Youth no barrier to business

FCANZ’s youngest member, Geraldine-based Tom Batty, has shown that you’re never too young to get started, setting up his own fencing contracting business while also finishing high school.

The 18-year-old fencing competition champion started out completing fencing jobs for a few locals last year while still a full-time student at Geraldine High School. He now has around 15 clients, carrying out smaller fencing jobs that aren’t big enough to call in the larger contractors.

With his school journey coming to an end this month, he hopes to broaden his skills in the agricultural field, working on the family farm – a runoff with beef cattle and some cropping – while continuing to operate his fencing business. This summer, he will get out driving the big machines for the cropping season.

Next year, he will begin a Diploma in Agriculture at Lincoln University.

While still at school full-time, Tom managed to complete around a day’s worth of work on the fenceline per week, working after school and in the evenings using the family tractor and post-driver.

He discovered fencing through the school’s Primary Industry Academy (PIA) in Year 11– and he hasn’t stopped since.

What he enjoys about the work is the satisfaction of visually seeing what you have produced.

“I really like being able to see the finished product and knowing it’s going to be there for years to come.”

A year ago, he saw a business opportunity when family friends in the district started calling on him to get small fence jobs built, and he has now completed a number of fencing jobs around the district.

While organising posts from local timber company Point Lumber one day, he was convinced to join FCANZ to take advantage of the generous discount.

It turned out to be a great move, he says.

“I have learnt heaps from becoming an FCANZ member and meeting other contractors who have given me tips and the confidence to do jobs on my own.

“The practice days are really helpful – you learn a lot there, (and) I make the most of my FCANZ membership discount, which has also been helpful.”

While managing to keep up with his schoolwork and run his business, Tom also found time to compete – and win – at fencing competitions.

In March this year, he and fellow PIA student Cullen Bolt won the South Island Fencing Championships held at the Southern Field Days at Kirwee. The pair came first, narrowly beating another Geraldine High School team.

They went on to compete at the Fieldays Silver Staples pairs competition as the only school team, taking out the competition that is typically dominated by cadets from Smedley and Pukemiro stations.

“It was pretty good. We didn’t really expect it.”

Leading up to the competition, the students created a competition area, backfilling competition lines with sand to mimic ground conditions at Mystery Creek.

They practised in the dark with the truck headlights on two or three times a week, as it was the only time they had available.

“(We did) lots of lunch times and after school sessions to practice for competitions,” Tom says.

At the same time, he helped out at the academy, helping other students to improve their fencing skills.

In starting out in contracting, he has had to get his head around the logistics of managing gear and materials, and has built up good relationships with local suppliers, including Timaru-based Point Lumber.

“Andy from Point Lumber has been really helpful, and I have learnt heaps from him in terms of using quality materials.

“Plus, I have recycled the used competition posts from school as they come spare to use at home.”

To keep on top of bookwork, he has enlisted the support of his parents, which, with just a handful of locals as clients so far, is not too much work.

“At the moment, Mum and Dad help me with this, and I’ve really only done jobs for neighbours and farmers I know.”

When he’s not on the fenceline or out on the farm, Tom enjoys volunteering for the academy, sharing his fencing skills with other students. After work and on the weekends, he enjoys going out hunting with mates.

He says he might look at expanding his fencing business in the future, but for now, he wants to gain a broad experience in agriculture.

“I’m probably more interested in doing a bit of both.”

Written by Rosa Watson