Dairy awards
OPINION: Results of regional New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) are trickling in but there's a worrying trend emerging.
Executive committee member Brian Power has been driving the changes to make the field days of greater value and interest to all participants.
"We've come up with the concept of holding one field day that includes all three regional competition winners, as well as a past winner, in our 11 regions so we can really focus on what each of the winners is doing well and where that is leading them in their dairy farming career.
"We want to get greater participation in the field days and far better exposure for all those involved," Power says.
Winners of each region's Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions will attend and present at the field day, held on the farm where the share farmer winner is operating. A past winner will also present on how their career has progressed since their success in the awards.
"We want to focus on what each winner is doing really well and why they won."
As well as promoting the winners from all competitions, he says the field days aim to promote progression and best practice in the industry, and highlight the dairy awards. They also aim to be an extension to the learning and development of those attending, irrespective of where they are in their dairy career, and provide a social opportunity for networking.
"We want the field days to become the most informative and social event of the season in their region – a day that people won't want to miss."
He says the field days will be more stimulating and action packed by including all three competition winners and sharing their stories. They will be well planned and structured, with each field day starting at 10.30am and finishing with a BBQ at 1pm.
In past years, two field days have been held on the winners of the share farmer and dairy manager farms.
"It's a big ask for the regional managers, sponsors and DairyNZ staff that assist us to run the field days to organise these events. By creating one large well-structured event all participants can invest their energy in the one event and gain from the greater participation and exposure it delivers," says Power.
