebrates up and coming talent

13 November 2025

Primary ITO learners and graduates featured strongly at the 2025 Young Horticulturalist of the Year Competition in Auckland on 6 November, with Canterbury nursery manager Jake Linklater winning the supreme title.