Students from Bihoro High School were amazed by the wide open paddocks cows and calves enjoy in Waipā compared to the farming practices back in Japan.
Tucking in: The Japanese students from Bihoro were fascinated by the newborn calves on the Reymer dairy farm in Ōhaupō. Photo: Supplied
Over the weekend, five students from Bihoro High School were hosted in Waipā by Cambridge Community Board members Alana Mackay (joined by her daughter Mia) and Philip Coles, deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk and her husband Andrew Reymer, and Cambridge High School principal Greg Thornton.
Thumbs up from these Bihoro High School students, from left: Gaku, Miwako, Alexis, Ichika, Minako. Photo: Supplied
Activities included slug gun shooting, milking, and feeding newborn calves at the Reymers’ farm in Ōhaupō.
“It was a real pleasure to host the Bihoro students. Experiences like this highlight just how valuable it is to share New Zealand’s dairy farming story with the world,” said Reymer, who is also Federated Farmers Waikato vice president.
The visit wasn’t just about farming. Hospitality was also on display, with Stolwyk’s famous peach dessert proving popular once again – devoured by the students just as it had been by a Chinese delegation days earlier.
Gaku Yoshimoto, 17, from Bihoro High School gets to know newborn calves at the Reymer dairy farm in Ōhaupō. Photo: Supplied
“Cambridge has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Bihoro, which in recent years has also opened the door to valuable agri-business connections,” said Stolwyk, who first visited Bihoro in 2012, prior to her election to Waipā District Council. She is standing down at this election to run for Waikato Regional Council.
“Every opportunity to showcase our dairy sector contributes to New Zealand’s goal of doubling export value by 2034 – and it’s well worth the effort.
“With the farming sector playing a critical role in sustaining our economy, we’re simply doing our bit to support it,” she said.
The Bihoro High School visitors with from left Alana and Mia Mackay, Philip Coles, Andrew Reymer, Liz Stolwyk and Greg Thornton.
