Hamilton, New Zealand – Dairy Training Ltd, a self‑funded not‑for‑profit subsidiary of DairyNZ, has long been at the forefront of advancing skills within New Zealand’s dairy sector. Their mission is clear: provide free, high‑quality training to dairy farmers, helping them build strong careers and brighter futures.
However, with their previous student management solution nearing end‑of‑life, the organisation faced increasing operational challenges. They needed a modern, secure, and compliant system that would support their growth and meet stringent NZQA and TEC reporting standards.
Why Change Was Needed
Dairy Training identified several key objectives when searching for a new Student Management System (SMS):
- Modernisation & Functionality: Replace their aging system with a contemporary solution offering better features and security.
- Compliance: Meet all NZQA and TEC reporting and audit requirements.
- Efficiency: Reduce double‑handling and manual data entry through integration and automation.
- Cost‑Effectiveness: Align with their not‑for‑profit budget while gaining maximum value.
- User‑Friendliness: Adopt a system easy for all staff to learn and navigate.
- Flexibility & Support: Work with a partner who offers customisation, responsive support, and regular product improvements.
Why SELMA SIS Was the Clear Choice
After assessing four different solutions, SELMA SIS stood out as the ideal match for Dairy Training. The system’s strong reputation in New Zealand, managing 60% of PTE funding nationwide, combined with its comprehensive feature set, gave Dairy Training confidence in their decision.
Key differentiators included:
- Deep understanding of NZ compliance requirements
- Proven reliability and local support based in Auckland
- Strong focus on security and privacy (including progression towards ISO certification)
- Seamless integration with their Cloud Assess LMS
- Logical workflows, user‑friendly interface, and extensive customisation options
- Excellent value for money
A Smooth Transition with SELMA SIS
The SELMA team, particularly David, Alan, and Jham, were consistently praised for their responsiveness and solution-focused approach. They provided comprehensive online onboarding training, followed by valuable in-person sessions, ensuring a smooth learning curve for all staff.
Data migration, a common pain point in system transitions, was handled with expertise. The SELMA team efficiently managed the process and quickly addressed any bugs, even providing creative solutions when data migration was stalled by their previous providers.
Dairy Training greatly appreciated the regular enhancements and improvements, which are often a direct result of their feedback and requests. The readily available Resource Centre, filled with helpful guides and explanations, has been instrumental in empowering staff to explore and utilize the system’s full functionality. A key success was ensuring their SDR was ready to go with no bugs immediately after migration, a critical compliance requirement.
Change can be incredibly stressful, especially when you’re transitioning three systems simultaneously, as we were. The SELMA team, however, made all the difference. They were incredibly accessible, respectful, and patient, guiding us through every step of the transition. They ensured all integrations worked seamlessly and helped us feel completely at home navigating SELMA.
We are truly enjoying the modern look and feel of the system, its easy navigation, and the powerful reporting functions.
Having answers to all our questions readily available in the wiki resources or via email has been a game-changer.
SELMA has not only met but exceeded our expectations, allowing us to maintain accurate and secure records, meet compliance, and significantly reduce our administrative load, ultimately enabling us to focus more on our core mission of empowering dairy farmers.
Jenny Sinclair
Operations Manager
Measurable Impact
Since adopting SELMA SIS, Dairy Training has:
- Maintained accurate and secure records
- Met all NZQA and TEC compliance requirements
- Reduced administrative workload through automation and integrations
- Empowered staff with a fully customisable dashboard and easy‑to‑use interface
- Benefited from a comprehensive Resource Centre and responsive support team
Looking Ahead
The adoption of SELMA SIS has enabled Dairy Training to spend less time on administration and more time on what matters most—empowering New Zealand dairy farmers to thrive.