increase font size
THE 33 FINALISTS in the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards showcase the talent the dairy industry is attracting.
National convenor Chris Keeping says many of the finalists are relatively new to the industry, having changed careers, and are tapping into the resources and knowledge available to make rapid progress in the industry.
"Entering the dairy industry awards is one way they have identified they can improve their knowledge and skills, meet rural professionals and other like-minded farmers, lift their confidence, have some fun and enhance their reputation," Keeping says.
The finalists are competing in the 2014 New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions. The sharemilker contest is celebrating 25 years in 2014, making it the country's longest-running dairy farming competition.
The winners will be announced in Auckland on May 9 where the 33 finalists will compete for national honours and nearly $160,000 in cash and prizes.
Keeping says the finalists are now busy hosting regional field days and preparing for national judging. "It's a really busy and fulfilling time as they gain feedback and also re-evaluate their goals and how they can best achieve them."
She says there are some standout features of this year's group of finalists. "This year's bunch demonstrates the higher degree of professionalism being required in the industry as many hold Bachelor degrees. It is also really pleasing to see the number of females competing in the dairy trainee contest and the number of finalists that have progressed in the dairy industry awards, having been past regional winners at a lower level."
The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown, RD1 and Triplejump, along with industry partner Primary ITO.
New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year finalists:
Northland – Lance & Stephanie Oliver
Auckland/Hauraki – Bryce & Rosemarie Costar
Waikato – James & Melissa Barbour
Bay of Plenty – Brett & Natasha Grindrod
Central Plateau – Donald & Kirsten Watson
Taranaki – Charlie & Johanna McCaig
Manawatu – Duncan & Kim Fraser
Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa – Tony & Zoe Kuriger
West Coast/Top of the South – Chris & Carla Staples
Canterbury/North Otago – Kevin & Sara O'Neill
Southland/Otago – Steve Henderson & Tracy Heale
New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year finalists:
Northland – Michael & Donna Carroll
Auckland/Hauraki – Simon Player
Waikato – Liam Zander
Bay of Plenty – Thomas Blackett & Stacey Lepper
Central Plateau – Robert Hartley
Taranaki – Michael Shearer
Manawatu – Sam Ebbett
Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa – Nick Bertram
West Coast/Top of the South – Jason Macbeth
Canterbury/North Otago – Phillip Colombus
Southland/Otago – Jared Crawford
New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year finalists:
Northland – Matthew Snedden
Auckland/Hauraki – Marion Reynolds
Waikato – Nathan Hubbard
Bay of Plenty – Cameron Luxton
Central Plateau – Ruth Hone
Taranaki – Ben Frost
Manawatu – Hayley Hoogendyk
Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa – Alice Gysbertsen.
West Coast/Top of the South – Amy White
Canterbury/North Otago – Isaac Vujcich
Southland/Otago – Josh Lavender.
Visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz for more information on the winners.
As the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards night unfolded, it became evident that Waikato’s Thomas and Fiona Langford were the frontrunners for the biggest prize of the night – the 2025 Share Farmers of the Year award.
Tasman sharemilkers Warric and Rachel Johnson haven't let the 2006 milk payout crash put them out of business.
OPINION: Results of regional New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) are trickling in but there's a worrying trend emerging.
The winner of the 2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards enjoys the variety of work farming offers and the ability to improve each season.
Coronet Peak, Queenstown, was the venue for the 2024 NZ Dairy Industry Awards.
The Primary Production Select Committee is calling for submissions on the Valuers Bill currently before Parliament.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that commercial fruit and vegetable growers are getting ahead of freshwater farm plan regulations through its Growing Change project.
Lucidome Bio, a New Zealand agricultural biotech company was recently selected as one of fourteen global finalists to pitch at the Animal Health, Nutrition and Technology Innovation USA event in Boston.
Tractor manufacturer and distributor Case IH has announced a new partnership with Meet the Need, the grassroots, farmer-led charity working to tackle food insecurity across New Zealand one meal at a time.
The DairyNZ Farmers Forum is back with three events - in Waikato, Canterbury and Southland.
To celebrate 25 years of the Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship, Ravensdown caught up with past recipients to see where their careers have taken them, and what the future holds for the industry.
OPINION: Last week's announcement of Prime Minister’s new Science and Technology Advisory Council hasn’t gone down too well in the…
OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris…
