Who you’re dealing with

It’s Nathan who answers the phone.

I’m Nathan O’Grady. I grew up in Ohoka and I’m still here — it’s good country and I’ve never had much reason to leave.

I’ve been around farming as long as I can remember, starting on the family farm, and I still give a hand there when I’m needed. After school I did a Diploma in Agriculture and a Diploma in Farm Management at Lincoln, and I’ve been picking up skills ever since.

Fencing and farm work is what I enjoy most, but I’ll take on most of what comes with it — retaining, clearing, landscaping, the tidy-up afterwards. If a job isn’t one for me, I’ll tell you straight and point you at someone who does it properly.

Most jobs are just me. For the bigger runs I bring on a hand — usually someone I’ve worked alongside for years, not whoever is available.

Outside work it’s mostly more of the same — tractors and machinery, engineering and fabrication, the family farm. What’s left goes on 4x4s, skiing, fishing and jetboating, and dirt bikes.

There’s usually a dog with me — a sheepdog I got off a farm not long back. She still works at home and on the family farm, and comes along to jobs when it suits her.

What I want out of it is to keep learning — there is always a better way to do something, and I would rather find it than assume I already know it. I take the time to do a job properly rather than quickly, and I am happy to tackle anything, whether or not I have done that exact thing before. If it turns out to be outside what I can do well, I will say so and point you at someone who can.