A Cut Above

When did you know you wanted to be a butcher? When I was a teen, my family moved to a small lifestyle block on the outskirts of Foxton. We were always working hard, tending to the animals, splitting wood and helping Dad in our home-kill butchery. That’s where I found my passion. I’d always wanted to be a butcher – I just didn’t know it yet. I have always been quite a hard worker, but I hated school and I left as soon as I could. I have always learnt more out on the job and being physical than I ever did sitting in a classroom. At sixteen, I was lucky enough to get work at the Feilding abattoir. I was there for a few years before being offered a job at our local New World in Foxton. It was there I started on my three-year butchery apprenticeship and finally found my calling.

Are people surprised? I’m short and feminine, so being told I’m a butcher surprises people. It gets pointed out quite a bit, but I’m shy so I just brush it off. It’s normal for me. This job suits me. It’s physical, and you can keep perfecting your skill and learning. I like that. There aren’t many women competing, but that is changing slowly. I guess I think a bit more about the presentation and maybe doing something a bit more creative with the cuts. I display things with a lot of thought, and I sometimes use edible flowers to add some style. I like to think a little out of the box. In an industry full of men, you have to find your own way, and you have to be stubborn and strong. Stubbornness will get you far in life, I reckon.

How did you hone your skills? In my family, you are taught, “If you are going to do a job, you do it well.” I definitely got my work ethic from my dad. He just gets in and gets the job done. That’s what I like to do so I can feel happy at the end of the day. At first, I don’t think Dad thought I would stick with the apprenticeship, but when I started entering competitions I made him come down and watch me. After that, he understood me a bit more. Retail Meat New Zealand hosts lots of butchering competitions, ranging from Apprentice Butcher to Master Butcher. During my apprenticeship, I won the regional competition in Wellington three years in a row, and in my last year I took out second place for the national title. The competitions are awesome. They keep apprentices aiming higher.

And you’ve got your own growing family now, too. Somewhere within all this, I found my fiancé, Shaye, my second half. We bought and moved into a lovely home in Shannon a few years ago, with our two dogs and three cats. We always knew we would start a family early and things have just fallen into place. My son, Hartley, is a very stubborn, adventurous eighteen-month-old. Definitely keeps me flat out. It’s been great raising him around family. Shaye’s parents live about one-and-a-half hours away so it’s a struggle not seeing them as much. But they make so much effort.

What has been your career path so far? I worked at Woody’s Free Range Farm after completing my apprenticeship and until my son was one. It was the hardest job I ever had – really physical – but I loved it. It was great to work with people that have a true respect and understanding for the animals right from the very start and where it’s not just all about profit. At other places it’s more about packaging the end product and shelving it, whereas at Woody’s we did the whole process. On Mondays we broke down the pigs, and by the end of the week we’d package beautiful handcrafted charcuterie, bacon, sausages and so much more to send out. I really liked seeing the process through.

Was it hard having to step back from full-time work? Woody’s is a family-run business – they understand the family thing, and give you support and comfort. That’s important to me. There is respect all around. I just couldn’t balance being a good employee and a great mum. It felt like I was off home with a sick baby ninety per cent of the time, so I made the decision to leave until my son is older. Hopefully that way I’m not letting my team down as often, and I’m there for my child whenever he needs.