Bringing new staff on board

Before they start

• Employment paperwork checklist (PDF, 289KB)  – this checklist from the Food and Fibre CoVE employment toolkit helps you ensure you have covered all the paperwork required when hiring.
• Checklist for farmer employers (PDF, 392KB) – this checklist gives farmer employers a simple overview of the key responsibilities and good‑practice steps involved in hiring and managing staff on.

First day essentials

• Farm orientation – a solid farm orientation on their first day helps your new employee understand how the farm operates, where things are, and how to stay safe, so they can settle in quickly and start work with confidence.
• Employee induction (PDF, 502KB) – as part of your new employee’s first day on farm, it’s important they understand the key health and safety risks, where hazards are located, and any essential “need‑to‑knows” for working safely.  
• Risk register (PDF, 6.7MB) –- sharing your farm’s risk register is a simple, effective way to make sure this information is clearly communicated.

First week

• Onboarding staff  (PDF, 304KB) correctly is essential for long term success and retention. Check out the onboarding steps from the Food and Fibre CoVE employment toolkit to get some ideas for your business.
• Catch up templates (PDF, 118KB) – this PDF from DairyNZ contains structured templates to help employers run effective check‑ins with new staff during their first three months.
• Buddy system (PDF, 1.7MB) – this FFCoVE document explains how a buddy system helps new employees feel supported from day one, speeding up learning, strengthening culture, and improving retention.

• Employment Onboarding (DairyNZ) – another great resource from DairyNZ which provides a step‑by‑step onboarding process covering the period before the employee starts, through the first days, first weeks, and the first 90 days. It is practical, structured, and designed to help employers set new staff up for success. 
• The Employment New Zealand page gives straightforward guidance to help employees understand what they’re agreeing to before they accept a job. It explains how to check the terms of an employment agreement, what questions to ask, and the rights every employee should be aware of before signing.   

Farm accommodation

• On-farm accommodation – DairyNZ has put together a helpful overview of the legal and practical responsibilities around on-farm accommodation, and the advice applies equally well to sheep and beef properties. 
• Healthy Homes – it’s important that employees understand the Healthy Homes Standards because it helps them know what a warm, dry, and safe home should look like, what they’re responsible for, and what the farm as a landlord must provide. When everyone is clear on these expectations, it supports better communication, fewer issues down the track, and a healthier living environment on farm. 
• Buddy system – this webpage will explain how to set up a buddy system in your workplace, offering practical guidance to help new staff settle in, feel supported, and become confident in their role.

Working with different generations of people effectively 

• In part four of this B+LNZ National Webinar Series, we cover working with different generations of people effectively. Sarah Donaldson a clinical psychologist will be joining us and include practical tips for communicating and supporting the farm team wellbeing.

Safety conversations 

• This short video gives you several examples of how easy it is to have conversations about health and safety on farm. 

Checking competency 

• This short video gives you several examples of how easy it is to check competency on farm with your new employee and other staff.  

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