Newly elected RCNZ president Clinton Carroll says he hopes his approachable nature and passion for supporting smaller rural contractors will form the basis of a memorable tenure
“I want to be open and in contact with as many members as possible,” he says. “I also want to make sure the sole operators know they are heard as much as the big guys.
“I have an enthusiastic and keen RCNZ team around me, which is fantastic to see.”
Clint, alongside his wife Fiona, is the majority shareholder and operator of Wairarapa Weedsprayers, a company his parents Brendan and Robyn Carroll established in 1981.
Clint came on board in 1991 and for the first seven years, he divided his working year between the family business in New Zealand and Merredin, Western Australia, located in Australia’s wheat belt.
“The time I spent working in Australia was an invaluable experience,” he says. “When you’re in the outback, you can’t just go down to the local garage; we had to learn to fix all the machinery on farm.”
Wairarapa Weedsprayers
That ethos has carried through into the business today. Five full-time employees operate five spray boom trucks – four Mitsubishi Canters and one Isuzu, which are brought in and modified on-site.
“Our team builds all its own equipment,” Clint says. “I’ve found that knowing your own gear can save a lot of problems when it comes to maintenance.
“We’ve got good staff – one is a very good engineer and another is a good auto-electrician, so they’ve been great.”
Wairarapa Weedsprayers cover the area between Kahutara in the south to Homewood in the east, Eketahuna in the north, and the Tararua Ranges in the west. Like most rural contractors, things start to get busy in September. “That’s when we start spraying out pastures with glyphosate,” Clint says. “In November/December, we are spraying post-emergent crops such as barley, peas, and brassicas.
“We slow down in January, particularly as the East Coast can get quite dry, and once the rain starts in autumn, we begin spraying glyphosate on ex crops, then move onto weed spraying the new pastures.
“In winter, we do slow down a fair bit, although we do some pasture management for dairy farmers.”
Wairarapa Weedsprayers supplies most of the chemicals they use to work more efficiently and remove the uncertainty around whether the chemicals supplied are the correct product, available in the correct volumes and supplied the right price.
Clint is a representative board member for Growsafe, a not-for-profit organisation promoting the safe, responsible, and effective use of agrichemicals.
25 years and counting
The Carrolls, including Brendan, who has been a member of RCNZ since its inception, see the association as more than just an industry body advocating for rural contractors. They see it as a valuable organisation in which members are able to swap ideas, experiences, and solutions to problems.
Having been a member of RCNZ for 25 years – and now as its president – Clint is able to reflect on the benefits an RCNZ membership brings.
“One of the major benefits is the information and resources you have access to, and you get a lot of that from meeting people in your own industry,” he says.
“It’s great being able to pick the brains of other contractors who work in different environments. You gain so many ideas, and when times are tough, there are many people who can relate. You can talk to a contractor in another region, who is not a competitor, and know that you’re not alone.”
Clint says he has been told he’s an approachable person, so he hopes to use this trait to ensure all RCNZ members are comfortable talking to him about their successes, and their challenges.
“The main challenge continuing to face the industry is getting staff, training local staff, and getting overseas staff,” he says.
“Another challenge that has popped up recently is getting certification on truck rims, a problem we are addressing at the moment with the help of one of our partners, TRS Tyre & Wheel.”
Clint says his RCNZ workload is sympathetic with his business’ seasonal demands, which continues from strength to strength.
“We are reasonably happy with the business being the size that it is now,” he says. “A lot of future decisions hinge on keeping an eye on new technology and working out what is worth the investment and what isn’t.”
Currently, Clint still drives one of the spraying trucks, so in the long term, he’d like to hire another driver to replace him.
“It’s Catch 22 though because clients love to see me out on their farm,” he says. “Our son has now done three years with the company and there is the potential for family succession if he wishes.”
Clint says the support of his family, and the families of his staff members, is essential to the success of the business.
“When we are in the busy season, we really appreciate the support our families give us,” he says. “The same goes for our staff – you have to be appreciative of staff, as they put in so many extra hours when we’re busy.”
Due to the hectic pace of the busy season, Clint says it’s important to ensure downtime is prioritised where possible.
“We work weekends when we’re busy, but I think we’d work every weekend if we let ourselves,” he says. “You have to take the time to relax.”
It seems that Clint has definitely taken his own advice: he says rather than having no hobbies, he has “too many”.
“I think that’s the problem,” he laughs. “I’ve recently purchased a boat – I like to fish – and I have been a keen trail rider in the past. I also spend time four-wheel driving in my Jeep Wrangler as part of a club.”