ChatGPT for farming, horticulture and forestry
Farmers and growers are usually running a business alongside the physical work.
- Share of NZ employees
- 4.8%about 118,000 people, Feb 2025
- Highest local share
- 38%Ōpōtiki, Bay of Plenty
- Highest region
- 21%Tasman, 4,900 employees
Where we start
Farmers and growers are usually running a business alongside the physical work. ChatGPT helps the business side: planning, numbers and paperwork, much of it from a phone.
Numbers from a spreadsheet
Upload yield, feed or labour spreadsheets and ask for season-on-season comparisons and charts, then check the calculation it shows.
Voice notes to records
Talk through the day on your phone and turn it into diary entries, job lists or staff instructions.
A custom GPT for staff questions
Load your farm rules, safety procedures and FAQs into a custom GPT so seasonal staff can get answers in plain language.
Take care: Treat agronomic or veterinary suggestions as a starting point for your adviser, not a replacement.
Where the jobs are
Farming, horticulture and forestry accounts for 4.8% of paid employees in New Zealand. These are the towns and regions where its share is highest. Towns need at least 400 employees to be ranked.
Towns with the highest share of jobs in farming and horticulture
| Town | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ōpōtiki | 37.5% | 4.8% | |
| Kirwee | 34.8% | 4.8% | |
| Te Puke | 29.7% | 4.8% | |
| Winton | 19.7% | 4.8% | |
| Paerata | 17.9% | 4.8% | |
| Katikati | 15.4% | 4.8% | |
| Methven | 15.3% | 4.8% | |
| Coromandel | 15.0% | 4.8% | |
| Mataura | 13.2% | 4.8% | |
| Waiheke West | 12.2% | 4.8% |
Share of paid employees at business locations in the town. The tick marks the national share.
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
By region
| Region | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasman | 20.7% | 4.8% | |
| Gisborne | 19.5% | 4.8% | |
| Marlborough | 16.1% | 4.8% | |
| Southland | 15.1% | 4.8% | |
| Hawke's Bay | 13.2% | 4.8% | |
| Bay of Plenty | 8.6% | 4.8% | |
| Waikato | 8.3% | 4.8% | |
| Otago | 7.9% | 4.8% | |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 7.6% | 4.8% | |
| West Coast | 7.3% | 4.8% | |
| Taranaki | 7.2% | 4.8% | |
| Northland | 6.8% | 4.8% | |
| Canterbury | 5.0% | 4.8% | |
| Nelson | 5.0% | 4.8% | |
| Wellington | 1.1% | 4.8% | |
| Auckland | 0.7% | 4.8% |
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
Courses
1Introductory
ChatGPT essentials workshop
A practical session for the whole team: prompting, files, data analysis and Projects, using tasks from your own business.
2Organisation
ChatGPT Business and Enterprise rollout
Set up ChatGPT properly for a team: workspace, sharing, policies, a custom GPT library and adoption that lasts past week two.
3Advanced
Custom GPTs, agents and the OpenAI API
For power users and developers: custom GPTs with actions, agent workflows, the OpenAI API and Codex.
Other industries
Questions
Is ChatGPT safe to use in farming and horticulture?
With the right plan and rules, yes for most tasks. Treat agronomic or veterinary suggestions as a starting point for your adviser, not a replacement.
Can training use our own farming and horticulture examples?
Yes. We ask for a few real, non-sensitive examples beforehand, or anonymised versions, and build the exercises around them.
Train your farming and horticulture team
- Send us a few linesHow many people, where you are, and the jobs that eat your week.
- We reply with a planA suggested session and format, plus what to bring: real quotes, emails and questions.
- Your team does the workAt your place or over video. They finish with ChatGPT doing real tasks, not demos.
- In person
- Remote
- Half-day workshop
- Full-day workshop
- Team rollout
Independent training by TheColab. Not affiliated with OpenAI.
Enquire
Tell us about your team. We reply by email with a suggested course and format.