De Adre is our newest member of the Agronomist team, she’s young, fresh and full of enthusiasm. When asked to describe herself she says, “eclectic and complex”, a very appropriate summary for someone with her style.
Who else do you know in their mid-20’s has won an international dance award, reached Corporal status as a junior pilot, plays various instruments and is in a band!
Dee grew up in Tuakau where she attended Onewhero Area School. She was raised by her grandparents who she describes as “really cool and by far the most accepting people on the planet"…..to her they are just ‘home’. “They encouraged me to experience most of the world and what it had to offer. I’m the oldest of four kids consisting of one brother and two sisters. I felt I had a lot of responsibilities to my siblings. My grandparents offered a fun, nurturing home for all their grandchildren, we are a very tight knit family and me being the oldest I’ve always loved to mother them all.”
Tell me about growing up
“Dance and music are my passion, in 2010 at the age of 12, I joined ‘Groovit Dance Studio’ in Pukekohe where I learnt Hip Hop dancing. At the age of 19, I progressed to teaching ladies from 18 yrs plus which then followed with 2 other crews of 13–18-year-olds. Dealing with people was so challenging as some just aren’t natural born dancers, it was rewarding to help them reach specific techniques and watch their confidence grow.
Dance lead me to participate in competitions overseas, my first being Holland where my dance crew came 5th in the world. As a young 19-year-old girl from Tuakau my eyes were opened to the big wide world, the cultures and possibilities were endless.”
Her commitment to stay active also lead her to join the Airforce Cadets in Ardmore at 13 years old where by 15 she reached Corporal status. “This involved a lot of physical training and dedication which helped build stamina, discipline and overall fitness which were also crucial when dancing at a high level.”
Joining the Cadets was a strategic step to her dream of becoming a pilot “I desperately wanted to be a helicopter scenic tour pilot in Queenstown, I managed to clock up 110 hours of flight time but sadly couldn’t afford the training hours required to receive the certification.
So off to work in the fields I went with brassicas and mud and cold……. but I love it!”
What about your immediate family?
“My partner Ashlee and I met at Groovit, she is my rock, we have been together for 10 years, married for three and share two children together.
Our weekends consist of looking after kids, planning the household, enjoying each other’s company and planning our next trip together as a family. It’s a simple life with a dog and two cats and lots of love to go round.
The biggest thing that bonds us all together is music. I play the guitar, drums and love to have a good singsong.
My family has a band called Family Addition where we go out and play a variety of music, in fact, every 2nd Sunday of the month, we play at the Tuakau Cosmopolitan Club.
I’m so proud of my grandparents who are about to receive a NZ Country Music Award for long term service within the NZ country music scene. They have been involved in this industry for 40+ years.”
Tell me about your work history
“I started at New Seed Solutions as office manager where I worked for five years. Over this period, I was given a broad range of roles: team leader, supervisor, factory hand, and logistics coordinator. I enjoyed being such a key member of the company.
A role at Leaderbrand as harvest supervisor came up and I thought it was time for a change where I lead a team of harvesters and liaised with the harvest manager.”
Of course, the highlight of her career came along……the Seed & Field Agronomist role. “This was the perfect job for me and where my knowledge and technical growth began. I’m learning how to nurture plants and varieties which requires patience and attention to detail rather than just grow and harvest.”
Dee’s been with us since early 2024 and not only focuses on her agronomy role but also tackles the co-ordination of seed imports and exports, MPI, Assure Quality and suppliers.
“I love getting out and about and meeting people I’m constantly learning. It’s hard not to learn due to the calibre of our staff. I’m proud to be part of the team, it fits my work ethics and I love the passion of the staff and the plans for future development. We are always developing and researching new seed lines, most of this is top secret. We want to do our homework to ensure we release an amazing product.”
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