increase font size
Woodville farmer Ben Allomes (pictured) and his wife Nicky were named best primary sector employers
The dairy sector is on a winning streak, recently collecting a range of coveted awards.
From being named the best employers in the primary sector to sustainability superstar, the good work in the industry is being acknowledged, says DairyNZ’s general manager responsible dairy, Jenny Cameron.
“We are proud of all of our winners. They are up against hot competition in these awards which celebrate not only business expertise, but also the dedicated environmental work being carried out by so many.
“Dairying has also featured strongly as finalists among the various awards, and this is pleasing too.”
Cameron added that media coverage of the wins included last Sunday’s Country Calendar which featured the Rotorua dairy farm that won the 2018 Ahuwhenua Trophy for Maori Excellence in Dairy Farming. The farm is owned by Onuku Maori Lands Trust.
In the first-ever MPI Agmardt Primary Industries Good Employer Awards, presented in Wellington late last month, dairy won the top award, the Minister of Agriculture’s award for Best Primary Sector Employers, and took out two further categories.
Woodville dairy farmers Ben and Nicky Allomes were named the Best Primary Sector Employers. The couple, who own Hopelands Dairies, also won the Innovative Employment Practices award.
The Minister, Damien O’Connor, says of them: “They have creatively solved the age-old problem of work-life balance by investing in a rostering system that allows their workers ownership of when they work and what they do on the ground. They have also shared this knowledge with their community”.
Allomes is also a DairyNZ director.
The Maori owned and operated Miraka dairy company won the Maori Agribusiness category.
The MPI Agmardt Primary Industries Good Employer Awards are set up to recognise exceptional employers in dairy, seafood, forestry, and horticulture sectors, which collectively employ about 350,000 people – one in seven working New Zealanders, and as many as one in three in some regions.
In this year’s NZI Sustainable Business Awards, presented recently in Auckland, dairy won two categories, and received the judges’ commendation in a third.
Matamata dairy farmer and chair of the Dairy Environment Leaders’ Forum, Tracy Brown, claimed the Sustainable Superstar award presented to a person who inspires and leads others to make a difference.
The judges said: “Tracy is a dairy farmer who has devoted the past 17 years to modelling and promoting sustainable farming. She set up her farm in a sustainable way long before it became mainstream… She is a human dynamo with great passion, commitment and guts… Sustainable dairying isn’t just Tracy’s job, it’s her life.”
The Transforming Food category went to the organic dairy farm Our Land of Milk and Honey, which also produces honey, and has a market garden. The farm is located in the foothills of the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari reserve in Waikato.
The judges said: “This organic dairy farm is modelling a different way of farming. Its focus is on carbon reduction and the interface between profit and environmental mitigation. It shows that farming can benefit the environment, community and economy.”
In the Efficiency Champion category the judges commended Fonterra for its plant in Pahiatua.
The NZI Sustainable Business Awards are New Zealand’s longest-standing sustainability awards, established 16 years ago to recognise and celebrate success in sustainability.
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.
OPINION: It's no surprise that "world-class biosecurity" continues to dominate as the top priority for agribusiness leaders, holding the number one spot for the 16th consecutive year in KPMG's latest agribusiness report.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
OPINION: The dairy sector has been told that it cannot afford to rest on its laurels.
The dairy industry cannot rest on its laurels despite providing one in every four export dollars earned by the country, says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.
Potatoes New Zealand has congratulated Peter Reynolds of TA Reynolds Ltd in Pukekohe on being awarded the Horticulture New Zealand Bledisloe Cup, recognising a lifetime of service and contribution to New Zealand horticulture.
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.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
OPINION: The Irish dairy sector is facing a new dilemma - maintaining year-round fresh milk supplies.
OPINION: Could beef cows play an increasingly important role in improving profitability and resilience on hill country farms?
