18 February 2025

Louise Gibson

PHOTOGRAPHER: Vivian Gehrmann

He Rā Kotahi I Te Ao. A Day in the Life.

Louise Gibson, 34, and Myfanwy Alexander founded The Sharefarming Consultants because they realised the importance of communication and a team focussed approach to sharemilking and contract milking. From Mōrena Morrinsville, Louise shares what a typical day is like juggling family while consulting with clients on farm and over the phone.

4:50am. I get up for an F45 cardio class in town. This is a big part of taking care of myself so I can take care of others. I need to get it out of the way so I won’t be tempted to cancel it when things get hectic later in the day.

6:30am. After a quick stop at the cowshed for the calf club calves’ milk on our farm that my husband, Keith, and I lease to the neighbours, it’s breakfasts, lunch boxes and getting Eddie, 6, and Harry, 4, dressed and out the door for the bus and daycare. We are very lucky to live near an amazing rural school, but the bus is prompt and I’ve missed it more times this term than I want to admit!

9am. I'm out on farm with some lovely clients – a farm owner and their sharemilkers – to catch up on how the month went, how the cows are going and what is ahead for the month. Even some of the best communicators will avoid discussing certain topics because they don’t know how to bring them up; having a consistent meeting format and someone independent to encourage discussion keeps everything out in the open. I always make sure we talk about health and safety as a normal part of day-to day farm management – it’s surprising what comes up!

12pm. Time for a quick lunch and online catch-up with my Sharefarming Consultants team. They have great insights into what is happening on the ground, and are awesome to bounce ideas off and troubleshoot issues – like finding solutions for farm owners around the affordability of sharemilkers.

1pm. At The Hayloft Hub, the co working space Keith and I established in Morrinsville, I have an afternoon of desk work and phone calls. One of the contract milkers I am working with has some questions on how to approach their farm owner about an issue that is having quite an impact on their business. We discuss what is and isn’t normal and where to go from here. The phone calls with clients are one of my favourite parts of my job, especially as I see them growing their confidence. But when I have a ton of computer work I am easily side tracked and find myself actively avoiding going back to what I was supposed to be doing!

2:30pm. Back to the daycare/school bus run. I am beginning to put the kids in for longer days with daycare and after-school care. They’re only little once, and the mum guilt always gets me – even though I know they have a great time with their friends, and it’s a lot more fun than mum on the phone!

4pm. This seems to be the most popular time for me to get a phone call, and I have had to become a master of multitasking between phone calls, getting the washing in, getting dinner on and keeping kids busy. Callers probably think they’re talking to a zoo keeper sometimes, but one of the best parts of being a rural professional is that farmers are the most understanding clients when it comes to kids in the background.

7:30pm. I am ready to sit down with Keith and a glass of wine, but most evenings I will have a meeting, emails that need replying to or some washing that I’ve been ignoring.

8:30pm. Being an early riser, I need to stick to an early bedtime. I put my laptop away, ignore the mess in the living room and head to bed with a healthy dose of reflection on how lucky I am to be living this life, even if it can feel a bit hectic at times!