I'm Mike McGehan and based in central Waikato. A Massey Grad and with double majors in Ag and Agribusiness, I have also completed a Kellogg Rural Leadership Course. After a few years overseas I came back to New Zealand and went into rural finance for around 11 years. I needed a change and joined LIC first in a key accounts role and then made the change to farm consultancy a in 2021. I’m also a dairy farmer in my own right so I’m living and breathing what I'm talking about every day.
What do I do away from work?
Outside of work I like getting around and seeing our country. I do a little bit of diving and a bit of trail riding on dirt bikes with friends. I stopped playing rugby a few years back, just getting too old and broken for that!
Being a FarmWise consultant really resonates with me in terms of my background and a lot of what I do every day has a significant financial slant to ensure farmers can be as profitable as possible. I like to look at a whole farm system and enjoy helping my clients see an opportunity where they could make life easier, save money, or save time.
Because I’m a farmer too, I can relate to my clients. If they're dealing with climatic or staff related issues then I'm probably dealing with the same thing and can give practical advice. I'm passionate about cows and grass specifically but enjoy thinking about all things dairy farming. I bring a strong financial skillset from my banking experience which clients find really valuable with interest rates high right now, pressure on costs, and continual uncertainty around volatile pay-outs.
What do I enjoy about FarmWise?
I'm quite lucky to be in the Waikato because there's quite a few FarmWise consultants here. We catch up regularly and have a yarn about what's happening. There's a lot of synergies and communication between the consultants on the team with many also currently farming themselves. If someone's got an issue, they can flick an email out and they'll get a number of replies and everyone will have a slightly different slant on it. And that’s the benefit of teamwork and being a part of a big nationwide team. We bring all that experience on farm with us each day. It’s what makes FarmWise different.
