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The new entry criteria for the 2016 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year means dairy workers with a variety of backgrounds, experience and skills are able to enter.
Entries are now being accepted online at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz, where you can also enter for 2016 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year and the 2016 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year. All entries close November 30.
New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards general manager Chris Keeping says the entry criteria changes have broadened the scope of potential entrants in the Dairy Manager of the Year competition.
"We made the entry changes as some good people were missing out on being able to participate in the dairy awards programme as they were either too old, too experienced or were not in the right position to enter.
"We've made it a lot more accommodating and that means a wide variety of potential dairy farm workers are now eligible to enter the dairy manager competition."
Keeping says farm managers, assistant farm managers, senior herd managers, production managers, herd managers, and 2ICs could all be eligible to enter. To be eligible entrants need to be employed full-time on a dairy farm on an individual employment contract (not self-employed), and have no equity in the farm business.
"It'll be really interesting for our judges as an entrant could be new to the industry – but have maturity and other work experiences – or have been in the industry for some years."
The Dairy Manager of the Year competition also allows entrants to play to a particular strength in a Power Play section.
"The Power Play is worth 20% and enables entrants to choose a topic from five options to present on. It recognises that some entrants may have a greater responsibility or strength in one aspect of the farm business as compared to others."
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
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