If you’re tired of a driving job that’s just driving, this one’s different. Kintyre Meats Ltd needs a Livestock Truck Driver in the Wairarapa who doesn’t mind swapping the cab for the paddock every now and then. You’ll run a brand-new two-deck rig and pitch in on farm work too, all while an accredited employer backs your visa.

About the Company

Kintyre Meats sits under the Cabernet Foods Group, a New Zealand-owned outfit that’s been running since 2002. They cover farming, meat processing, and distribution across the country, and they’ve built real relationships with the farmers and suppliers they work with. This is a newly created role, so you’d be shaping how it runs from day one, not slotting into someone else’s old routine.

What the Job Looks Like

Most days start around 5am and wrap up by 3pm, five days a week. You’ll be behind the wheel of an 8-wheeler livestock truck picking up and transporting animals across the Lower North Island, mostly within the Wairarapa. But driving is only half of it — you’ll also help with livestock movements, husbandry tasks, tractor work, and whatever seasonal farm jobs come up. Some weeks ask for a bit more flexibility on hours, especially during busy stock movement periods, so this suits someone who doesn’t need a rigid clock-in, clock-out routine.

Primary Responsibilities

• ✓
  Pick up and transport livestock across the Wairarapa region
• ✓
  Support livestock movements and general husbandry tasks
• ✓
  Drive throughout the Lower North Island as jobs require
• ✓
  Operate tractors and other farm machinery when needed
• ✓
  Pitch in on seasonal farm work across the wider operation

What You’ll Need

• ✓
  Class 4 or Class 5 licence (or an overseas one that transfers)
• ✓
  At least 12 months in truck driving, livestock transport, or rural work
• ✓
  Comfort working around and transporting livestock
• ✓
  A genuine focus on animal welfare and safe driving
• ✓
  Physical fitness for manual handling, including lifting 20kg+
• ✓
  A reliable, independent streak that also works fine in a team
• ✓
  Flexibility around hours and occasional travel

Nice-to-haves: a current forklift licence with OSH endorsement, past livestock transport work, tractor or machinery experience, and knowing your way around the Wairarapa and Lower North Island rural roads.

Pre-Employment Checks

Any offer here comes with the usual conditions: a medical assessment, drug and alcohol testing, a check on your licence and driving record, police vetting where relevant, and reference checks. Standard stuff for a role that puts you behind the wheel and around livestock every day.

Job Snapshot

What’s on Offer

Visa Note (AEWV)

Kintyre Meats is an Accredited Employer under New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. By law, this role gets advertised to New Zealand citizens and residents first, and every suitably qualified applicant gets a genuine look. If you’d need a work visa to take the job, sponsorship can only go ahead once Immigration New Zealand’s requirements are met and no suitable local candidate is available for the role.

How to Apply

Applications for this role run through Trade Me. You’ll need to submit your CV along with a short cover letter that walks through your driving, livestock, and agricultural background. Hit the button below to get straight to the live listing.