Key Policies

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farm staff, contract milkers, contractors and visitors Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually

Our commitment

Nothing on our farms is worth getting hurt for. Kōkako Road Ltd is committed to keeping everyone who works on or visits our farms healthy and safe, and to meeting our duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Safety is part of how we farm, not an add-on — if a job can't be done safely, we stop and find a way that can.

How we manage safety

• Health and safety runs through Onside: inductions, hazard registers, check-ins and accident reporting all live there.

• Every new starter completes an Onside induction before working unsupervised, covering the farm's hazards, rules, emergency information and this policy.

• Hazards are identified, recorded and controlled — see the Accident & Hazard Reporting Policy for how.

• We talk about safety routinely — at team meetings and at the start of risky jobs — and anyone can raise a concern at any time. Raising a safety issue will never count against you.

Vehicles, quads and machinery

• Only trained, authorised people operate farm vehicles and machinery.

• Helmets on quads and two-wheelers, every ride, no exceptions. No passengers on quads.

• Follow manufacturer limits for towing and loads; slow down on slopes, races and in wet conditions.

• No phone use while operating vehicles or machinery.

• Keep guards on, shut machinery down before clearing blockages, and report faults immediately — faulty gear gets tagged out, not worked around.

Chemicals and animal medicines

• Agrichemicals and animal remedies are stored locked, in original containers, and handled only by people trained to use them.

• Use the required PPE — it's provided, and using it is not optional.

• Follow label rates, withholding periods and disposal instructions every time.

Working with stock

• Cattle are large and unpredictable — plan an exit, use the yards and races properly, and never put your body in a crush zone.

• Extra care during calving: cows with newborn calves can be aggressive.

Fatigue, drugs and alcohol

• Long hours during calving and mating are managed with rostered breaks and days off — tell the Farm Manager if you're too tired to work safely. That conversation will always be respected.

• No one works under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including impairment from medication. If you're unsure, ask before starting work.

Contractors and visitors

• All visitors and contractors check in through Onside and follow our safety rules and biosecurity expectations.

• Contractors must work to their own safe systems and ours — whichever standard is higher.

Responsibilities

• Owner — leads health and safety, provides the resources, training and equipment to work safely, and monitors that this policy is followed.

• Farm Managers — make safety work day to day: inductions, hazard management, safe rosters and leading by example.

• Everyone — work safely, use the gear provided, report hazards and accidents, and look out for each other.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farm staff, contract milkers, contractors and visitors Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually

Our approach

Most serious accidents are preceded by near misses and known hazards that nobody acted on. So we report everything — accidents, near misses and hazards — promptly and without blame. Reporting is never about getting someone in trouble; it's how we stop the next one.

Accidents and near misses

• Report every accident to the Farm Manager immediately — whether or not anyone is injured. Near misses count: if it could have hurt someone, report it.

• Complete an accident report in the Onside app. If the app isn't available, use the paper form in the Health & Safety folder in the cowshed office and give it to the Farm Manager.

• The Farm Manager makes sure every report reaches the Owner.

• For each accident we look at what caused it and what change would stop it happening again — fix the cause, not just the symptom.

Serious events — extra steps

If there's a death, serious injury or serious incident (a "notifiable event" — e.g. an injury needing immediate hospital treatment, an unconscious person, or a major equipment failure that could have killed someone):

1. Get medical help first — 111.

2. Contact the Owner immediately.

3. Don't disturb the scene until WorkSafe says otherwise (except to help an injured person or make the site safe).

4. The Owner notifies WorkSafe NZ as soon as possible — this is a legal requirement.

Hazards

• If you spot a hazard — broken gear, damaged race, exposed wiring, an aggressive animal, chemicals stored wrongly, anything — log it in Onside and tell the Farm Manager.

• Make it safe in the moment if you can do so safely (isolate, tag, move stock away), but logging it is what gets it fixed properly.

• The Farm Manager reviews the hazard register regularly and closes out fixes; significant hazards and their controls are covered in staff inductions.

Responsibilities

• Everyone — report accidents, near misses and hazards the same day, every time.

• Farm Managers — make sure reports are completed, fixes happen, and the Owner is kept informed.

• Owner — WorkSafe notifications, oversight of the hazard register, and resourcing the fixes.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farm staff, contract milkers and contractors Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually

Our approach

This sets out the behaviour expected of everyone working at Kōkako Road Ltd. It's how we keep our farms good places to work — for the people and for the animals. Everyone is expected to read, agree to and follow it.

What we commit to

• Maintain a happy, positive workplace culture.

• Meet our obligations under the law.

• Always work safely and keep others safe.

• Communicate honestly and openly.

• Treat others with respect and understanding.

• Do our jobs to the best of our ability.

• Resolve problems promptly — raise issues early rather than letting them fester.

• Chip in when needed.

• Take care of property and equipment.

• Respect and care for stock at all times.

Misconduct

Behaviour that falls short of this code. Repeated offences may lead to disciplinary action. Examples: lateness, carelessness or negligence, offensive language, rudeness, or minor health and safety breaches.

Serious misconduct

Behaviour that fundamentally breaches trust, and may also break the law. It may lead to dismissal, following a fair disciplinary process. Examples: theft, assault, bullying, harassment, serious health and safety breaches, breach of animal welfare standards, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work, or wilfully damaging property or equipment.

Raising concerns

If you see behaviour that breaches this code — or you're on the receiving end of it — raise it with the Farm Manager or the Owner. Concerns are taken seriously, handled fairly and kept as confidential as possible.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farms, staff, contract milkers and contractors Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually before calving

Our commitment

Healthy, well-cared-for cows are the foundation of our farming system. We meet or exceed the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and the Code of Welfare: Dairy Cattle, and we expect everyone working on our farms to treat animals calmly, competently and with respect — every animal, every day, no exceptions.

The basics every animal gets

• Enough quality feed and clean water, every day, including during dry periods and adverse weather.

• Shelter and care appropriate to the conditions — extra attention in storms, heat and around calving.

• Prompt treatment when sick or injured. If in doubt, act — don't wait.

• Calm, patient stock handling. No yelling, no striking, no dogs on cows, no use of electric prodders.

• Body condition monitored through the season, with light cows managed early (preferential feeding, once-a-day milking or early dry-off).

Animal health and treatment

• Sick, lame or injured animals are identified, drafted and treated promptly, and recorded (Minda / Dairy Diary) with withholding periods observed.

• Pain relief is used for disbudding and any procedure that requires it — this is both law and our standard.

• We work with our vets on animal health planning, and call them whenever an animal's condition is beyond our skill or equipment.

• Down cows are shaded, fed, watered and nursed properly, or humanely euthanised without delay if they won't recover. Euthanasia is carried out only by trained people, using approved methods.

Calves

• Every calf gets adequate colostrum within the first 24 hours, then proper feeding, clean dry bedding and shelter.

• Calves leaving the farm are fit for transport: at least 4 full days old, fed within 2 hours of pickup, dry navel, free of injury or illness, and loaded from compliant facilities.

Technology and welfare

We use Halter collars for virtual fencing and cow monitoring. Collars are fitted, checked and maintained according to Halter's animal welfare standards, and the system's health alerts are part of how we pick up problems early.

Speak up

Anyone — staff, contractor or visitor — who sees an animal welfare problem on our farms must raise it immediately with the Farm Manager or the Owner. No one will ever be criticised for raising a welfare concern.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farms, staff, contract milkers and contractors Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually before calving

Our commitment

Effluent is a resource, not a waste product — managed well it grows grass and protects our soils and waterways. We operate every effluent system in full compliance with our resource consents and Taranaki Regional Council rules, and we treat any risk of discharge to water as a serious incident. There is no payout, deadline or workload that justifies cutting corners on effluent.

What we expect on every farm

• Know your system and your consent. Everyone operating the effluent system understands how it works, what the consent allows, and where the limits are. Consent details and system procedures are on each farm's page.

• Never discharge to water. Effluent must not reach drains, streams or wetlands. If it can happen, stop the activity and fix the cause first.

• Apply at the right time, at the right rate. No irrigation onto saturated, flooded or frozen ground, and rates matched to soil conditions so there's no ponding or runoff.

• Keep storage ahead of the season. Ponds and sumps are managed so there is always contingency for wet weather and breakdowns — don't run storage to its limits.

• Maintain the gear. Pumps, hydrants, lines, travellers and stone traps are checked regularly and faults fixed promptly. A broken irrigator is not an excuse to over-apply elsewhere.

• Record what you do. Application dates, areas and any incidents are recorded so we can show compliance at any time.

If something goes wrong

Spill, overflow, blown line, pond level too high, or anything that could reach water:

1. Stop the source if safe to do so.

2. Contain what you can.

3. Tell the Farm Manager and the Owner immediately — same hour, not next day.

We notify the council ourselves when required. Reporting a problem early will never get anyone in trouble; hiding one will.

Responsibilities

• Farm Managers — day-to-day operation, maintenance, records and storage management on their farm.

• Owner — consents, compliance monitoring, capital upgrades and council contact.

• Everyone — speak up the moment something doesn't look right.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farm staff Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually

Our approach

Accurate time records are a legal requirement for every employer, and they're how we make sure everyone is paid correctly — including checking pay always meets the minimum wage across a fortnight, and that leave and public holiday entitlements are calculated right. Good records protect you as much as the business.

What we expect

• Record your hours every day in the PaySauce app — actual hours worked, not estimates, entered on the day while they're fresh.

• Record all work time, including milking, early starts, late finishes, weekend duties and call-outs. If you worked it, record it.

• Submit timesheets through the app by the payroll cut-off each pay period.

• The Farm Manager reviews and approves hours before each pay run, and follows up anything that looks wrong — short days, missing days or unusually long hours.

• If you make a mistake or forget a day, tell the Farm Manager straight away so it's corrected before pay is processed.

• No one may record hours on another person's behalf without the Farm Manager's knowledge.

Why it matters

Time records feed directly into wages, leave balances, public holiday pay and our employment law compliance. Records are kept for at least six years, as required by law.

Kōkako Road Ltd · Applies to all farm staff Last reviewed: June 2026 · Review: annually

Our approach

Farming is seasonal, and our leave planning works with the season — quieter periods are the time for proper breaks, and calving and mating are all-hands periods. We plan leave early so everyone gets real time off and every farm stays properly staffed.

Annual leave

• Every staff member gets four weeks' paid annual leave a year.

• We aim for around two weeks off in summer (usually after New Year) and around two weeks in the winter dry period.

• Leave can be requested for any time that suits — give at least two weeks' notice.

• Granting leave on a specific date is at the employer's discretion. The Farm Manager makes sure there are always enough staff or relief to run the farm.

Public holidays

• The farm doesn't stop on public holidays, so not everyone can take every one. The Farm Manager decides who works, keeping enough staff to run the farm.

• If you work a public holiday you are paid time-and-a-half for the hours worked. If it's a day you'd normally work, you also get a full day in lieu (alternative holiday), to be taken as soon as practical.

• If you don't work a public holiday that falls on a normal working day, you're paid for it as usual.

Sick leave

• After six months' service, staff get 10 days' paid sick leave a year, which can build up to a maximum of 20 days.

• Sick leave covers you, or caring for your partner or a dependant.

• Tell the Farm Manager as early as possible on the day — before milking if you can.

• A medical certificate may be required for absences of three or more consecutive days (or earlier, at the employer's cost).

Bereavement leave

• After six months' service: three days' paid leave per death of a close family member (partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or partner's parent), and up to one day for other bereavements at the employer's discretion.

• Three days also applies in the event of a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Other leave

Parental leave, family violence leave and jury service follow the law. Talk to the Farm Manager or the Owner — these are handled case by case with care.