Mr Blazer, 21, observed that it was "going to be a long couple of days’’ getting the job done now that most of his seasonal workmates had left the country, and that he “must’ve done something right" after he was asked to stay on for the winter.
Mr Blazer arrived in New Zealand in late October last year after organising a job working for Ranfurly-based Ian Hore, of Maniototo Contracting.
The summer was a busy one for the team, making winter feed and bedding bales on many farms in the Maniototo. “There was some good growth, and a lot of places did second and third cuts."
The staff of around eight were mostly UK-based workers, and enjoyed their season working together in New Zealand.
They all lived together and — if they finished early enough — appreciated “sampling the local ale" at the Ranfurly pub.
They enjoyed a week off over New Year’s in Queenstown.
“Some of the guys did a bit of a road trip around, but I decided to come back a couple days early and just get some sleep before we cranked up again,’’ Mr Blazer said.
He hails from Bungay, a small town in the southeast of England — about a three-hour drive north of London.
Since he was 14, he has been working for a dairy farm which makes an artisan cheese called Baron Bigod, which is well-known in the UK. “I finished up with them last year and I was keen to move away from dairying — I have had enough of early mornings for now," he said.
Prior to coming to New Zealand, he spent eight months driving trucks and carting grain in the United States.
“New Zealand has been more enjoyable; the people are friendlier and there has been a lot more variety in the work."
Mr Blazer said he took his work seriously, choosing “just get on with it"; he keeps an eye on the machinery, picking up when something is not sounding quite right.
“I think a good work ethic for people at our age is really important — there’s no point mucking around when the boss is away, because that kind of thing just gives you a reputation and will make it harder to get a job down the track."
He assumed it was this attitude to his work that had led to him being asked to stay on for the winter months.
He could not say exactly what he would be doing.
“I am not sure, really. Probably just a bit of farm work and whatever else I get asked to do. I don’t really mind."
A highlight of his time in New Zealand so far had been experiencing Christmas in summer — “that was quite weird, but pretty cool".
He would see out the winter in New Zealand before heading to Australia for a harvest season and then return home — “hopefully with enough savings to put a deposit on a house," he said.
